Valentine's day race..

“didn't have a camera by my side this time
hopping I would see the world with both my eyes
maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way with words” John Mayer 3x5

Starting this post out quoting a John Mayer song which means one thing, it can only get better from here.

I decided to race this weekend and of course me being who I am came to my final conclusion the night before. The race was just a 5k called the Cupid’s chase in Princeton, New Jersey (yes, that Princeton). The race was about  1.5 hours according to my GPS way from Emmaus. I usually never drive that far for a race but I have been itching to race for about month now, especially after hearing my teammates talk about indoor track back at Carson-Newman. I figured since I had no Valentine here there was really no reason not to travel.


I did practically everything wrong before this race.

If you have been following me at all, you know that I am very bad at shoveling snow. So after three days, I finally had to face the beast and shovel the rest of the snow off my car, Nicodemus ( yes, I have a nickname  for my car). The only problem is that I failed to build proper time into my schedule for this. I ended leaving  at 8:30 for a race that started at 10:00 which gave me very little time in case I got lost. By having to shovel the snow, I completely forgot to eat breakfast unless a cup of coffee and Tasty Kake counts. This time limit also made me forget that to check the weather, so I assumed it would be in the mid-30s which I count as short weather with winter top apparel (hat, gloves, under amour and jacket). The high was only 28 that day.

I found the exit for Princeton pretty easily but what I did not count on was my GPS to go crazy on where the exact location was located. So I pulled up to the race at exactly 9:48. I had enough time to sprint to registration, hand over my 20 dollars, pick up my red (way to big medium) shirt with Available printed across the back and run back to my car to remove my over sized sweat pants.

I made it the start line and tried to figure out where I needed to stand. I guess it comes from my background as a runner on an organized team but I am the worst at guessing where I need to line up. I am so use to lanes/boxes. So I spotted some fast and fit looking women and stood behind them. Looks can be deceiving, I ended up stuck behind a group of people for my first mile. Usually, this isn’t a problem, I am good at bobbing and weaving my way through the crowd. Due to the snow and ice the racers were shepherded unto sidewalk that weren’t very wide. Also due the recent snowfall, the snow was up to my thigh only making my legs colder. Finally, I came off the sidewalk and was able to fall into a good pace, I hit the first mile in 7:45 which is about 45 seconds off of what I would like to run for my first mile.

The race got better as we headed towards the one big climb and I was able smoothly past people. I hit the 2-mile mark in 15:00, which is  still off of what I would like to run but at least I was getting faster. I saw another female in front of me and began to focus on passing her before the end. With about a half mile to go I did.

My legs were starting to freeze at this time due to my stupidity at not putting tights on but I was able to open up my stride. I let my mind focus on the people cheering ( “Nice Stride” “If you run faster you can go get warm”) and was able to pick up a few more people before the finish line. I ended up running a 21:51- a full 1:10 off my PR for cross-country but I will take it considering all my silliness.

I was able to go grab my oversized sweat pants and shirt to put on before the award ceremonies and it was still cold! Runners were huddled around the outdoor heaters, getting to know each other almost a little too well (I secretly think this is what the race directors wanted). The top three women overall were not much further in front of me which was uplifting and not one broke 20. What I found funny was that all the top women finishers had Available shirts on while the top men finishers all wore the Unavailable shirts. I ended winning my age group and received a few "good jobs". Unfortunately the only number I received that day was my race number.

My GPS decided to take me home yet a different way of which I came and I ended up touring around most of Princeton. I regretted not remembering to bring my camera but later decided maybe it was best just to have some mental snap-shots.