Wanting to salvage the first half of the year by running some kind of race, I signed up for the Run the Vines 10k in Dobson, NC. The theme is based on the fact that the race ends at Shelton Vineyards.
I'll preface this by saying that I wasn't trained up for this. With all the injuries I had, I took a long break, didn't get back into running until just a few weeks prior. I definitely lost the gains that I had made while training several months ago. My final run was 5 miles the Monday before the race, and I could not go the full distance without stopping, although I was convinced that I could will myself to do better come race time.
I took the family with me. My wife was going to do the 5k and strollers were permitted, allowing her to push the dual jogging stroller and bring my two kids along for the ride. We checked in that afternoon, forgoing a trip to 'Mayberry' (Mt Airy, NC) because the weather was pretty nasty.
Swag bag consisted of a cotton blend t-shirt, a pair of New Balance socks, a Tommy Hilfiger hat, a couple pens, a plastic sports bottle, an offer for some free Chick-Fil-A, a sample of Biofreeze, and some brochures.
Race day was pretty exciting. I haven't been involved in an organized race in over ten years. The race started at a nearby Hampton Inn that was located right off the interstate. Some folks were dressed up. Noticed others warming up. Seemed to be a larger crowd running the 5k. A recording of the Star Spangled Banner was played and then it was go time!
I started off strong, trying to discipline myself to not go too hard and keep up with the people around me. I think I did okay with that since I purposely started near the back, knowing that I wasn't going to go fast, with my goal being that I run the entire time and not stop. I had an app running to track my time and distance, but refrained from running with music. Most races prefer for participants to not have headphones on and I thought it would be good to try and do the run without wearing any.
Not even a mile in, I could feel my shin splints kick in. Well crap, this was going to be a long race. I powered through, ignoring the pain until it was manageable to run with. Two miles in, we get to the first water station. Drinking while running is something I need practice on. I think more water got on my face than in my mouth.
I had expected a more level course, but should have known better, considering how close we were to the mountains. There was more up/down than I had anticipated. I watched a video of the 10k course. Since it was taken from a bike's point of view, I guess I didn't notice as much of the uphill portions.
Halfway done, still going strong with the only exception that my feet were going numb. They always go numb after about 3 miles and usually they'll go away as I continue to keep running. At this point, I'm turning into the back of Shelton Vineyard's property. There's a good little hill just before the turn point. I was trying to speed up, take advantage of the downhill portions and slow down for the hills. At that point, I decided to stop and take a short walk. Bad idea, it was just a sign of things to come.
After making the turn and resuming running, I started to feel a cramp in my side, which I guess is a side stitch. Part of the consequences of not being in proper shape and race-ready. Had to stop and walk a bit, wait for the pain to subside. Start again. Feel the side stitch flare up. Stop again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Spent the next mile trying to power through it.
At mile 4.5, they warn of an uphill stretch that continues for the next 1.25 miles. It wasn't all that bad, but considering my shin splints, numb feet, and side stitch, it was a struggle. I was averaging a 10:30 mile before the halfway point; I was probably closer to a 13:30 mile on the back end.
Once we were in the home stretch, to the point that I could hear the music playing at the finish, I went ahead and pushed that extra gear. I ran pretty hard for the last half mile and crossed the finish line at 1:12:25, which translates to an 11:40 mile.
I caught up with my wife and kids shortly after race, grabbed an orange and some powerade for my post-race refreshments. Took some pictures with the family since the grounds were so nice. However, we knew the kids would be antsy, so we didn't stick around to do any tours or wine sampling or to stick around for the awards and other festivities.
By then, the rest allowed my shin splints to come full circle. I could not move my leg without feeling significant pain. I had to use the jogging stroller as a crutch to very slowly get back to the car. I couldn't bend my foot. I couldn't curl my toes. Pain was from the ankle to just under the knee, with some spots sensitive to the touch. I tried to stretch it out, but the pain made that difficult. Slowly but surely, I'd get a bit more movement in my body through the rest of the day.
It's been a few days now, I still feel a little pain when I'm walking briskly. Starting tomorrow, I'm intending to do a short little jog, get back into the swing of things. I didn't meet my goal of going the entire race without stopping. I had an encouraging start, but wasn't in good enough shape to power through. I have intentions to run another race on July 8, which gives me another good six weeks to train. I'm hoping to take advantage of the next few weeks, as my goal is to cut at least 5 minutes off of my time and avoid stopping.
Guess we'll see how that goes..
