Portugal Day Race

Yep, it is official. I am a mid-packer!

First, I was a couch potato. My idea of a healthy diet was to order only once a week from Domino's instead of twice or more. Get a 2-liter Coke and stretch it for 3 days. My endurance event for the season was to watch multiple movies or a whole season of a TV show in one session. I wasn't fat, I was big-boned!

Then, I was a treadmill jockey. I would put on my 20 buck sneakers and sneak into the gym early in the morning, so that people didn't see how slow I ran. Weight-loss was the goal and the treadmill was my sworn enemy. 5mph was the coveted setting, 30 minute workout was the unattainable goal, 3 miles were Mt. Everest.

Then, I was a weekend warrior. As I ran and ran, and lost weight and then some more and finally managed to find a speed on the treadmill that neither looked pathetic nor made me huff and puff like the little engine that could, I started to enjoy this no-hand-eye coordination required-come as you are-activity. I ran past that 3-mile target onto the 10K. I even scored my first injury. And come Spring, I hit the road in my $100 big-boy running shoes. Oh, and I learned to call them running shoes, not sneakers (Runner's Rule Book, Rule 3.1).

Then, I was a racer. Running alone was not enough anymore, I needed targets. I got myself a GPS device, learned all kinds of cool terms like speed-work, threshold run and everyone's favorite: fartlek! I was confident that I wouldn't come in last and that was enough. I often ended up in the last start corral. In shorter races by the time I passed the start line the leaders were revving up for their final sprint. It didn't matter though, I had my chip and my bib. I was racing against myself. (and that 70 year old grandpa who was trying to sneak a sprint in the last stretch!)

And today I became a mid-packer. I was still corralled far behind the elites but I was in front of the walkers. I  went out too fast and faded in the heat later. I was disappointed with my sub 9 min/mile pace, I wanted sub 8:30. As I was walking back home from the Park, I had time to reflect and I smiled at my disappointed self. For not so long ago 9 min/mile was a dream. I snapped out of that runner's high state quickly though. Because I am a mid-packer and we always know we could have done better!

So, when is the next race?