The Little En-Jenn That Could

Sat. June 14th was the long awaited 10K run that I had been training for from January to April. May training went by the wayside with all the visitors and traveling that we did. And I'd put my running on the back burner for them any day. To be brutally honest, I'd put running on the back burner for just about anything. Nonetheless, I'm proud of myself for gutting through those 4 months...even though I only went as far as 7 miles.

I was worried I wouldn't like running the "Helvetia" 10K. It's mostly known for the half-marathon and draws THOUSANDS of people each year. I still feel like a wanna-be and extremely out of my comfort zone among the die hards. But my dear friend Stephanie did it with me and we even saw a few other friendly faces along the way.

Surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed the 10K experience. For starters, we were given time chips for our shoes that tracked our time. So even if people were passing me, it wasn't because I was slower than them. We were running against our own clocks. Likewise, when I passed people it didn't mean I was faster than them either. (Although it sure feels good to pass people!) Actually that first mile is kind of hard because you do a lot of weaving in and out of people. I'm amazed I didn't trip and fall.

At the first mile marker, I looked at my watch to see how I was doing. Last year in the Forest Grove 5K, I came out WAY too fast. 9:30. I'm doing good to run it in 10:00. So I was very conscientious to not overdo it in the first mile. When I looked at my watch, the time read 10:30. I couldn't believe it! I knew there was no way to recoup that lost time. I'm not that fast. And I was disappointed that I probably wouldn't make the time I was hoping for. But I wasn't about to stop. No way. I paid $50 to run this puppy.

You know you're running the "big races" when there are water stations at mile-ish checkpoints. After the first mile, I saw the first group offering energy shots and water cups. I actually debated about taking some or not because as silly as it sounds, I don't know how to run and drink at the same time. Finally, I mentally shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself, "Why not?" I remember reading online about a runner's first marathon experience. She shared her technique for drinking the water while running. You take the little cup and pinch the bottom of it to make the upper part of the cup more streamlined with a point so the water will be better guided into your mouth. Easy enough. So I pinched the bottom, tilted my head back and with all the movement running makes, I did manage to get water in my mouth. And all over my face...and up my nose...and when I swallowed, I accidentally inHALED because I'm desperate for oxygen the first 5.9 miles. I threw the cup down in disgust, but because it's so light, it hardly made a sound to represent my humiliation as I started gasping, wheezing and coughing from the water going down the wrong pipes. It was so bad, I was afraid I'd have to actually stop running to get my coughing under control. Of all the ironic luck, there were now two reasons why I couldn't breath and in the 3 seconds this all happened, it was at the very moment I was running in front of a roadside photographer pointing his camera right at me. Noooooooooooo!!! I felt like such a fool. It was painfully obvious I'd never run a 10K before. And for the next two miles, I prayed he didn't get my water blunder on film.

Once I finally got my labored running breathing back, less the water in the lungs, I felt better.
There are lots of cheerleaders placed strategically on the sidelines of the course who have no clue who you are, but are part of the greater good to help you push along and keep going. As were the port-a-potties. I am very relieved to report I made the entire 6.2 miles without one emergency stop.

The last .2 miles more or less, you're running back into the parking lot and into the Hillsboro Stadium. I had no i-dee-uh there was some dude on a LOUD SPEAKER and as I got closer to the finish line he announced...to the ENTIRE stadium and those in the vicinity, "And here's Jenn HUGH from Aloha." How embarrassing.

And then I was done. 65 minutes. Dang it. I was shooting for 60 minutes. Usually you run faster when you're competing too. I've even run 6.2 miles in 58 minutes before. So I was pretty bummed. I know, I know. Looking on the bright side, I did it. I did it without stopping. I did it while choking. Maybe next year I'll be able to better my time now that I know what to expect. And NO WATER CUPS for me.