Turkey Day 5K - PR!

Another day of learning to let go...

The plan was to race the Annual Turkey Trot 5K in Cape Coral with Mel, Benjamin and JJ. We woke up late. It was a frigid 44 degrees. No time for breakfast. No time for coffee. No time for a good visit to the throne...We rushed through registration. We rushed to pin on our bibs. We rushed to find JJ's friends. We rushed to get Mel and Ben settled. We rushed to figure out how to work JJ's IPOD so he could listen to music.

No warm-up. No striders. No mental imagery which has become a ritual for me before any race.

So with no expectations, I decided this was all about JJ anyway. Maybe I would just run a hard mile and then jog back to enjoy the end of JJ's run. This was only his second 5K and he was a bit nervous - especially when a record crowd of 1,250 runners and walkers showed up to do this race.

So I go out with the crowd and feel good...No oxygen debt; no heavy legs; just a good strong pace. Then, at mile 1, I hear the timer..."6:05; 6:10..."

You have to be kidding me! That felt like a walk in the park! I am way ahead of PR pace. But that's impossible...I didn't psyched myself up...I didn't warm up...I didn't stride out.

So I decide to keep going...see if I can get to Mile 2 in under 13 minutes...for sure, I went out too fast and I would die before the 2nd mile. My mouth was dry, my feet were frozen, my nose was running.

Then, at mile 2, I hear the timer..."12:45; 12:50..." No way...I am under a 6:30 mile pace at mile 2 for the first time that I could remember...I could go sub 20 for the first time ever!!!

Then, all the sudden...some cramps...some doubts...two heavy legs...a bit of oxygen debt...the negotiation begins...Maybe this should be a PR day...NOT a sub-20 day. Today should really be about JJ...

So, I held a steady pace and shut it down at about mile 3...and jogged the last 100 meters...I actually watched the timer click mercilessly toward 20 minutes and pointed to it when I passed my wife with 10 meters to go...But I knew I had a PR...an EASY PR...I love saying that. An EASY PR!!!! 20:10 - I beat my previous PR by 11 seconds.!

For about a minute after I finished...my mind wandered...Did I podium? How far under 20 minutes could I have gone if I warmed up and did some striders? Is there something to this "stay loose" and "don't take yourself so seriously" approach? It is working for golf, maybe it could work for racing. There was lots of contemplation as I jogged out to find JJ and run the last mile with him...

I concluded that for the first time, I know...I really know that triathlon training is making me a FASTER and more fit runner. For a while there...I was feeling like I was getting better at 3 discliplines at the expense of 1 discipline - running. That felt terrible...All this hard work and I couldn't go sub 20:30 in a 5K anymore??? What's up with that?

That mentality is over. Decreasing my running and increasing the time in the pool and on the bike is making my cardio and my endurance much better. My legs are stronger. My "forever pace" is much faster and longer...

I found JJ...running and humming to his IPOD. Steady Eddy! He ran a 33:25 5K which was over 3 minutes faster than his first 5K last February. For the first time, he sensed the fruit of his training labor. He says, "OK Dad, I admit it, I walked through a water stop but that was IT!" I laughed. He is starting to get "hooked" - and without his Dad pushing him. He saw that 21 other 10-12 year olds beat him but he also saw that he beat 10 other kids his age...He wants to work at it which is all I can wish for.

Perhaps the most touching moment was at mile 2.5 when my coach and members of my tri team screamed for JJ Gamba...we could hear the cheers all the way to the finish line...that gave me goose bumps and again made me so grateful for balance, perspective and the serenity that I now have in my life.

These are great feelings to have on a blessed Thanksgiving morning!