After 9 years of endurance racing, I (and Megan) began yesterday's Soldier Field 10 Mile Race from start corral A. And what an experience it was! For those of you new to endurance sports, a corral is a sectioned area at a race's starting line, where race participants are grouped according to their expected finishing time. The fastest runners are usually in the first corrals and the slowest runners are in the corrals at the back.
We arrived at the starting line approximately 15 minutes early, flashed our corral A entrance bibs and were allowed entrance a mere 20 feet from the starting line. And from there, the rest is history!
The Soldier Field 10 Miler is a large race with 15,000 registrants. And like nearly all of the larger races, this one isn't immune to some of the issues that occur naturally with large crowds. But all of this was lost in corral A.
We immediately made our way to the center of the corral and had no problems doing so. For the first time ever, we had room to maneuver before the gun went off; room to move, room to stretch, room to remain comfortable. From there, I took notice of the others who had also earned a spot in corral A. I noticed immediately that it was quiet. There was no nervous chatter, no small talk, no comments about the weather. I took note of the other runner's attire; worn in sneakers and slightly frayed technical shorts and tops. And underneath it all, there were muscles. Exposed arms and legs, long and lean, that can only be earned through hard work and dedication!
After the gun sounded, we quickly set out at our goal pace. And once again, it was comfortable. There was room to maneuver, room to run, room to remain in control. At the turning point around mile 5, it occurred to me again how pleasant this experience was. Everyone was silent, everyone was running and everyone was pushing. For the past 5 miles, all that was heard was feet on pavement, hearts pounding, and chests breathing!
For the entire second half of this race, the intensity grew. For many endurance athletes, 10 miles is a short race which enables runners to push for speed. And that we did!
In what seamed like no time at all, we crossed the finish line (the 50 yard line of Soldier Field). And with it, we'd set new PR's (personal records) finishing in 1 hour, 13 minutes, 21 seconds (7 minute 21 second miles). But above all that, we'd experienced something new. Something that can only be attained through hard work and dedication!
No comments:
Post a Comment