A Great Weekend for a PR

Run, run, run, run. La die dah dah. I love to run.

The adventure started last Friday. I fed the dogs, taught cycle, then loaded the car and drove south. The sun reflected off of the waves at Rincon on my right. To my left, the "mountains"/hills stood tall and alive (with the sound of music?). I call them "mountains" because people in my town think that's what they are. If you are from Oregon or Washington or really any place with a bump of ground that is taller than 2,500 feet, you know these are really just hills. Regardless, I couldn't help but soak in the beauty that surrounded me and think to myself, "This is where I live".

I was giddy with excitement. So giddy, in fact, that every time I thought about my breathtaking surroundings or about the Walk the Sun song on my iPod or the trip I was about to take, I couldn't hold my lips back from curling up into a smile, teeth included.

Deep breath in. This is happiness.

I have had my days where happiness seemed unfathomable. But this? There was no denying this feeling that everything in life was as it should be. 

The LA traffic was heavy. Timing doesn't matter; LA traffic is always a pill. But when I arrived in Encinitas, the sun was bright, the air was warm (80 degree weather in February) and Walk the Sun was still bumping through my speakers. I checked in at the YMCA and walked out to their enormous, eleven-lane pool. I began my 2600 meter workout. It was exciting to be in a new pool. I won't bore you with the details of the pool or the environment because God knows we all have more important things to busy ourselves with.

After the swim, I drove down to my grandparents' house for one of the most amazing dinners I have ever eaten. Mer had made fish (which I love) with some special spices my cousin had given her for Christmas. On the side, we had steamed veggies and tomatoes. It was wonderfully made and enthusiastically consumed.

Dana picked me up after dinner and we went to our favorite sushi place to talk about life, love and friends. "Lara is having another baby?" "Tiff is going to be a perfect mother." "Most of our friends are still single. That's promising." "How was Elise's trip up North?" I love my best friend and I love my time with her. Dana and I are so different, yet we have so much fun together constantly. Her laugh brightens my week. I am so grateful for her friendship.

The next day, I met Rynny, Baby Isla, Torrey and Julie at Bird Rock Coffee. Isla is such a cute baby. Seriously. I do not say that often. In fact, I think most babies are pretty darn ugly, but not Isla. Isla has these big, beautiful eyes that are full of wonder and a desire to learn and to know. She has a perfect smile and soft skin. I could hold her all day long... until she cries. Then she can go back to her mommy.

In case you weren't sure what happiness looks like

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After coffee, I did Pilates on my grandparents' front lawn then met up with Elle and April to teach them Pilates at the beach. Elle is one of my sister's best friends from growing up, but she and I have a lot of similarities and I enjoy spending time with her. She is basically a little sister to me.

Love this beautiful girl

My favorite beach

The three of us girls met up with Dana and Eric for sushi at the shores, but the meal had consequences. Dana and I were both rewarded with a dose of food poisoning. I sat up that night, the night before my race, holding my stomach and crying in pain. This is not how the night was supposed to end. I laid down in the fetal position and fell asleep texting Ben.

The next morning, I made my oatmeal with peanut butter and banana, drove down the hill and got coffee and made my way to Coronado. When I arrived, it was cold outside. The air cut through my three layers of what were supposed to be warm coats. Stiffly, I moved my legs toward the registration tent and signed in. Amy wasn't there yet, so I started to warm up.

My parents were married here

Good morning, Coronado

As the minutes ticked by, Amy and I found our spot at the starting line toward the front. "This is how our friendship started," she reminded me. "I came in to buy a pair of shoes from you and you invited me to run this race with you and here we are. A week after meeting, we were moving in together." Hey, the more running friends, the merrier!

Pre-run

My coach warned me to pace myself, but of course, I started out a minute faster than I was supposed to go. It felt solid though and I knew I could hold it. I made my way ahead of Amy (so I thought), but soon she was passing on my right. I feel really strong and this is really a slow pace for me. I should pick it up, I thought. Fortunately, I ignored my mind and stuck to my coach's orders. 8:30 pace. Just a couple more feet and I can take it down to 8:00. That's when I passed Amy again and gave her a little love tap. "Way to go," I told her.

As I passed a group of college guys, I heard them comment on my stride, using terms such as strong and confident. Someone even remarked he thought I could be going faster. Ahhhhh so hard to resist the urge.

At mile 2.8, I saw the first runner making his way back to the start.  I kept my eyes open for my new friend Sergio, who is a Saucony rep in San Diego. He was hoping to hold onto the lead runner and take him out at the end for the win. When I caught sight of his fluffy beard, he was in third. "You got it, Sergio," I screamed.

I passed a woman in a wheelchair who was pushing her way toward the win. Then a man trailing behind a stroller passed me up. I guess it was a good day to be on wheels. Aw man, I thought. I just got passed by a man with a stroller. After looking at his calves though, I wasn't too bummed. I pushed my hips forward and squeezed my glutes in. Let's go, Ash. Take another :15 off your pace. And I did.

Every mile, I cut my pace by :15. Around mile 4.5, I started feeling a little worn. There were two guys my age in heart boxers that I had been drafting behind for the past two miles. I decided it was time to let them eat my dust, so I kicked it into gear and left them by themselves. Since mile 1, I had been neck to neck with a "bunny rabbit", as Yomi called her. She would sprint all out for 400 meters then stop and tie her shoe or drink some water or just hang out. Then she would sprint all out again. I was fed up of this game of cat and mouse we were playing and I knew I had to beat her. On mile 5, I was ahead of her. At mile 5.3, she kicked it up a notch and shot past me. I watched as she started to fade. She got to 5.5 and died. I picked it up. And I didn't stop. I knew I was kicking it into gear too soon, but I didn't want her to beat me. My turnover seemed slow, but I knew I was pushing harder than I should have been. Can I maintain this for the next .75 miles? On my left, a man called out, "Nice kick!" I knew he was talking to me. People were watching me. It didn't matter that they didn't know me. I needed this for me. ...Well, it didn't hurt that I knew people at home would ask my time, too. I held it to the end and finished with a PR. Then I grabbed a medal, half of a banana and some water and started jogging against the running traffic to find Amy. A few minutes later, I spotted her staring at the ground in front of her.

"Come on, Amy," I screamed. I ran along side her and encouraged her to dig deeper. She finished her first 10K in under an hour. "Way to go, Amy," I yelled proudly.

What a great day for a PR. And a beer at 10AM. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Halfway through, I realized I was drinking a beer at 10AM, so I stopped.

Time for coffee. Bird Rock, here I come.