Believe to Achieve

Not under 20 but pretty happy with my time considering the same old problems with the breathing.  Just after mile 1    I had to plug my nose due to this running dudes cologne.  Luckily he couldn't keep the pace or I would have passed out.  Slept probably 3 hours last night tossing and turning due to my sleep cycle skewompous from the 5 of 7 nights.  But I am getting stronger despite these obstacles.  I warmed up running 5 miles.  Met Allie (hi Allie) Scott, numero uno overall runner, sub-18, Yahoo!!!!   and I finished fifth overall, first master!!  So pretty pleased.  This is how it all played out.  I will try to be brief, need to shower and get on with my day (12th Anniversary tomorrow so off to celebrate today).  

Mile 1:  5:50!!!  With the help of Battlecreek Drive.  Throat burning from colognes and breathing a little tight but body without tigthness or aches.  Headache comes on after passing cologne guy.  Just keep it even, just focus on breathing.  Saw a girl in front of me hit mile one just after 5:35.  Thought maybe I should try to catch her slowly but surely.  She looks young, twenties?

Mile 2:  6:48 With the sudden no downhill and an uphill just before mile 1, pace slowed.  I was still on target, but throat really burning and headache pretty fatiguing, like I could fall asleep or something.  I guess my adrenaline is running low.  Pass the young girl, well really stayed at same pace with her as I mention to her "don't worry, I am forty" (that either gets the younger runner depressed or surges them into a "no way will I let that old lady beat me").  So we stayed together. 

Mile 3:  1.1 miles in 7:25 (6:44), this is an uphill mile, YUCK!! At the last turn I pulled ahead of her by about 2-3 seconds and I thought "she is young she will out kick me for sure".   I shouldn't have thought that way but I didn't care.  She starts sprinting and I see the clock from a distance and I am "sprinting" slower and I see the time 19:44 and I think I could do it if I followed her but I suddenly was back in High School running the 800M and would never fight the last yards, my friend with very long legs always outkicking me.  I just didn't care about kicking it in.  Whatever.  Why?  I decided that psychologically my brain was thinking ahead.  If I broke 20 then I would want to break 19 and that would really, really, hurt.  So I still have the goal to beat and I don't have to stress over a new one, and my body is in heaven over this fact.  She (her name is Jamie) came in at 19:56.  So see how smart my brain was?  She is also 15 years old.  She told me, at the end, that when she heard I was forty she was no way going to let me stay ahead of her.  She has me to thank for her PR.  She also said "my mom is 40, so definitely no way forty year olds don't run that fast".  That made me feel good, I guess. When I saw her mom I was like, "hey I know you".  We were in the same ward back in Provo for at least 10 years (4 years ago).  I probably taught Jamie in primary.  Small running world.  The end.  For now: )))))