Yesterday was my third attempt to run and conquer the Lord of the Tengan 10k race. Well actually, when I say “conquer,” I just mean that I hoped to finish the 10k in a reasonably fast time, and by “fast,” I mean fast by my standards. My standards equate to a 45 to 48 minute finish; anything faster than 45 minutes is probably unrealistic for me, and anything slower than 48 minutes means I didn’t put in an all-out effort.
The first time I ran the Tengan 10k was two years ago, and after setting out at too fast a pace, I winded myself pretty bad and had to bail out at the 5k mark. That was a pretty humiliating experience, but one I learned from. As I set out last year on my second attempt, I paced myself considerably well, making sure to stay at a steady but challenging pace. My efforts paid off in that race as I finished with a time of 47+minutes, and earned myself a third place trophy in the 30 -39 year old womens’ division.
Last week, as I considered what my race strategy might be for my third attempt at this race, I began to have doubts that I would run a strong race. Just a few weeks ago I was quite ill with some type of virus that left me feeling weak and lethargic for days. Even after I was able to resume my training, I bonked on a couple of runs, and even gave up a couple of training days to do absolutely nothing, something I rarely do. So it wasn’t surprising that I went into yesterday’s race with an expectation to place maybe 2nd or 3rd in my age division, but nothing more.
About 3k into the run I started experiencing severe cramp in the right side of my abnominal muscles, and I made a mental note that if the pain persisted I would pull out at the 5k mark, just like I did when I first ran the Lord of the Tengan 10k. But as I made my way up the hill that marks the end of the first 5k lap, I heard someone yell out that I was the lead female runner. “Me?” As I slowly registered what I had just heard, I put all thoughts of quitting out of my mind and refocused on my pacing and breathing.
I can’t really put into words how painful the last mile or so felt; my lungs were on fire, my abdominal muscles were screaming with pain, and I was exhausted! The mental anguish was equally painful; knowing that the second leading female was literally on my tail was indescribably awful. Everything inside me wanted to stop and concede defeat, and in fact, had I not prayed in that moment for God to pull me up the last hill and down to the finish line, I’m certain I would have given up. But I didn’t. By the grace of God and through sheer determination, I finally beat the Lord of the Tengan!
March 28th 2010 - 10k result: 1st 30 -39 year old female division, AND 1st overall women!