Happy New Year!
Every January, like millions of other people, I think of what I could have done differently in the previous year and how I want to approach my personal growth in the year to come. Well, my 2019 resolution was to run a 10K every month and run a half marathon by the end of the year. I finally found something that helped me in different ways, and I enjoy it, so I thought why not do it for the bling.
2018 was a nice beginning to my running effort, but this kind of resolution only meant it was time for me to get serious about training. I actually made the commitment just before I registered for the Kiwanis Resolution Run 2019 about a week before the event on New Year’s day.
It was cold and windy that morning, but the Resolution Run was a beautiful course along the Bay Trail between Shoreline Lake and the south bay marshes in Mountain View, CA.
The trail was lined with marshland wilderness, small canals, and larger ponds that were filled with different types of birds. Hawks gliding above, searching the coastal fields for a New Year’s meal. Squirrels peeked from their hiding places long enough to watch the runners. A few of them dashed from one hole to the next just a few feet away from me.
My body began to warm and the chill in the air faded as I admired the view from the south bay marsh. In the distance, I could see the Dumbarton Bridge spanning the water from the Peninsula to the east bay. The bay wind didn’t have the same smell as it does on the ocean side, but a light layer of salt still managed to build up on my lips. Then the wind speed picked up and I was met with a new challenge during a run—headwind. The great news about headwind is that if they last, they become a tailwind on the way back.
I cruised past the five-mile marker, and I thought, “I can’t stop. I have to finish without stopping.” But a slight incline in the last mile caused my left knee to hurt. The same thing happened to me during the SV Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving 2018. The pain slowed me down but I fought through the pain and tried to keep going, but I decided to walk for 30 seconds just to be safe. I was raised to finish strong, so in every race I run, I typically pick up the pace and try to sprint across the finish line. My 30 seconds was up and I knew the finish line was near, but I couldn’t see it yet. A group of runners flew past me almost pulling me along with the tailwind. I started running again, made a few turns on the trail, and then the trail changed from paved to rocks. Then the finish line was in sight and I had to run over a rocky surface. It didn’t matter, I turned it up anyway. The pain was gone and was now in a race to the finish, pacing the person in front of me who would eventually dust me in the final 400 meters.
I finished in 00:56:57 with a 9:10 minute per mile pace.
Next on the calendar is the San Jose 408K Race to the Row, which is one of three runs that make up the Valley Challenge by Run Local—the San Jose 408K, the San Jose Shamrock Run 10K, and the SV Half Marathon.
My goal for the next race: set a new PR and beat my minute per mile pace time.
