Despite I hate short distance race, but sometime it s a necessary evil. Furthermore, this 5K race was a special one, it just beyond the running itself. This year run by L4RI (Love For Republic of Indonesia) was to promote how to embrace diversity in our nation’s culture, religion, race and regions. AAJI (Indonesian Jesuit Alumni Association) worked together with GP ANSOR, a Muslim youth organziation, to create a peaceful and harmonic running race event for everyone, which was organized by Gonzaga College, a Jesuit high school.
My Feet Made of Lead
A few weeks after I sprained my left ankle (for the 3rd time in the past 3 motnhs), the exact spot from the previous month, this would be my first run outside the gym. I guessed that I had to test it first before my 100 km race in a couple of weeks. If I survived this, I would just need to do this 20 times, with half of the speed (10 times slower). I decided not to wear my usual road racing shoes, the dual color New Balance MR10v2. Instead, I played it safe with my New Balance RC1300 that had a little bit more padding yet still had a mad traction. My ankle was probably not strong enough yet to deal with minimalist shoes.
I started not too far from the front line, not that I wanted to compete, but I just hated to get stuck in the crowds. I sprinted out, after a few hundreds meters, I broke free and only a few people in front of me. I was just right behind two fast runner. At that time I felt like I could pass anyone, but after a few seconds I could feel I was out of gas. Inches by inches, I was fanning back from those two guys, yet I kept passing a runner or two. Soon I was just too far from those two runners. After the first couple kms, I lost sight of the first guy and barely saw the second guy. I felt like my legs were like lead, or running in the water. I decided to notched down a little, till I felt a slight uncomfortable and adjusted my breathing.
Halfway of the course, I turned left and there was an out and back, where I saw the 1st guy coming out while I came in, and not far the second guy. I had been thirsty since before the race started, so I grabbed a bottle and took a gulps without losing my pace. Ugh I hate short distance race. Oh, not sure why they gave us a whole bottle, seems it liked such a waste. Anyway, I calculated that I was actually not so far behind. After I took the checkpoint bracelet, I made left turn again and back to the main road. Although there were plenty cars and motorcycles on my right, but the organizer and GP ANSOR made sure I was safe, running on a clear section. In one point, there were a long fake flat, which I was starting to gain back my pace and I could see the second guy. On the downhill I slowly closing down the gap, but the next steep hill where I could see the second guy was hurting, probably I was only a few second away from him. On the last km, before we made a sharp left to the final stretch, I was debating should I pull the monkey move. I was a little afraid that I would pull my muscle again like the 5K a week before Rinjani. Also I felt a little bad to steal his thunder on the last few hundreds meters, I was just lucky because I had been training with incline all the time in the gym. I decided to back down, I finished third, not that I planned to, but somehow universe works that way. I passed the finish-line, say congrats to the winner and I saw the second guy was collapsed on the ground exhausted. I tip my hat to him, he gave everything, what a such warrior.
I walked back out to cheer my friends from Canirunners and else. It felt so good to see many friends, usually I spent time running alone or with stranger on trail races, not that I complained about, but it was really nice to see tons of familiar faces. Honestly my time was not even close to my PR, I could do better if I did not sprint like an idiot in the beginning. The hills and busy road might be a good excuses, but my main source of problem, I was ill-trained. I barely run in the past three months since my first ankle sprain, zero speed-work, and worked too much. But I had a good day.
Oh a little glitch from this race, since I registered the race in the last-minute, so I got the bib that did not have my printed name, so somehow I got the wrong bib, or my bib was registered to different person, which he finished a few moment later than me.
You must be logged in to post a comment.