Word Perv

On Sunday I ran the Army 10-Mile. The ATM, as it’s known in runners’ circles, is the largest 10-Mile race in the country, and the second largest 10-Mile race in the world. Sunday’s race topped out at over 26,000 participants.

The morning was cool and clear - ideal running conditions. I arrived on time to the Pentagon, where the race starts and finishes, dropped my bag at the Garment Check and headed to the start line. Along the way I ran into a friend and we chatted as we walked toward the start.

At just a few minutes after 8am, the gun fired and we were off! The first two miles were a bit slow for me, clocked at around 8-minutes each. I was a little frustrated, but the pack was so thick I was unable to push free and increase my pace. I held back, reserving my energy and waiting for the pack to break up a bit so I could stretch out.

At Mile 3 I passed my first amputee. Usually, I’m not an overly-sentimental girl, but when I saw him tears immediately sprang to my eyes. I cheered him on, clapping and shouting for him as I passed. I would pass a handful of others, each time cheering for them and feeling more than a little grateful that I am fortunate enough to not have the struggle they do. Grateful that I have two good legs to carry me through a race, and that any aches and pains I may have are nothing compared to theirs. I also felt more than a little grateful for the sacrifice they have made, knowing full well I couldn’t have done it myself.

At Mile 5 I saw my good friend Jeff. I had asked him to come cheer for me because, well, I like having personal cheerleaders. And he assured me he’d be easy to spot as he’d be wearing his tall, Cat in the Hat, red and white striped hat. Sure enough, he was wearing it and it was what helped me to spot him along the course. He was able to capture this picture of me around Mile 8:

My split at mile 6.5 was 51:33. This means I ran the last 3.5 miles in 25:84, resulting in a negative split (when the second half of your race is run faster than the first half). Go me!

Rounding the last corner I headed into the straightaway toward the finish line. Now let me tell you about a big pet peeve when it comes to spectators at a race. I’m the one running people. You are standing there. Your job is to yell, clap, scream, ring your cow bell, etc. Don’t just stand there damn it! The finish line, though packed with people, was strangely quiet and so I yelled to the crowd as I ran by, “Fucking cheer for me!!” Some of them complied, but some were probably too shocked to know what to do. Please people, if I’m out there running ten miles, the least you can do is cheer me on through the final push!

After passing under the arch at the finish line with my arms raised, I stopped my watch. I finished in 1:17:17, a 7:44-minute mile pace. Overall I came in 2,348th place, 356th place for females (of 8,205) and 109th place in my division (ages 25-29, total of 1750). Am I happy? Absolutely, even if I busted my goal time by 2:17 minutes.

Post race I met up with Jeff and he rewarded me with a cold beer:

After the race I joined my fellow runner friends for a celebratory brunch. We had eggs and bacon and toast and beer and mimosas - hey, ya gotta replace the calories you just burned! It was a great finish to a great race.