Sunday, Dad and I ran the Apple Harvest Festival 5 Mile Road Race. This race has special meaning to us because it is the first race we ran together when I was 9 years old. The course is the same as when I was 9 and I have run it hundreds of times because the starting line is a couple hundred yards from our front door. I know the course like the back of my hand and could probably run it with my eyes closed. I know the uphills, downhills and exactly where the mile-markers are.
Sunday was humid and overcast with a misty rain in the morning, but weather doesn't bother us- we've done a 20 mile run in a wind storm. Going into the race dad promised he'd let me set the pace, so I did. We ran our first mile in 7:57, and I had a feeling dad was not having a great day. He had run 41 miles last week, so naturally, he was tired and sub-8 minute miles was going to be tough, especially considering the hills on the route between miles 2 and 3. So, on we ran, completing mile 2 in 8:01. Then we get to the hills- that we trained on a few weeks ago doing repeats- and I knew what needed to be done. My plan was to leave people behind on those hills, and I did. My dad stayed a bit behind me and kept telling me to go, but I couldn't. If there was one person I wasn't leaving on the hills it was my dad. So, I eased up and we got through them to realize later that nobody passed us out there and we passed out a good amount of people- if you aren't read for them- they are killer. We were coming up on mile 3 and dad said, "Amy, go, you can finish this is under 39 minutes, I can't." I, of course, said "no!" He again said to go, but I refused and got a bit teary eyed because he wasn't getting it. He didn't realize that I'd rather finish a race with him than PR on a 5 miler. This can be compared to the fact that instead of trying to qualify for Boston this fall, Dad is running the Hartford Marathon with me- because he'd rather run with me than qualify for Boston.
So, on we went, 2 miles left and dad asked me to ease up- and I thought I did! We completed mile 4 in 7:46 and had one more killer hill in mile 5, but still ran mile 5 at a 7:28 pace. I didn't break 39 minutes, but I had a 10 second PR, which is fine with me! Yes, I flew down the last stretch and didn't even see AJ and Meg on the side cheering me on- I was in the zone. Dad ran after me to yells of "Don't let a girl beat you!" And when AJ and Meg told the person that I was his daughter- he said "all the more reason!" But, that didn't matter. What mattered was that we finished with each other and that is all I wanted. I made a choice and I know if I left my dad to get a PR, I would have regreted that choice. There will be plenty of races that I can get a PR in, but when given the choice- I'd rather finish with my Dad.
Until next time- Happy Running!
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