Kristen Hodge (#218) and Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham - running the New York State Marathon Weekend 10K
For once on the top of the typically windy hill, the air stood still. The temperature sat at 49 degrees; a bit below normal for my running lungs. My friend Kristen waved to me as I approached. Her petite and fit running body was in better shape than mine, although I was getting in shape running again.
A 10K race is 6.1 miles. I raced 7 miles in the Women Can Marathon in Devon, England with a team of international women who decided to join this American girl on her team. I had women from Switzerland, England, and Capri on my team. I took the first leg of 7 miles followed by two of them running 6 miles, and the last person running 7 miles. We crossed the finish line holding hands in triumph and then had Prosecco for a reward.
Women Can Marathon - 2018 - Devon, England (Tracy on far left in pink shirt)
The terrain in England was different than the Great New York State Marathon race I was partaking in. In England, the trail was not on paved paths but rather along streams, past cow pastures, in grass up to our knees, uphill, downhill, and everywhere. It was beautiful but more like a cross-country race than a typical road race in America. It was breathtaking and memorable.
So, with my legs remembering the race relay of 7 miles, I took off Saturday in the 10k race with my friend only to face something unpredicted – asthma attacks in the cooler weather which forced us to stop many times for me to catch my breath. I had lipstick, gum, my phone, and iPods in my running pouch but not my inhaler. It had just turned cool so I hadn’t needed it yet.
Kristen Hodge (left) and Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham (right) - Pre-race smiles
I tried to persuade my friend to not run with me since I was stopping so often but she stuck with me through thick and thin, pauses and restarts, saying every time, “You got this!” Finally, with two miles left in the race, she took my suggestion and ran off strong finishing about six minutes before me. My mind made a mental check to take my inhaler with me to Boston in a month for the half marathon.
As we hugged at the finish line, I thanked her for being such a trooper – a true friend – through the race. We hugged goodbye and then I noticed my time. My mile split time was actually a minute faster than I typically run, even with all the stops. I know running with a faster runner like my friend, I did better timewise. I rejoiced knowing I could finish the Boston Half Marathon under their 3-hour limit, so not everything was lost in this 10k race. It gave me confidence and “notes” for doubling my running distance in a month for Boston.
Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham and Kristen Hodge with our medals!
The lesson in running any new race is to remember it is your race, thus your pace (a popular mantra for runners), you can stop when you need to and still finish better than you anticipate, and realize you are still accomplishing something most people on a Saturday morning would never do – get out of a comfy bed to test themselves mentally and physically.
In the end, you win every time you attempt something new and challenging in sports, entrepreneurship, or life. YOLO!