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Byxbee parkrun 28

Byxbee parkrun 28

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My in-laws stayed with us for the past two weeks, hence my not wanting to spend a bunch of time inside, on my computer. Between seeing much of my side of the family in June and then getting to see my in-laws later in the month/early in July, life has begun to feel more normal now than it has for the past 18 months. It was amazing. 

And! Adding to the “everything is slowly beginning to feel normal” list is that I got to run a race on July 3rd, my first since December 2019! It was hard and glorious and lovely and honestly, just … great.

Sometimes it is difficult to convey how much we can miss an experience like racing — an occasion that by and large, isn’t a very comfortable place to be in — but I’m telling you, all of it felt so new and so familiar at the same time. 

Again: it was amazing.  

For I don’t know how long, I’ve been aware of the parkrun in Crissy Field, in SF, but I’ve never partaken because let’s be honest: I love SF, but I don’t want to drive all the way there for a 5k, if I can help it. I had never participated in parkrun before but knew from Strava buddies elsewhere how it works: it’s local, free, and after registering in their online system once, you pretty much just show up with your printed-out barcode in hand to get an official time. There aren’t any fees, bibs, chips, swag, corrals, seeded starts, water stations, nada. 

You show up to the designated spot, line up along the literal line in the dirt, and run as fast or as slow as you want between the start line and the finish line. That’s it. 

It’s a race, yes, and it’s a time trial with a bunch of strangers, and it’s whatever you want or need it to be. 

For as much as I loved doing all the PA XC races a couple years ago for the “primacy” of that type of running — the no frills, just-hard-work variety of you running against the land — parkrun, too, has that same type of appeal.

It’s a wonderful reminder that running is as complicated as we make it, and sometimes, less is much, much more. 

The parkrun at Byxbee Park, in the Palo Alto baylands, was a short drive from home (shorter than SF, for sure!), and I arrived with ample time to park, use the bathrooms a million times, and do a couple-mile warm-up along the course to check things out. Byxbee is pretty much pancake flat and completely exposed to the elements, but luckily, last Saturday was thick with cloud cover, so we weren’t getting roasted while trying to run fast. 

The Byxbee parkrun is two out-and-backs on the measured gravel-y path (that’s open to other trail-goers) in the baylands, and it has three hairpin turns from the two OABs. Last weekend’s race was only their second time back post-COVID, and I guess organizers had to alter the original course due to some construction on the trail.

I’m really glad I learned about this when I did because I was in the market for a 5k to do a TT, since I’d be missing the Morgan Hill PA race on the fourth of July, with my in-laws visiting and all (and us going to Monterey and Santa Cruz that day). I was definitely nervous going in, after not racing for so long, and because, well, 5ks are brutal! I slept poorly the night before the race, I barely had enough watch battery to last for the ~10 miles I’d run that morning — you’d think I was new at this stuff, ha! 

Having my first go back at parkrun was an excellent way to transition “back” to racing, and honestly, the vibe was just great. Other participants were super welcoming, the volunteers (who run the show at parkrun) were all lovely, and it was just a really nice morning of running. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone to do, and I plan to return as both a runner and as a volunteer in the future. It is fantastic to know that it’s always going to be there on Saturday mornings. 

And as for my race? Well, 5ks are brutal. They’re also pretty satisfying and fun. Coach Lisa predicted around 6:45s, and that’s about what I did. For maybe the first time in my life, I didn’t go out blazing, like a maniac, and felt really good and in control. The small field (~35) meant that I didn’t have to jockey for position very much, and I quickly settled in around 5th/6th OA in the field/F1 among a group of high schoolers and a couple guys with whom I leapfrogged a few times. 

I went 6:39-6:44-6:56-6:10 for .18, about a 21:25, and admittedly felt a bit annoyed that it wasn’t faster given how I felt. I tried to find a higher gear in the second part of the race, and I couldn’t. It happens. That said, I had that really intense throat-burning sensation for about 12 hours post-race, so I think I may have done as best as I could on the day. I feel like I have faster in me — there, perhaps, but also on roads and/or the track eventually — but hyping myself up to suffer is a tough bargain, ha! 

It’s so good to have finally done something that I’ve missed so very much.      

cooldown cheesin
2018 Inaugural Food Truck 5k Race Report – San Jose, CA

2018 Inaugural Food Truck 5k Race Report – San Jose, CA

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The first race in my inaugural SV Half marathon weekend was Saturday’s Food Truck 5k, scheduled for 3pm on Saturday afternoon, beginning in the Arena Green area very near the SAP Center. An afternoon start time typically all but promises GI catastrophe for me, so I tried not to worry too much about it and figured if nothing else, this was a no-pressure event for me; more than anything, it would be a fitness check. Lisa suggested that I race the 5k to see what was there, to see how my fitness was coming along in the 4 ½ weeks of running that I had been doing post-stroke, and then on Sunday, I’d take the half easy and use it more as a glorified long run. This approach jibed well with me, and when Saturday afternoon presented with glorious 80-degree, sunshiney temps — perfect for life, less than ideal for racing a 5k —  I just hoped for the best.

this is what the medal looked like. (src)

Because my six year-old was coming with me to run the kids’ race later that afternoon, and because we had barely made it to the starting area on time (after coming from a morning birthday party), my warm-up was virtually non-existent. Again: no pressure, no matter. I rendezvoused with the lovely Paula, who’d be hanging with A during my race, and after some hellos and pictures with the rest of the RR ambassador crowd, we lined up at the start and waited for go-time.

birthday party in the morning, race in the afternoon. A wore her racing gear all morning 🙂 (PC: Esther)

 

a slew of the RR ambassadors in front of the “We Run San Jose” sign pre-race. (PC: @pavementrunner)

 

and in front of the start/finish banner. Not sure why it was printed backwards. (PC: @pavementrunner)

Never before have I begun a race by chasing after an ice cream truck, but at the inaugural Food Truck 5k, I absolutely did — and it was as fun as it sounds.  We began the race situated pretty squarely in the middle of Arena Green, and as soon as the race began, we made a couple quick turns on the streets before picking up the Guadalupe River Trail and heading north.

thanks for the free pics, Amazon!

On the course, before getting onto the GRT, I encountered some of my Wolfpack teammates serving as course volunteers and monitors, which was great. I’ve run on the GRT roughly a bajillion times, allowing me to know exactly where we were at any given time and where we were (likely) going, for better or for worse; sometimes I think it’s almost more helpful to not know where you’re going because you’ll be less tempted to zone out. The course stayed on the GRT and turned to return south before too long, and with the way the course was structured, inbound runners could (somewhat) see those outbound, at least when the tall grasses weren’t blocking the view.

party on the GRT (PC: WRC)

I tried hard to pace myself with the 5k, after basically doing no speedwork or even remotely fast running yet in my fitness build-up post stroke, and I’d say I failed pretty miserably at this valiant attempt. My paces crept catapulted upward, and when it got hard — which of course it did — I just tried to stay mentally engaged. I mean, seriously, I’ve been reading so much about mental fortitude lately; it was high time to apply that shit!

smiling because it makes my RPE easier. it’s science.

Somewhat miraculously, I never felt like I was going to start dry-heaving from the morning’s birthday festivities (I was all but convinced that the morning’s cake and pizza would make another appearance), nor did I embarrassingly shit myself mid race, so as far as the bodily harm realms were concerned, I did pretty well. I tried to smile through the discomfort, the feeling that I was no where near the shape I’d like to be in (which, newsflash, of course I’m not going to be there right now, given recent life events… c’mon, self; be realistic!), the randomly hot 80 degree afternoon, everything. Again: so much running lit I’ve consumed recently all talk about the effects that simply smiling during hard efforts can have on one’s rate of perceived exertion, so it’d behoove me to do it, even if it was all a fascade.

but then sometimes I’d forget to smile and my furrowed brows break the fascade. it’s ok. racing and running and getting into the shape that you want to be is hard (gratifying) work.

At the very end of the race, once we hopped off the GRT, as I saw another group of my teammates, one mentioned that he thought I could go get the third woman. Hearing those words — despite feeling tired, and hot, and everything else — apparently lit a fire under me momentarily. Sure enough, right after he said that, I was on the heels of the third woman, and with just shy of 10 seconds to the finish line, I somehow outsprinted her (Garmin says that 8 second sprint was a 4:33 pace!!). Isn’t that bizarre? Seconds earlier, I felt so tired and so hot and so out of shape and so this, that, and the other, but in the (literal) final moments of the race, I found another gear and pressed it mercilessly. This is what Endure and so many other books I’ve read recently are all talking about; we all have another gear, even when we’re sure we don’t. We do. We always do. 

I’m surprised our arms didn’t collide because we were both seemed on the verge of falling over.

Post-race, A and I hung out for a while, chatting with lots of other runner friends and milled around before the start of the kids’ race. For my effort — third female, 21:30 finish — I earned a Sports Basement gift card (adding to the one that I won in a random draw at the Meb event earlier in the week, woot!), which was totally unexpected and quite generous. I liked the participant shirts and medals — a detail that, admittedly, I typically don’t pay a lot of mind — and I look forward to actually wearing this race shirt on my training runs.

podium! or stage, same same (PC: @representrunning)

I had a blast at the Food Truck 5k, and I think it’ll be an event that just gets better each year. I thought it was impressively organized and well-run, and I expect the community interest will increase in coming years, too. I’m super grateful to have been able to participate in its inaugural iteration and to race it with whatever I had in my tank on race day. The community and SJ vibe was spot-on with this race, and I’m excited to see the event grow. 

My eldest and I had a blast chatting with new and old friends and checking out the many food and beverage trucks, in addition to the band and various vendor tables. It was a fantastic afternoon with beautiful (albeit warm) weather, and it looked like the community turnout was solid and enthusiastic, too.  I didn’t cool-down at all, save for sitting in the shade for a bit before the kids’ race, and before too long, it was A’s turn to run.