PC: Fit & Able

Half an hour before online registration closed, I decided to sign up for another semi-spontaneous short race of 6.5 miles at Sole Mates in Cary, North Carolina, on February 18, 2023, due to the event’s taking place in my neighborhood, the lack of nearby options in my preferred distances, and that I planned to run this day anyway and did not have to wake up extra early thanks to its later-than-usual starting time. I ran this exact cross-country course half a year prior in a different event with the same group, and having felt these nonstop hills and turns, I only mildly cared to run faster than I did previously and more so accepted this as a light training run for a longer race hopefully soon.

PC: Fit & Able

With the organization’s highly discouraging the use of headphones, I ditched music once again, which has somewhat become the norm nowadays. I perplexingly clocked a 7:53 first mile and, no matter how short, reminded myself to chill out for the next several miles and push at the end depending on my remaining energy level. Because of the heavy rain the day before, I had to navigate around mud at times, nothing severe nonetheless. I crossed the finish in 58:08.65 and third in my age group of 30-34, with my COROS reading 6.58 miles and 476 feet of elevation gain. I did not have any expectations or serious goal coming in, but I am content I managed to beat my time from last year, albeit by a small margin, on this exact course.

Kelly and Andrea’s second 5K!

Emma blew past me with a mile to go and I could not keep up!

I opened my 2023 racing season in Greenville, North Carolina, with an impromptu 10K at the Cupid’s Crawl on February 11, confirming my entry half a day prior and uncharacteristically committing to a one-and-a-half-hour drive the morning of for such a short run. Commencing with a minor climb, the course remained primarily flat and, with the help of a cool weather of 50 degrees, ideal for a fast time. Immediately I was struck by the enduring revolting weed odor that seems prevalent everywhere I go nowadays and is extra irritating when I have to run through the disgust. Around a mile in, a fit middle-aged woman popped up next to my shoulder in my peripheral vision and stuck with me like glue for the following four miles, likely using me as her pacer, while I looked straight ahead and distracted myself with music. Then, just over a mile to go, I increased my speed drastically and left her behind and passed numerous runners, both 10K and 5K, concluding the race with a sprint to, in a cordial competition, hold off another lady who passed me for a brief moment. Considering the spontaneity and aware of my current fitness, I am content with an official (gun) time of 53:38.75 at 6.31 miles based on my COROS.

As I typically do, following a complimentary stretch, I endlessly spotted and conversed with humble and dedicated strangers, one of the main reasons I participate in so many running events. My obsessive personality almost never allows me to shut off work or what happened at work from my mind, and I am grateful for running that somewhat lets me balance out where my energy is spent, why I decided to join this race last-minute and which worked.