Oakley Mini 10K: My Redemption Race

Last year I was signed up to run the Oakley Mini 10k in Central Park. I was SO PUMPED when I signed up, it was the perfect kickoff for my summer of half marathon training and the motivation to start running regularly.

Then my training plan fell apart, I went to Disney World and came back exhausted, and the week after I came back I worked way too many early morning shifts. So come 10K day I accepted my first DNS (did not start) in favor of sleeping in. At that point I had only run 5 miles maybe once so the thought of 6.2 was daunting. I didn’t know if I could do it, and I didn’t want to find out the hard way.

Flash forward 1 year. I have now completed 2 half marathons and have run 6+ miles more times than I can remember. I decided to sign up for the Oakley 10K mini, again, as my “Redemption Race” — a benchmark to prove how far I’ve come.

I’ve mentioned this before but sometimes it’s hard to see the progress you’ve made when it comes to fitness. For me it’s not like I can look at a picture of myself last year and say “wow, I’ve really transformed”. I’m sure if I nitpick I would be able to tell that my arms are now more toned, my legs a bit more muscular, but the truth is I’m little because I’ve always been little. There’s never been a period in my life where I haven’t been little. I’ve also always been active (thanks dance!) even through college, I’m just more active now.

Beyond vanity, appearance and numbers on the scale though, I know my body is different than it was a year ago. A year ago running 5 miles was HUGE. I remember the day I ran 5 miles for the first time so well, I went to work that night beaming with happiness because I had done something I never imagined possible and I felt like a true runner in that moment. And today I ran the Oakley Mini 10K having done less running leading up to this race than I did last year. I’m pretty sure I’ve only run 1-2 times (not counting sprinting in a fitness class) since my half marathon in April. Sure, I’ve kept up in the other fitness departments, but my running and even cardio has been slacking in favor of lifting up heavy things.

(my expression here is “LOOK AT ME MOM AND DAD!! LOOK AT ME!!!!!!”)

I wasn’t sure what to expect today. I know I’m capable of running 6.2 miles because I’ve done it before (and double that…) yet I was still filled with this sense of doubt that my body was not ready with the lack of running I’ve been doing.

But it happened. I ran my redemption race to prove to myself how far I’ve come since I DNS last year. It wasn’t pretty thanks to the hills and the heat but hey… it happened. I didn’t quit and I kept running.

Afterwards I looked at my mom and said “I think that was harder than the Nike Women’s Half”… and I kind of wasn’t joking. Bizarrely enough I think I prefer half marathons– who would’ve guessed. Something about the longer distance means I have to mentally prepare for it in a different way and pace myself. By the time I hit my stride today the race was already almost over so I started feeling annoying fantom pains because that’s what always happens to me at the end of all runs.

How do you measure how far you’ve come when it comes to fitness?
Anyone else race today? Anyone else ever run a “redemption race” to prove to themselves they are stronger than they used to be?