Date/Location: | 1/1/20, Railhead Park, Auburn |
Distance: | 3.4 mi (new longer course) |
Time: | 35:14 (10:22 pace) |
Place: | 2nd, 9th o/a |
Teammates: | 10Mile: Anna Soares, Robin Soares, Troy Soares, Manouch Shirvanioun, Wyatt Hamilton |
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go! I start running. I think that it will be a long time until I get to the uphill so I run a faster pace than normal. I run out of Railhead and then I start running down. Now I realize that the uphill will come sooner. I run down and I remember what Daddy was telling me about running downhills, “…the perfect speed to go downhill is just before your running out of control” Thinking this, I run a little faster. It hurts a little bit because I have to run with my toes pointing down. I see Mrs. Booth (Anna’s best friend’s mom) and pass her. I think I can stay ahead of her. I keep running downhill. I can pass a lot of people. It starts to get flat so I know that the hill is coming up.
I go down a small hill (compared to the big hills I just went down). Then I see the uphill. I know it's going to be tough. I say to myself, “I am not going to walk the whole way”. I start going up the hill. Its already hard but I don’t give up. I am running slow. I look behind me and see Mrs. Booth coming. I speed up a little bit, but she’s still coming fast. She passes me so I try to stay close to her. She seems to be going fast. She gets way ahead. I see a cameraman and smile as I go past. I run a little more when I hear Dad. I look behind again and see him coming. I pick up the speed. I keep going faster. I look back again. This time I see him coming right behind me. I can’t believe he caught me (he’s doing the 10 miles). We run together a little before Daddy runs ahead. I look behind and I see Anna. I say, “Dad, Anna’s coming!” I run a little faster but then I slow down because it’s getting hard. Anna catches up to me and we run together a little bit and then she also runs ahead. ”I wonder where Mom is. Anna might beat her.” I feel like walking. I walk a little a then run again. I run into the place where the 5k and 10 miles split I start running up another hill when I hear mom say “Go, Ariel!” I keep running. I feel like walking again but, this time I don’t walk. I keep running.
It keeps going up and sometimes I go down or it's flat. I walk a little then run again. I remember some more things that Dad told me. “If you’re going to walk, walk fast.” And, “try running the whole way”. It is very hard to climb the hills. My first-mile pace was around 6:55 but now that it’s all hills and my pace goes down to 10, 11, and 12-minute paces. I try not to go any faster, because if I do, I feel like I am probably going to walk more but, I still try to keep a perfect pace. I walk sometimes but, I still try not to. It gets more flat, then I get to go down but, then I have to go up again. I think I am close. I start going up the hill that last year was the hill to the finish line. But they changed the course and Its longer. I see a turn on the hill marked with a pink ribbon which is the ribbon that they said to follow. I see 2 people going the wrong way, so I call them and tell them, “I think it’s this way!” But only one of them heard.
Now that the course turned, I get to run on the flat ground a little. I have some uphill. The course comes to a gate that I remember from when we had Track at Railhead. I start going faster because I know that I am close to the finish line. I keep running trying to get closer to the people in front and get farther from the people behind me. I run on the road a little and then on a small trail I know. I’m back on the road now and I’m going faster. Then, all of the sudden, I see a kid that is in front of me start sprinting to the finish line a different way. I’m pretty sure he is in my race. What if I went the wrong way? What I if get disqualified? I’m so deep in thought that, before I know it, I am halfway down the finish line. “Go Ariel!”, yells Leah, “Hunter is right behind you!” I start to sprint. I run right through the finish right before Hunter does (he was doing the 10k and started 15 minutes earlier). Everyone did great. I got 35:14 (it ended up being 3.43 miles) and I got 2nd in my age group.
