If you've known me for a while, you've likely seen this before (I've posted it many different places). But, I like to trot this sequence out each year (last posted in March 2011) - I continue to think it's damn funny.
For those of you who will inevitably ask "what happened?" -- short version is I was on track for a PR, and started having trouble breathing about a half mile from the finish line. So, I picked up the pace, in an early example of what has now become my variant of race pace fail (when you're in trouble, just panic and run faster). There is a slight bit of bitterness here, in that I've repeated this mistake several times since. But I'm learning how to stay relaxed and focused all the way to the finish, and I've finally come to realize that racing well is a matter of performing your best, not your hardest.
In the meantime, the comic value of this sequence endures, and never fails to make me grin.
And so...
"How NOT to kick in the final seconds of your goal race"
On April 5, 2009 I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race
(race report here). Below is a photographic essay detailing the final 15 seconds of my race.
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| This is me, when I'm running (I'm the woman in black). |
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| Starting to go down! |
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| There she goes! |
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| And... she's down. |
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| Must...cross...line... |
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| $#^$*(%^*^$*(@! |
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| So...close... |
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| Don't you DARE touch me. |
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| Made it! |
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| And she's back up. |
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Being helped off of the course.
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Epilogue:
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| I don't usually buy "finisher's plaques" -- I made an exception here. |
