Leprechaun Chase 2017
13th of March 2017
So this year's Leprechaun Chase is in the books, and it was my first one. It was a very cold morning and also the coldest temperature in which I completed a run. I finished under 44 minutes which might not sound great, but it was an improvement. I know I can get better though.
Due to some snow the night before the Chase, the course was changed to a 5K instead of a 10K. The trail part was deemed unsafe for the runners, and I respect that decision. I was let down because I trained for a 10K. This decision was for the best though. I still made it a challenge though. Even though it was cut down, I still needed to make some improvements to my time. I feel like I did, but based on my training, I could have finished sooner. What I didn't take into consideration was the cold. The temperature was in the 20's, but I don't remember if it was in the upper or lower. Regardless, I dressed up as warm as I could. Prior to this, the coldest I've done a race was the Race for the Cure a couple years back, which was in the upper 30's, lower 40's. I was sick that day, too. I probably shouldn't have done that race, but my pride took the best of me that day.
I would have finished later, but one person came and found me after she had finished. She pushed me along my way. I honestly needed that push. I can't thank my friend Taylor enough. She gave me encouragement that definitely helped along the way that I've always needed. I did run more in this Chase than any race I've ever done. Once I saw the finish line, I started to snot like a bull. I was pissed with my performance, so I finished the race on a dead sprint to the finish line. It didn't seem big at the time, but it was big for me. I just felt a fire ignite, and I added fuel to it. I couldn't take it, and honestly, it felt great to sprint like that. I couldn't thank Taylor enough for giving me that fire to do better. I met her at the Super Run in 2016 and then ran into her again at the Bubble Run the same year. That run was cold, too. Ever since then, we've remained good friends.
And that's the best part about these runs. I make lots of friends, and I usually see them at the runs I met them at. You may have seen me talk about Adam and Gina whom I met at the Underwear Run. They're such great people and inspire me to be better as well. I met Cassie there as well. We even ran/walked together in the last one (2016). I met another friend, Jay. I hope to hear more from him as he seemed like another one who does lots of runs. I'm sure he'll inspire me lots in the future as well. Overall, I didn't mind the run. I was let down that it was shortened to a 5K, but I understand safety first. I didn't like that it was so cold out, but I'm a sissy when it comes to the cold. The event staff was great to everyone who participated, and they're so anxious to come back next year, that they already set a date for next year. Will I do it next year? You know, I've said that I wouldn't do some runs (as you've seen in some other articles), but that ends up being wrong. The best I can say is, we'll see. I can see myself doing it again. I just don't have it in me to go down quietly. One of my favorite poems is "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas.
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
