Sunday, April 12, 2015

Race (Review) to the Rocker

By Jill Berron



I had been hearing fellow DRC members talk about what a great run Race to the Rocker was, so I was really excited to sign up for it this year. It’s a unique race, a point-to-point course with easy, rolling hills that runs down Old Route 66 (they close the highway for the race) from downtown Cuba to the World’s Largest Rocker in Fanning. The timing was perfect—it fell right in the middle of my half marathon training, so I knew I would be prepared for the distance and it would be a great opportunity to scale back my long run mileage for an “easier” weekend. I had several goals for the day. My overall goal was to stay under 40 minutes (10:00 pace). My next goal was 38:30 (9:30 pace) and my ultimate never-gonna-happen goal was 36:00 (9:00 pace).

The morning was absolutely gorgeous, although a bit cool before the race began. I got to Cuba early so I would have plenty of time to find parking and relax. I picked up my race packet and got assigned bib # 911. The lady who gave it to me thought that would be a good omen (spoiler:  it turned out to be!). After meeting up with fellow DRCers and taking a few pictures, we made our way to the starting line. We lined up at the front of the second group (non-competitive runners), which turned out to be a mistake.

As the race got started, there was a lot of traffic to fight through: kids who sprinted the first few hundred yards, then stopped, groups running three or four wide across the highway, walkers, etc. I spent the first half mile weaving in and out of traffic trying to find an open space where I could get into a comfortable pace. Finally, I caught up to Tracie and got into my groove. I checked my time at the first mile marker: 10:06.  OK, but not great. I was going to have to kick it up a little to meet my goal.  

Around 1.5 miles, I was starting to get loose and feel good. I finished mile 2 in 9:11, which is fast for me! I didn’t want to burn out, so I just started picking out runners ahead of me and trying to gradually catch up with them. There were spectators along the route, both people who had parked along the road to watch and people who were sitting in their driveways watching. They were awesome cheerleaders!  

When I hit the third mile marker, I couldn’t believe it: I had run an 8:54 mile! I think I ran a sub-9 mile one time in middle school almost 20 years ago. I was feeling fantastic, so I picked up the pace a little bit.  There was a lady in her driveway cheering people on, telling us we were almost there. She said the finish line was just around the corner and when I hit the ¼ mile sign, I gave it everything I had. I crossed the finish line in 36:44, and my last mile was 8:33, my fastest ever! I was so pumped! It was such an amazing feeling!  

I joined Mackenzie and her mom at the finish line and we cheered on the rest of the DRC members as the crossed. DRC had a stellar day: I think almost all (if not all) of our members who raced that day PR’d or tied their PR.
Here is Amy Crow’s experience from the day: My Race to the Rocker experience this year was great! Not only did I have my fastest overall pace ever, but I beat last year's time by over five minutes. I was thrilled with my results. I know it's because of those Union hills! I never ran hills before I started running with the DRC, but now I'm convinced hills are the key to gaining strength and speed (at least in my case).
I can’t wait until next year!

Want to get to know Jill better? Check out her Runfie Questions!
What brought you to DRC? I saw a friend posting to DRC on Facebook (before the group was public) and I needed some motivation and accountability. I was really just getting started and wanted a place to ask questions and learn a little bit.
How long have you been a runner? After a few failed attempts to start, I've been running consistently for about 2 1/2 years.
What is your favorite running quote? I have two favorite running quotes! "It's very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit." -George Sheehan

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." -John Bingham

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