One of the beautiful things about this sport is how varied it can be. There are races designed to be fast and competitive, and races designed to be fun and scenic. Races for causes, races for fitness, and races for fun. All can be incredibly enjoyable, and more-so if you know what you are getting into. I had no illusions of setting a PR in Islamorada, but when I ventured south with a carful of friends – I knew I was going to have a good time! Originally the Islamorada Half Marathon, 10K and Beer Mile was scheduled for December of last year, but regrettably Hurricane Irma had something to say about that. All the more reason to show up at the rescheduled date: the Keys need that tourism to keep rebuilding! Happy to oblige! I’d needed a good excuse to visit the Keys for a long time!
So my buddy Kevin drove down on Saturday morning with a carful of runners. First stop the beer mile! Now let’s be real… when an event includes a beer mile, it’s very unlikely they take themselves too seriously! This was going to be a fun race! It wasn’t going to be about PR’s, but instead about enjoying life! That said… there’s always room for some friendly competition! The beer mile was split into two waves: an elite heat and a fun one. Kevin ran the second, and dominated! He downed four beers and ran a mile in less time than most people run the mile, and certainly faster than even those in the more ‘serious’ wave! As he crossed the finish line, Kevin took the mic, and thanked his Boston College education for his ability to put back those beers. Like I said this was a fun event! YEAHHHHHH! Even the race announcers demeanor made it clear: relax, have a drink, enjoy life and, yeah, a few miles won’t hurt either!
The other two races were on Sunday morning, and even though I’m still avoiding alcohol with my concussion headaches, my crew certainly enjoyed the night. Kevin was convinced that I need to follow up his win with one of my own in the morning. I wan’t so sure. With this being my seventh half in just over a month I wasn’t going to break my back over it. Instead I’d run a solid pace, and would see where that put me. Far more important to have fun.
Well the race started, and the pack spread out real quick. We ran north just under two miles before turning back. By the time we passed the host venue around mile 3.5 only two people were in front of me. One of them was my friend Jasmel, who was running the 10K. The other was a half marathoner, and he looked strong but not out of reach. If I wanted to win this race, I wasn’t going to do so physically. I’d have to win the mental battle. And that was something I had no doubt I could do… so much so that I even told the bike lead I was going to do it.
So we raced south, with the lead runner ‘comfortably’ ahead, but still in sight. It was a simple course… there’s not even too many turns you can take traveling through the keys. Lots of straightaway through beautiful but still quite devastated areas. It was simultaneously stunning scenery, and almost depressing to see how much damage there still was from the storm. Mother Nature can be ruthless!
If I was going to win this race, I had to be too… at least with my mental game. There was a turn around near mile eight. I would hang back until then, running exactly what I needed to keep the lead in my sight. When he turned, and passed me on the way back I wanted to be at least a full minute behind. A comfortable lead, or so he’d think! So I eased up on miles seven and eight. Extra perk: it allowed me to take in the smell of the ocean! Despite living only a few blocks from the beach, this was the first time I’d smelled the sea since I got hit over two years ago! Once again, while running, I’d caught a brief scent! My hope for an eventual full healing soared! It’s just a matter of time.
I was about seven and a half in when he turned around. As soon as he was past, I picked up my pace. Within a mile I’d catch him. He was wearing headphones, so he didn’t even hear me as I fell in step behind him. Right around the nine mile mark I made my move. I wasn’t going to be able to win a physical battle today. A sprint to the finish line would not go my way. So this needed to be decisive. With four miles to go I floored it and ran my fastest mile of the day. I heard his step break as I passed him. He was physically fine, but I’d broken his spirit. Victory was most likely mine. A mile later I eased up just a bit, then kept a steady push to the finish. Sure enough, there was no one in sight. Even though my overall pace remained right around what he’d been running, the psychological hit of seeing me breeze past him looking comfortable… well it broke him. He probably thought he had it all wrapped up, and then suddenly he didn’t. I’d kept my pace on target, but I’m pretty sure he slowed those last four miles. Another runner caught him as well.
I’ve mastered the brain game. With everything I’ve gone through these past five years, I’m 100% confident that I’m psychologically invincible. I’ve no doubt of my ability to win the brain game every time. That’s what I set out to do today, and thats exactly what I did. Now it was time to celebrate. Kevin won the beer mile, Jasmel the 10K, and I’d taken the half. A South Beach sweep! Now it was time for the important stuff: party time!