Race Report: Chief Maloney Unity 10K

Chief Maloney Unity 10K 

Sunday, April 27th
Stratham, NH to Greenland, NH
Temp: 60ish, overcast
Net time: 1:19:33

I decided to run this 10K race less than a week after Boston for two reasons: 1) I thought it would be a good shakeout run, and 2) Jane asked, and I said yes. This race is a tribute run to honor first responders, which is fitting since Jane's wife Michelle is a police officer. The run is named after fallen Police Chief Michael Maloney, who was shot in the line of duty in April of 2012.

This was a run/walk, which was fortunate, because that's exactly what I did. Jane and I were discussing our tier-goals before the race, which usually looks something like: Tier 1 goal is to finish in under xx:xx, Tier 2 goal is to finish in under xx:xx, Tier 3 goal is to finish upright and smiling, Tier 4 goal is to finish. I haven't been using tier goals for the past few months because all I care about anymore is Tier 4. Any thought of caring about time or (gasp!) pushing myself has had no appeal to me lately. But, as we know, I am easily influenced, and I decided I'd borrow one of Jane's tier goals and try to run (shuffle) the whole thing without walking. I think I ended up walking about 10-12 times in the first mile, so it was back to tier 4 for me. I hadn't run a single step since the marathon on Monday, so I didn't know what my legs would be capable of. They weren't sore, but they just felt like dead weight. I was content to continue walking/running, so that's what I did. (By the way, Jane did even better than her tier 1 goal. She got a huge PR and finished in the top 30% of the entire field. Go Jane!)

Pre-race

Somewhere in the first mile or two, I heard a dad say to his young son, "Hey Connor, look at all these people out here cheering for you! They are here for you, buddy! They must have heard that a 7 year old was running a whole 10k so they came out to see you." The son gave his dad a little smirk that said, "I know you're full of bull, but I'm going to gloat anyway." After the crowd thinned out a bit by mile 3, I realized I was still near this family. The dad was pushing a younger son in a jogging stroller, and Connor was mostly running with his mom, although with plenty of encouragement from dad who was always about 10 paces ahead. At mile 3, they told Connor that since he was doing such a great job, they were going to stop for ice cream on the way home. Connors face lit up and he kept on running. I continued my run/walk so sometimes I would lose them and sometimes they would lose me, but we always seemed to come back within ear shot of each other. At mile 4, Connor's parents told him they were so impressed with how well he was doing. His dad told him that as long as he finished with a smile on his face, then Connor could even pick the flavor of ice cream on the way home. Connor was so excited by this that he turned on a little speed, to which the dad said, "Slow & steady. I don't care how fast you run. That's not why I'm impressed with you. I'm impressed because you are being a good kid and you haven't complained at all. You're more than halfway through with the race. If you can just keep it up and finish with a smile, that's all I care about. Even if you have to walk to the finish, I just want you to be having fun while you do it." Great advice, and even though he wasn't talking to me, I took it. Connor continued running steady, and would tell strangers as he passed them, "This is my first 10K and I'm only 7!" As they approached mile 5, the dad laid out the strategy. They would tick off each quarter of a mile until mile 6, and then at mile 6 they would run the last .2 miles to the finish line if they had it in them. The dad reemphasized the importance of feeling good at the end of the run. I was loving this plan! One last surprise was in store for Connor. Just before mile 5, they tell him that not only will they stop for ice cream AND he gets to pick the flavor, but he can even pick whatever size he wants. Holy cow! This is going to be epic! The marker for mile 5 was just ahead. I was looking forward to ticking off the quarter miles with these guys, but then.... they were gone. Left me in the dust! Ah well, these legs weren't ready for a mile long final push, so it was just as well.

I ran/walked that last mile feeling very grateful to have heard the dad's words to his son. It may seem like common sense, but I felt an ah-ha moment as if I'd finally found what I had been missing for quite some time. This is supposed to be FUN. And today, I was definitely having fun. It might have been my slowest 10K ever, but none of that mattered anymore.


When I got the email with a link to the finish line pictures, I couldn't help but to scroll back a few photos from my own to find this family. I needed to know if Connor had finished with a smile on his face. I was happy to find a great series of shots. This is the joy that I need to remember the next time I am finishing a run.

I spotted the family during the post-race festivities, and I went over to give Connor a high five. I thanked him for being my inspiration on the run. He returned my high-five with his jaw dropped and he eyes wide. Either he thought he really was a celebrity, or he thought I was some psycho lady and he was terrified of me. Then I thanked the parents, and told them that I was basically pretending the whole race that they were talking to me. They laughed, and then genuinely congratulated me.

*****
I wrote this report on May 17th, 3 weeks after this run. I didn't want to forget this experience. I haven't really run since this 10K, although I've tried many times and they've all ended in a walk. I am taking a deliberate break from running because I want to be able to cross my next finish line with a smile on my face. In the meantime, I am enjoying my walks in this beautiful spring weather.