So is the manifesto of See Jane Run, the company that put on the race that I ran yesterday.

After running a mid-day run on Friday, I knew it would be hot on Saturday. As I drove across the San Mateo Bridge to the race in Alameda, it was overcast and foggy. Perfect running conditions, I could not have been happier! When I got to the site of the race, the parking appeared to be a little chaotic, but with a little patience, it wasn’t too bad. I walked to the race area. There was some confusion between the Start and Finish areas because there weren’t any signs or volunteers directing people way to go.

The starting area was very confusing. Though we picked up our race bib and goody bags ahead of time in their stores, we could only pick up the timing chip on race day. This, along with same-day registrations and bag check, made the place one big mess. You can read my Racevine review for more details on this.

Once I got situated, I went for a warm-up run around the block. Though it was still overcast, it was quite humid. Anyone who knows me, knows that I detest humidity. But I was feeling pumped for the race! Unfortunately, by the time I was done warming up, there was still 20 minutes till the start. So I hung around the Starting chute, stretching and trying to stay warm.

The Start had pace markers. I lined up in the 9-minute mile section, but as I looked ahead of me, I saw women carrying a Coach bag, wearing backpacks, etc. Obviously they were not running a sub-9 minute mile. I was annoyed. One of my biggest pet peeves are people who do not line up in their correct corral or pace group. I wished the emcee had made several announcements about this, but she never did.

Sometimes I think 5K’s are harder than half-marathons. Though the distance is shorter, its really an all-out 3.1 mile sprint.

I have a hard time pacing myself. I didn’t want to start out too fast, but at the same time, I wanted to really push myself. The good news is, I ran my first ever sub-9 minute mile! I clocked the first mile (according to my Garmin) at 8:55! I had never done that before! And sadly, I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to hold it up for the remaining 2 miles, but I certainly tried. Unfortunately, around the time we hit Mile 1, the clouds parted and the sun came beating down on us. It may have only been 64 degrees, but it felt like 94. There was no shade (and I forgot to wear a hat).

Miles 2 and 3 were a slow fade into oblivion, but at least I stayed under a 10-minute mile. As we neared the end, I was simply gassed. Then my Garmin beeped. I looked down and saw that it was 3-miles. I looked up and could see the Finish Line, but it was still a ways off. I thought about stopping my Garmin right there so I could get an exact 3.1 time, but I decided to keep it going till the actual end of the race.

Final Garmin reading was 3.21 miles in 29:52 for a 9:18 min/mile. No PR, but the first mile split was a huge confidence booster. Now I just need to work on holding it longer.

As soon as I crossed the line, I was handed the bling, and a champagne glass with chocolate.

As we made our way through the Finish area, I was also given some fruit, water and a Muscle Milk. I was supposed to do a 1-mile cool down, but I didn’t know what to do with all the stuff I was carrying, so I skipped it.

Cooled down here

After cooling down and stretching, I stood in the bag check line (another chaotic experience) and chatted with a guy (yes guys were allowed to run this race) who had the same Garmin as I do. He showed me all kinds of cool stuff that it could do that I didn’t know about! This was definitely one of the race highlights for me.

The other highlight was meeting up with my running blogger/Twitter friends after the race. I didn’t get to see them before the race because of the chaos, but I met up with them after they were done running the half-marathon. This race held their expo AFTER the race, so we hung out for a couple of hours on the grass, chatting and enjoying the festivities. It was great to see Aron, Page and Maritza again, and it was the first time that I got to finally meet Tara and Kerry! I’ve been so fortunate to meet such wonderful people through running, blogging and Twitter!

And congratulations to Page who placed 3rd in her Age Group and 15th Overall! I can honestly say she’s the first person that I’ve ever met in real-life to receive an award at a race I participated in! Way to go!

By the way, all these girls write great blogs, you should read them!

This morning I logged on to the race’s Web site to check my own results. I placed 22 out of 231 in my Age Group and 124 out of 1108 Overall! This is one reason why I like 5K’s. I am no speed demon, but 5K’s bring a lot of walkers so it gives a slow poke like me hope to get some decent results. I’ll definitely take this!

What a fun weekend of reconnecting with old friends, and meeting new ones!

Saturday
I got to spend Saturday with my dear friend Medha. Though we’re in touch on a regular basis, we hadn’t seen each other in almost a year. Unacceptable being that we’re both in the Bay Area! We finally picked a day to meet and made it happen!

We had a nice lunch in the City, then did a little bit of shopping (hello, MAC counter…).

It was so great to see her and catch up. We used to work together a few years ago, and its been such a downer not to see her on a regular basis anymore. Its funny how your colleagues end up being the ones that know the most about you during that period of your lives when work together. I guess spending 40+ hours a week together will do that for some people.

Here we are goofing off in Niketown.

(Medha is my one of two friends who has mastered the art of self-portraits – LOL.)

Sunday
Sunday was a special day. I met a bunch of fellow bloggers for an early morning run! Aron had started a monthly meet-up a few months ago, but this was the first time that I could make it.

I woke up a little nervous. After Saturday’s 6-miler, I’d not only had to deal with the right foot pain under the shoe laces, but I’d also developed some left knee pain. I am pretty sure that they are shoe-related. I wasn’t sure how long everyone was planning to run, but I was definitely planning on keeping it short. Friday’s double workout and Saturday’s run had left me a little tired.

I was also a bit nervous because I’m not much of a social runner, i.e., I can’t run a block without music.

When I got to Walnut Creek, I was so happy to meet everyone! I’ve been reading Aron and Danica‘s blogs for a while and it was so great to finally meet them, and I also got to meet Sandra, Layla, Martiza and Page.

(Thanks for the photo Aron!)

As soon as we started running, I could feel my aches and pains. But – the no music wasn’t a big deal at all. It was fun to chat (though I mostly listened because if I start to talk while running, I’ll heave). When we reached 2 miles I decided to turn around. I didn’t want to push it and mess myself up even more. So the girls continued on and I headed back.

After the run, we spent a good couple of hours at Peet’s chatting and getting to know each other. I am so glad that I went – I enjoyed everyone that I met and hope we can do it again soon! It was so nice to have people to talk to about races, training plans, and of course…shoes.

After the meet-up, I planned to check out a different running store in the East Bay area. Though I love my regular running store, the last 2 shoes they put me in didn’t work, so I thought I’d try somewhere new. I’d planned to go to Fleet Feet in Pleasanton, but they didn’t open till Noon.

So in the mean time, I dropped by my friend Wendy’s home and hung out with my favorite guys, Jake and Brody. Jake requested no cameras, but here’s my friend Brody in his NASA astronaut (last year’s Halloween costume):

(2 years old and already an iPhone expert!)

Wendy suggested I just go to See Jane Run because its closer to their home. I was confused. I thought See Jane Run was only in Alameda and San Francisco. I had no idea there was one in Blackhawk! Had I known, I would have gone there a gazillion times already!

I am running the See Jane Run 5K in a couple of weeks (actually with the some of girls I met today!) so I was excited to finally get to their store in-person. They didn’t have all the high-tech stuff that Road Runner has, but they had me walk and run around barefoot so they could see how I run. Without me telling them anything about my history, they pretty much said the same thing that Road Runner and my sports podiatrist had said.

I tried on many, many, many pairs of shoes – Asics (too narrow in the toes), Brooks (too narrow on the arches), Saucony (too stiff), so it came back to Nike. The frame of Nike shoes seems to work best for my feet – wide, soft, breathable, cushioned. This time, I’m trying the Vomeros. I’m hoping the third time’s the charm.