Race Recap: Nearly Naked Mile

 
Race prep:
I didn't really prepare for this race specifically. After the 10k last Sunday, I took Monday as a day for weight lifting and six short wind sprints (and climbing!). I ran 6 miles on Tuesday morning with Jack, as I was working late and went to the movies with my boyfriend that night. I ran 7 miles and lifted again on Wednesday (and some traversing, but my back was spasming that day, so no climbing). I jogged an easy 3.8 miles on Thursday. I jogged an easy 3 miles with Jack on Friday followed by some climbing.

Friday night was Climb and Dine with Jack and Steph (and Kara, Novak, Mark, and others). There's something about the way Jack tells me to do things that I believe every word he says with confidence (95% of the time). On Friday night he told me to try leading a 5.9 (any feet), so I just tied in and gave it a try! I have never tried to lead anything, so this was a huge deal! I made it about halfway before I realized I couldn't make it through the arch, so Jack and my boyfriend just told me to face the wall, be ready to swing into it, and let go. I did let go and dropped a few feet into the wall safely! It was thrilling! It definitely spurned my interest in wanting to lead climb.

After climbing, we all went to Red Rocks for dining. I ate 7/8ths of my pizza (sausage with hot peppers) and had a pint of Magner's Irish cider. I was in bed by midnight (thanks to Jack for giving me an early ride home!).

Pre-race:
I stayed in bed until 9:30am, made a quick trip to Ross Dress for Less for some sweatpants, and had a breakfast wrap from Starbucks (my chai tea was watered down, so I didn't finish it). After eating a truffle and half a bag of Lemonheads, I headed out to Reston Town Center.

I wasn't sure where the race was (I'm unfamiliar with Reston Town Center), so I walked around until I found Jack and Steph. Jack was able to register the day of the race (yay!), and we were able to walk the big loop before starting to warm-up. I ran into Matt and his friend/teammate Jessica while I was doing some dynamic stretching. They're both members of Capital Area Runners, a well-known high-quality local running team. Finally, I did a few more strides before the men's race.

The Nearly Naked Mile is just what it sounds like--a mile race of nearly naked runners! The proceeds benefit burn victims. The local fire fighters were also at the race. The swag is pretty sweet---boxers, a race pin, and a pint glass. The overall top three winners also got some fancy bath robes. I hadn't run a mile race since high school (spring of 2006, about 6.5 years ago, PR was around 5:48?), and the fastest mile I ever ran was in college during a 5k on an indoor track wearing spikes (5:37?), so I wasn't sure what time to expect on an outdoor mile course!

Race:
There were 5 heats: men's competitive (under 6 minutes), women's competitive (under 7 minutes), open 6-8 minutes, open 8-10 minutes. Beginning at 2pm, each heat on 15 minute intervals.

The race was a smaller loop followed by a larger loop. There was a slight decline on the starting stretch, and a slight incline on the back stretch. Jack finished around 4:57 (the winner was at 4:19). He gave me a few bits of advice before I did a few more strides and dynamic stretching.

I felt like I signed up for the wrong heat. There were so many very in-shape, toned, lean ladies running the race! It being the Nearly Naked Mile, I was wearing shorts and a sports bra. I felt so bare in the cold air! I could feel my fat bulging everywhere; I felt so big and self-conscious. I quickly talked down my eating disordered negative thoughts and got into race mode. I found a spot about 2-3 people deep on the right side of the start line (as long as no one ran directly in front of me and slowed down, this was a good spot for the first tight turn).

Ready. Set. Go!

We were off! I made the first two turns with no problem. Jack was cheering me on the first uphill, and I tried to focus on running a straight line/tangents instead of running the flow of the pack. We came back past the start/finish line, running to the left of it, and soon we were at the half mile mark. A few people who had started out too fast dropped back a little. I passed one woman and was able to hug the corner before the long "uphill" of the race. Jack was cheering me on, telling me to move. I was moving! My legs were numb; I couldn't feel them! I knew I was in the top ten, but I was far behind the top three; I quickly shut down my thoughts and told myself to just run. Soon, the girl I had just passed re-passed me on the hill (and the girl in front of me). One girl dropped behind. I found myself running with the other Anna of the race. I couldn't beat her to the turn, so I went to the outside so I wouldn't trip on her (my mistake was thinking I could take the inside turn first). Finally, we were on the downhill stretch toward the finish line. I pumped my arms and tried to stay with her. We finished pretty close, but I thought she had beaten me.

The official results show us crossing the finish at the same time (5:33), but I had started a second behind her, putting myself in 7th overall finisher position (2nd in my 25-30 age group, official time of 5:32).

After my heat, Steph ran her race! She had been having issues with her knee lately, but she ran a solid time within her goal--7:27!

Post-race:
We got a slice of Naked pizza (which wasn't as good as Red Rocks), water, beer, bananas, and Pop chips after the race. I stayed around for the finish of the final heat and the awards ceremony to see what the winning times were and who had won. It was an impressive woman's finish (top three all around 5:00-5:01)! The race is definitely gaining popularity!

I really like Panera, so I was happy to grab a late lunch/early dinner there before heading home.