Kutztown Fools Run 2022
10 Miles of Berks County Beauty
Last year, I ran the Kutztown Fools Run 5k with Jess and it was a nice, scenic run that started and ended by the college campus. It was Jess’ first run and she absolutely crushed it. I am very proud of her for accomplishing that, and unbeknownst to us (probably just me) she was pregnant. This year, I decided to push myself and try the 10 miler.
A little background on me. I’ve always loathed running. In grade school gym class, some twisted soul forced the pacer upon us. I never wanted to be the first guy to stop. It felt like an eternal hell before they dropped out and I was always right behind them.
Fast forward 15 years and here I am. Writing this post from the seat of my bike trainer. Who would have thought? It started two years ago after being blessed with our first child. I didn’t want to be the dad who died young because of a preventable health condition. Through the guidance of some healthier individuals at work, my weight loss transformation began. Riding my bike was the most accessible activity for me and least stressful on my joints. I was 240 at my largest and slapping down my poor feet on the pavement was not ideal. February 2020 was the start of my journey.
Secretly, one of my goals was to be able to run a mile. I was 30 years old and had never run a mile in my life (that I can recall). I tried after a few weeks of training and failed miserably, but that didn’t stop me. April 2020, I completed my first mile at a 10:19 pace. That’s right, one mile in over 10 minutes at 165 average heart rate.
After spending 7 months in the saddle and adjusting my diet, I was down to my goal weight of 175 and I was able to run 3.1 miles without stopping (and at a pace I was proud of). I knew at that point that I could push further.
Pretzel City Sports put on some trail races that I “ran” but up until the Kutztown Fools run, I hadn’t competed at a level that I wanted to. The trail runs were just a way for me to get out and try something new and they were all great experiences, but I wasn’t able to run the entire way and that didn’t count for me.
Fats forward a few months and it’s March 2022 and I haven’t run too much due to the holidays and the weather. I took a quick jog around my neighborhood and realized I would need to train for the Fools Run if I wanted to be “competitive”. I use the term competitive loosely because I’m 33 years old and have only been running casually for weight loss the past two years. I set a goal time of 9:30/mile for the 10 miler and knew I would have to work to get that. I had one month to train and limited time on weekdays to make any kind of progress.
My routine consisted of two days a week running shorter distances, one at a tempo pace, one at a slower recovery pace. My weekends consisted of one long run to get me adding in miles. I started at 6 and progressed to 8 by the end of the training program.
This program was tough for me because weekends were the time I got to spend with my wife and kids. I’m typically up and off to work before they get up, when I arrive home, we eat dinner, bathe the kids and send them to bed. Rinse and repeat. The weekends are my time to wake up with them and make everyone breakfast, and enjoy the valuable time I get with them watching them grow. Spend the afternoons and evenings in the yard. My program was only a month, but each weekend I had to schedule a two hour block to get the miles in. It was rough, but I knew there was an end goal. Once the race was over, I could go back to training with weights and not focusing on miles.
Now, onto race day! I got caught behind a horse and buggy on my way up Kutztown (typical) but that didn’t slow me down. Check-in was painless as I had signed up online. I grabbed my bag filled with some snacks, the shirt, and my bib and headed back to my car to get ready with Torres. He had decided to join me on this 10 mile adventure. His goal was a 9:30 mile too so I was looking forward to keeping pace with him. We took a quick jog up the street and back to loosen up and then the race was about to start.
I typically don’t rush out of the gate because I know I’m not at the front or even middle of the pack. This gives me the opportunity to start out at my own pace and not blow up trying to keep up with more experienced runners. The first segment of the race is an uphill section out of town followed by a fairly steel hill down to a wooded road. I remembered from last year ( the 5k and 10 mile start out on the same road) how brutal that hill was coming back up, but the relief after it and the mostly downhill coast to the finish line. That was stored in my memory and I made sure to not over exert because I knew what lied ahead.
After the first two miles, your brain starts calculating things in fractions.
“Ok, I just did 2 miles, I only 4/5 more to go. Ok, 3 miles in, I’m basically 1/3 done, you can do this!. Etc.”
In my experience, by mile 3 you end up in close to the people you will finish the race with. you’ve set your stride and so have they. When I looked at my watch to see my average mile pace, I was pleased to see it was around 8:45. I knew I could cut back a bit to save some for the inevitable hills and still manage to come in under 9:30. I was stoked and really concentrated on my breathing, keeping my cadence up and my heart rate level.
There was another great uphill around mile 4-5, after that, I figured we needed to be close to the top of the “mountain”. When I hit the top, the scenery was magnificent. The run then started down the other side of the “mountain” and the road followed the creek. It was a nice rolling run that could only have been better if it were later in spring. At every mile along the route, there were a few guys from one of the Kutztown sports teams. As you pass, they cheered you on. You wouldn’t think that would be much motivation from outside, but when you are in it and moving along, it feels awesome to have them there supporting you. At a few of the mile markers they were even setup with some refreshments and quick snacks.
There were a few people who passed me once I set my pace. This was a little disheartening, but I kept reminding myself, the race was just me and the clock. I wasn’t there to win or beat anyone else, I was there to prove to myself that I could do it. Around mile 7 there were two older guys who passed me. I could clearly tell they had been running for quite some time due to their physique. Their cadence was matched and it seemed almost effortless for them. About a mile later, one of the guys started to pull ahead of the other one.
The dreaded hill started at the beginning of mile 9 and one of the older guys who had passed me earlier had slowed a bit to take the hill. It was a short but steep hill and I knew, if I was able to keep my cadence, I could probably pass this guy. I felt that I had enough left in my tank, I could really kick it into gear for the last mile back to the campus, it was mostly downhill so that helped too. I shortened my stride, and even increased my cadence a bit. I passed the older guy and cheered to myself quietly in my head and put on the afterburners.
The last mile felt so good, I pushed as hard as I could toward that finish line. I didn’t want to check my watch in fear that the hill slowed me under my pace, but a quick peak gave me the reassurance I needed, 9:00 flat. As long as I didn’t give up before the finish line, I knew I could hit that goal. It was down to the last 1/4 mile and I could feel my heart rate increasing. I knew I didn’t have long, I was almost at a full sprint. The downhill was a huge help and I felt as though I threw myself across the line.
Emily was there waiting for Torres and I and she congratulated me on my time. I needed to keep moving to avoid cramping, so I told her I’d catch her in a bit. I walked back up the road in hopes of catching Torres on his way back into town. I went up about 1/4 of a mile and turned around without seeing Torres, so I headed back to the finish line. They were giving out time slips so I grabbed mine and was excited to see the final results. Just under an hour and a half! 1:29:56, I was so stoked. Torres had made it back shortly after in 1:42:44. He did a great job as well!
All-in-all the Kutztown Fools Run was great. I ran a flat 9:00/mile pace for 10 miles and am pretty happy with that. I was shooting for 9:30 so I did better than expected. The course was nice with a few hills, but overall it was a great race.
Here are the official Pretzel City Sports results!
I definitely recommend checking out Pretzel City Sports’ events if you are in the Lehigh Valley or surrounding area. I have done a few of their other races and they were all very fun.
