It is awesome to be warm
The race wasn't too bad really, it was the post-race drive home when I got an overwhelming case of the shivers. Now that I'm cozy, hydrated, and have had a good night's sleep, I can rethink yesterday's 26-mile
Weather: It was a cloudy, 30-35º, windy morning. We've had a warm fall (70º until 16 hours before the race) and the drastic drop felt really cold. I made the decision to stay in my heated car as long as possible and use the beginning of the race as my warm-up (not a good call pace-wise, but probably best for my sickly-ness).
Clothes: After so much fretting about what to wear, I ended up hitting the wardrobe sweet spot of comfortably cool. I did feel just barely overdressed around the half and considered handing my vest to my husband, but soon after found myself wondering who cranked the thermostat down?, and was thankful for the outer layer. I might go so far as to say I was perfectly dressed, except for the fact that I noticed mid-race that I had my underwear on backwards – I am the anti-badass.
Pacing: The 5K, 13.1, and 26.2 runners started together, and for two miles I drifted along with the crowd to warm up at 11:00(!) pace. While I still think it was smart to go out slow, it was frustrating to start the race with such a deficit. For the next three hours though, I was consistent at 8:40 pace, with :30 walk breaks every 5:00. Given how badly I've felt lately, I know the Galloway-ish walk breaks were the right call for me, even if folks repeatedly tried to cheer me on, c'mon, don't quit now! just so I could confuse the hell out of them by scurrying by when I picked up the run again seconds later.
Mental game: Sick or not, I had too many subtle falters – letting my walk break stretch a matter of 5 seconds here, 10 seconds there, slowing to eat or drink, getting distracted by my iPod or obnoxious fanny pack – and all those little moments added up. I almost felt more in control at my lowest points, when I thought to take inventory of all my gripes and ask myself whether any of them really justified slowing down (no). In the last four miles, moving forward at all became achievement enough and I stopped checking my time. I only managed to keep running by mindlessly tailgating a guy who had the most hypnotically efficient stride I've ever seen.
At the end, I had zero kick left to pass anyone, not even the girl running all batshit-crazy, whose ugly gait received a focused beam of my there-is-no-way-this-batshit-crazy-runner-is-beating-me bad attitude for the last 2 miles... as she flopped her batshit-crazy chaos farther and farther away from me. If I couldn't will myself to catch her, I really didn't have anything in the tank (what can I say, I'm extra snarky in race mode).
I wasn't all grouch though. My husband and kiddos did such a super job at spectating and kept me smiling lots. I only expected them to be at the finish, so it was really exciting when they first caught me around the half. They locked onto my pace and raced around finding places to meet up with me along the hard-to-spectate woodsy trail – no small feat when combining a big stroller, two kids bundled in winter gear, and repeatedly loading/unloading in/out of the car. It was cold and grey and boring out there, and they still grinned and eagerly returned my high fives every time they spotted me. I can't say it made me faster to see them, but it absolutely made me feel loved.
Nutrition: Get this: NO stomach troubles! Slowing my pace surely helped, and I also ditched the processed energy foods. I drank only water and packed a sandwich – cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter, honey, and a sprinkle of salt, cut into 100-calorie quarters. I erred on the side of under-eating and had the first two pieces on the hour, then had just a little sugar boost of two Starburst candies at 3:00. In hindsight, I should have eaten a third sandwich piece and saved the candy only for a mental boost here and there.
Final time: 4:10:28
I'm not proud of the number, as it is so much slower than I'd trained for (was on target for 3:40 for the first 14 weeks of training), but it is also many minutes better than I thought I could eek out this particular week. I'm trying to separate my results (bummer) from my effort (good job me!) and willingness to just let go of my perfectionism and get it done (groundbreaking!). This race ended up both humbling and confidence-building.
Updated A-Goal – anything sub-4:00. NOPE
I mostly tossed this one out when I got sick, so was very much surprised to have it in my grasp at the half (particularly after starting out so slow and with a porta-potty stop at mile 12) and was still seriously gunning for it up to about 3:20.
B-Goal – Finish without injury so I can start IM training in a couple of weeks. YES!
Stairs hurt today. I do not enjoy getting off the couch. Most of my soreness is in my hip flexors, left glute, and right knee, but really, nothing too crazy. While my cold is still lingering, I don't feel like racing made it any worse. I'm actually itching to get back to work, except entering a somewhat overwhelming IM training plan into my calendar is a good reminder to take a break while I can.
C-Goal – Not have my race ruined by stomach woes. YES!
And that 38-week training plan should offer many more opportunities for toughening my IronStomach.
Now for some serious slothfulness and gluttony through my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving! (reason #43 that I'm enjoying giving up vegetarianism)
3 comments:
stinks to train and then get sick but 4:10 is still a great time!
Nothing wrong with a 4:10. No matter what too, you have completed a 26.2. That might not seem like anything to you, but not everyone can say that.
CONGRATS!!!!
I would need to ride my bike for half of the race in order to hit 4:10 for a full mary. Strong work!
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