EITHER WAY: I was VERY happy getting under an 11:00 minute pace on this course because it had a mountain. BUT I TOOK THAT MOUNTAIN NON-STOP and am SO PROUD. I passed a LOT of people walking on that hill and I kept telling myself - "You do this all the time. You can do this" and at the water station at the top I took a full cup of water and poured it down my back and it felt GOOD.
Throughout the run I kept telling myself I was ONLY RACING MYSELF. First goal was making that hill non-stop. Second goal was to finish under 55 minutes.
I knew coming into the last mile I was having a good race and going to make both goals. I even kept pulling back to keep my heart rate under 178 as I KNOW what always happens at the finish line. I got it down to 176 as I turned the corner and again reminded myself -It is just me and the road....and Aaron (my friend) the event photographer at the end waiting for me. I kept it simple. I had this.
Then out of nowhere a woman in white passed me. NOOOOOO!!!!
Instant animal mode kicked in. Out went reason. Out went logic. Just racing myself? HA!!! WATCH THIS!!!
I kicked it hard all the way in and it felt amazingly awesome. I felt ALIVE. I felt STRONG. I could have roared. I felt that little girl in me that used to run with reckless abandon through fields. My Garmin said I was running 6:40 pace that stretch! WOOHOO!! And yeah, I took the finish before the contender.
Then, while having my chip removed off my shoes, I looked at my heart rate. YOU DOPE!! WTH?!? It was not pretty. I do not understand how something that felt that good and amazing could demand so much from my heart. Yikes. Per my Garmin, heart rate peaked at 184.
I keep telling myself race after race...NO SPRINTING AT THE FINISH.
Do racers EVER learn to control that careless inner demon that is highly competitive and that raises it's ugly head during the last 100 meters of an otherwise smart race?
Do we really want to? ;)
Me and Christine after the run
WEATHER: Overcast, 58 degrees and 86% humidity. NO breezes.
FOOD: Woke up afraid to eat ANY thing. Ate two bites of a banana and two swigs of Blueberry juice. Took a full immodiam AD pill. At mile 2 as I approached the steep part of the hill's peak (that is over half a mile long) I chewed on a Shot Blok then spit it out. Still having tummy issues. Didn't want food in it after all.
FLUIDS: There was a water table at mile post 2.5 and I only saw a very few others in the 8K group carrying their own fluids. Some handheld large bottles. I, and two others I noticed, wore belts with small bottles. I was embarrassed at first but I got over that quite quickly when sweat began pouring off my brow in the first mile. Did I mention 86% humidity? Or that I sweat a LOT? So I drank almost 20 ounces of diluted Gatorade throughout this run. When I got back all my clothing was wet with sweat. No regrets or shame carrying my own fluids for such a short run. None at all.
LEGS: My calve that had been hurting all week since my 9.14 mile run ONLY reminded me it was there during the steeper parts of the hill/incline. What a pleasant surprise it didn't hurt throughout this race! Also, my right knee? You would have never known it ever has issues! The only discomfort I felt all race was my left IT band (Whhhyyyyy??) but I used a foam roller there in the gym at the course when I got back and felt better.
BLOODY SHIRT: When I got back it was pointed out to me that the sleeve of my favorite race shirt was 'bloody'. I took it off and saw this was true. It was a very large spot too, of several inches. It appears that the seam of the sleeve was catching on or rubbing against the healing/scabbed cuts on the back of my arm that I got a few days ago doing battle with chicken wire. The constant rubbing just kept the blood flow going. Luckily it rinsed out and the bleeding stopped when the race was over.
PLACEMENTS:
- #137 of 216 runners
- #71 of 144 women
- #8 of 20 women in my age division
CHEERS: Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy cowbells at a race? Also, Get Bold puts on fun events. They had family runs, the 8K, the Half Marathon and RACE WALKING today. They even had cheerleaders throughout the course and a great DJ. They rocked it at the Resolution Run in January and they rocked it again today. Also, I LOVE their race shirts and was so happy to see that today's shirt is from the same manufacturer as the one I got in January. It is a shirt I wear ALL the time to run in. Now I have two. :)
NEXT: I am looking forward to Get Bold Events wine run in September
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