Hello! and FF now you are sleeping! lol. sorry about that.
BUSY day. I went from the race to a 15 min shower at home to an all day swim meet I had to coach. I am FRIED (as in burned) big time.
Well, I had a GREAT race, thank you for thinking of me! I went with ZERO expectations. Really I did my workout Friday with intensity and no thought of needing to "save up" anything for the following day. I just thought "this is my long run day". Here's how it went down:
6am got up and made 16 oz of water with NUUN (electrolytes)
had bit of breakfast
6:30am drove to race site
7:15-8:00 visited vendors, greated incoming tri class friends running with me, visited potty like 3 times
8:00-went to the start line and lined up between 8 and 9 min pace markers. I wanted to give myself some room to warm into the race and not go out too hard (as i often do)
8:15 race starts-I can always tell how well the race is going to based on that first mile. First mile felt AWESOME
8:15-10:00: I had a really great race. I went out comfortable and set my pace unintentionally at 7:45 right off the bat. I let people pass who were making the mistake I normally do and I was okay with staying the course. I just got into my little zone early. I noticed I was keeping 7:45-50 pace very consistantly for about 8 miles.
It was an out and back course and at 6.5 miles I felt my energy wane. There were water stops every single mile-and guess what-I walked through EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Dehydration is my BIGGEST issue in these longer things and I wasn't about to let that of all things take me down today. SO I chose to get water at the first water person at each stop and walk to the last water person. This generally gave me 10 seconds flat to get it and down it with a few slow breaths of recovery. I think it was the smartest thing I could have done today.
At 8 miles I sort of hit a wall. I forgot to take my gu at 6 miles so I was late on my refreshments and I'd not had much breakfast so I got out my gu at the 8 mi water stop and gulped it with water. gross.
Between 8-11 I was hurting. Its that middle part of the race where it SEEMS just about over, but its really not close enough to do anything with. Its a maintain and sustain place where I had to maintain the pace I was now fighting for and sustain some good mental thoughts that were darkening a bit. I hate these middle miles, and we also had a head wind. My pace dropped to about 8:05 as I fought to recompose myself.
Mile 11 I thought "I can do anything for 2 miles" and I picked it up again.
Mile 12 I actually had to walk! I thought I was going to vomit. I had the goosebumps, the tummy thing going on and cramps in my shoulders. I took a few deep breaths, calmed my nerves and put my shoulders DOWN.
12.5-13.1 I literally sprinted. I realized to get my goal I could not accept defeat in any form. A little pain at that moment would mean NOTHING compared to how great the victory of the goal would feel the minute I crossed the line. I had to chuckle a little as I realized this is the same mentality I had to adopt with each childbirth
13.1 PRAISE GOD all done! 1:43:02. My goal was under 1:45. To think I did it walking 12 water stations makes me very happy!
