Fast as we can

So let's just say, things were not necessarily smooth, but on the whole the day was nearly perfect. The weather gods only threw in one of the weather atrocities they like to challenge you with on a race day, Humidity. Upper 50s, partly to mostly cloudy and 85% humidity. It was pleasing to only have one of the seemingly insurmountable challenges rather than all of them like the day of White Rock. So how did I do? It was a personal best, but not by very much! Two hours, nine minutes and twenty three minutes.
The race started like every other half marathon I've run in, people wedged together in the street like sardines. The race course started out through the French Quarter, which as someone who does not revere Bourbon Street, I could care less about running through and running down that drunkenly heralded street. To make it worse, the streets in the quarter were soaking wet. The sanitation trucks had just sprayed down the remnants of the prior evening's multiple indiscretions and it was vomity-urine lemon slick. The streets are very old and therefore very narrow with trucks were beached on the sidewalks and in the streets. It made for rather precarious conditions. Once out of the quarter, I burst forth with pent up frustration and let my legs roll. They rolled too fast and once I hit mile 7, I thought I was going to die. Actually dead. I knew exactly where it all went wrong. I started the course way to fast and paid dearly for in the end. But in the end, regardless of the misery and shameful walking, I still managed to average a pace of 9:43 a mile and I finished under 2:10:00!
It was a great day.
Mom has claimed that she will never have to run again, now that she has run the 5k. But, I do not see this as being the case; Mom is the most competitive human being on this planet and she ran the 5k really well, so well that she now has unknowingly challenged herself to beat her own time and more importantly those that dared to finish before her...Watch Out! She is coming!

It's the final countdown!

So I have every uplifting underdog sports movie song in my head. It's three days out from the Mardi Gras Half Marathon. My legs are feeling strong and fresh but my head not so much; it's totally congested, ears in bubble, snotty sickness! It's all in my head, literally, which luckily, is far from my feet.
Knowing that so many members of my family are running the race, makes it all the more special.
Bon Courage!

No Excuses!

It would appear that when I am feeling good about running and feeling strong, that I do not write anything. I have a few excuses I could post, but who needs to hear and in this case read those?

I am feeling great! All of a sudden my base returned and I am now able to run faster and longer without feeling every moment of the effort. It is about time! White Rock was a real breakthrough for me in so many ways and even though I struggled and did not reach my time goal, I feel good about what I did learn and achieve in that race.

But the eye is on the prize...the Mardi Gras Marathon is February 1; not very far away at all. I will be running the half marathon, as the full was not in the cards for me this Winter.

Am I disappointed?
Of course.

Do I feel good about my decision?
Absolutely.
I would rather be able to run forever, than blow out in one race; a race, which in hindsight, I wasn't even ready to train for in the first place.

The race is only 3 weeks away. This past Sunday I had a great run with my friend Joanna and ran 13.11 in the same time I ran my first half. Monday, I was able to come out with fresh legs and run a great speed group. It is nice to have some confidence again as it makes me feel like I can run forever. What a great feeling.
I have added a picture from the Mardi Gras Half Marathon in 2008 and hope to be a blur in it for 2009!

A-Ha! Not the band.

Dallas White Rock Half Marathon, December 14, 2008

The race conditions were unfortunate, the humidity was high, 86%, it was 20 degrees warmer than it had been all week, and there was a 25 mph headwind with gusts up to 35 mph, but Sunday's White Rock Half Marathon was a breakthrough run for me. Not because I was faster or stronger or better than ever before. In fact, I was slower and broke down at mile 11 and walked to the next aid station. Why did I stop? My head was in a dizzy tailspin. I was dehydrated and though I had been diligent about drinking the electrolyte water I was carrying, I needed some good old fashioned H2O.

So, why was this a breakthrough run for me? Because it is the first time I have had an issue while running and been able to determine the cause, address it and then continue on as if there was no problem. Yes, I lost 5- 10 minutes walking to the aid station but after drinking two cups of water, off I went, running like I hadn't stopped at all. And it felt great. Mentally, I think that I have finally broken through the confidence crushing good-run-goes-bad.

What I learned:

1. Drink some H2O, even if the race is short and especially if the conditions are humid.

2. I can start running even after I have stopped.

3. I can identify a problem and address it, even in a dehydrated mental state.

This race was truly a great day and not just due to the a-ha moment. Zach ran his first half marathon and did an amazing job. I couldn't be more proud of his accomplishment. Watching him come through the finish line was amazing and I am so lucky to share his joy! What a great feeling it is to reach a goal that you have worked hard to achieve.

For now...

On Sunday I gave the long run one last shot. I had to know, was it in my head? Was I psyching myself out?

It was decidedly time to change things.

At a quarter to two in the afternoon, I knotted my laces and set out on a path I had never run before. I was running with electrolyte water and thereby running with a bottle strapped to my right hand for the first time. This time, I was not going to glance surreptitiously at my wrist. I was going to run, so that is what I did...I ran and got lost a few times, but it felt good. Slow, but good none-the-less for 13.2 miles.

Problem solved! And I actually know why.

It wasn't about the distance, it was about the speed I was trying to go.

Pride hurts more than anything else

Wow. My first blog entry...the blank space is entirely overwhelming. Perhaps if I were a bit more conversational it would be easier to begin...

I am beginning this blog in the middle of being totally nervous, disheartened and discouraged that I can barely survive the distance of a half marathon with a full one looming. The long runs are kicking my butt. And they are not even that long, which is another reason why I am feeling less than confident. I mean I can understand it if they are kicking my butt and I am running 18-22 miles, but I am still at 13.1 miles and my tail is whooped. To put it bluntly, my last two long runs have sucked...and sucked big time. Two weeks ago I did 13 miles and had my first run in with chafing (ugh!) and my leg, specifically where my stress fracture was located, was extremely noticeable in that paranoia-inducing pain type way. This past Sunday, I only did 12 miles and the last mile was miserable, but there was no pain in my tibia this time, only some lovely vomit and dry heaving (aren't you glad you get to read this?).

What is up? Have I psyched myself out? Am I really that big of a puss? Or am I right to be worried? I missed three months of base building due to the stress fracture and was only back running for three weeks prior to beginning the training, and minus the last 4 days have taken ibuprofen at least twice a day since September. Horrible, I know, but sometimes...

My mom and I were talking in the car on the way to the airport after the run and she suggested dropping back to the half marathon and waiting to run a full in Fall when I was stronger and had more of a base. It's funny because it wasn't until the words escaped her lips did it even occured to me that dropping to the half was a possibility. I've run two half marathons at this point and know that I can at least finish those in one piece. Personality-wise, I am not down with the whole "quitting thing" but at the same time would like to continue to enjoy running and would like to run a strong and happy first marathon not an ‘I crawled on my belly to the finish' marathon.