I admit a decent amount of these recaps involve something going wrong. May I now present to you
"How to try and sabotage yourself and run the happiest race ever!"
So if you read the blog about Paris, you know that race did not go according to plan and while a great race I finished defeated and dehydrated.
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| Two days post marathon, ready to traverse Berlin (yes, the medal was in the bag) |
After I spent a week traversing Europe, once I could move and eat, I flew back to the states and realized I had a half-marathon to run on April 27, yup 19 days after a Marathon time for another half.
I will be honest- I had no intentions of training and no desire to run. I have been interested in Olympic lifting so my focus shifted to that once I came back to working out. I did everything I could to get out of running during CrossFit, not interested in running.
The week of the race I was jokingly offering my bib up to anyone who wanted it. I knew I would run it, but I just was not mentally in the game. I mentally attempted to sabotage myself by working out the day before, staying up late the night before, and not running. Three weeks of zero running and I was going to run 13.1 miles, oh yes..I was setting myself up for failure.
The message I received as I walked into the expo (the timing chip clued the wall ).
As I was falling asleep the night before I realized that I was going to be running tomorrow along the routes I trained for my previous races. These paths have been cursed at and had blood, sweat, and tears shed on them. Tomorrow I was going to race along them and tomorrow was going to be my 5th half-marathon. A year ago, running 13.1 miles seemed impossible; now it was just a Sunday run (a long run, but just a run). I went to bed happy and willing to accept whatever tomorrow held.
I knew that Sara would be on the course to cheer me on, so that was something too look forward to, in addition to post race brunch with another friend Zoe. Seriously- plan brunch after a race...best idea!
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| The poof makes its' running debut. |
While the countdown for my corral began the sun rose over the capital building and I started crying (yes...again...deal with it). I realized the journey I had taken to get here, from no running at all, to completing two marathons and stetting up to finish my 5th half-marathon. At the start line I made sure that I let go of every apprehension. In that moment I found the joy of running again, that joy of lacing up your shoes and just running.
Off we went. The weather could not have been better. I clipped along and around Mile 3 I saw Sara for the first time and delivered a sweaty hug (not sorry).
Mile 5 saw me crossing the Memorial Bridge that KILLED me the first time I attempted to run across it. Not today to day I ran it and full of joy and vigor.
I knew to expect Sara again at Mile 11, but she surprised me at Mile 8 with a grumpy cat stuffed animal and a sign that read:
I tried running once, it was awful.
She knows me so well.
While I have been running in D.C. for a few years I have never run along Haynes Point, so it was exciting to run around and see all the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom.
Around Mile 11 the 2:20 pacer passed me- I had no idea I was running that fast (as an asthmatic runner, 2:20 is fast for me). Rather than keep up, I just held pace but vowed to keep her in my sight line.
I saw Sara for the final time and gave her I giant sweaty hug and went into the final mile and half.
The race was almost over and it felt like it just flew by for me. I was laughing and smiling..for all 13.1 miles. I didn't need my inhaler and didn't need to slow down to catch my breath.
I crossed the finish line triumphant and happy.
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| So happy...and with an accidental PR! |
I found my groove in those 13.1 miles, I got back to the joy I had when I first started running, and I felt free
So here is to the good and bad running day. Both will happen, but the key is to appreciate the good ones and let the bad ones go.
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| Zoe and I treated our bling to brunch. |
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