Leading up to the big day, I didn't feel well. My throat was starting to get scratchy and I felt a little sinus pressure coming on. Also, I was in full on party planning mode because Baby C's 3rd birthday was also this weekend (blog post to follow on his Cowboy extravaganza). Some mom's can relate to the birthday party stress, I'm sure and well, if you can't, I'm jealous :) There was a voice inside my head saying just don't go, you don't feel like it, you got too much planned.... yada yada yada.. But then there was that runner's voice, I call it. You know the one saying, you'll feel so good after it's done, all the adrenaline you'll feel starting, all your running friends you'll see, not to mention, you've already told everyone you're running!!! You know which voice won :)
My supportive hubby and I headed out that morning sans kiddos... My oldest abandoned me this time. G-ma was here and he wanted to stay and play frisbee with her. My youngest was still asleep. We got just out of the city limits and I realized I forgot my bib number... AHHHHH! We turned around, dashed back to the house, picked up the bib and made it to race start with just a few minutes to spare. I walked up, found a friend, Wendy (who is also my inspiration and mentor in this whole lifestyle change) and started to walk toward the start line.
As I started, I felt great. I was able to keep pace with everyone around me. Coming into mile 3, I got a headache. Not enough water the day before, I'm pretty sure. I slowly began to pull back from the one group I had my eye on and I could tell I was losing ground. I allowed myself to do what I never do, I looked back. I saw there were tons of people back there and I started walking. I knew I could have kept pushing and I am a little disappointed for stopping but my head was pounding. It was then that I decided I needed a pack of some kind. I always see runners with little packs and thought, it's not like we're running a marathon, it's 3 or 6 miles, come on.... Well, I'm a believer now. If I would have had an ibuprofen and a sip of water, I would have been a new person. All total, I maybe walked for a combined 5 minutes out of the hour-- that's being generous, I think. I would slow and walk for 15-20 seconds, every now and then. I was ill prepared for this race, actually. I had maybe run 6 miles in the previous week to race week and maybe 4 the week before that. But I figured, I paid for it, just go make it over the finish. In a race, the adrenaline gets the best of you and you just push through... it's amazing really. I'm very proud of myself. I wish they would have had those race photos after this one.. I definitely would have purchased one of those high priced suckers:)
This course had a few hills, which nearly killed me in the end. Around mile 4, we had to run up the levee. Whew... that was tough. I pushed through and ran up, then I had to take a breather...
At mile 5.5, there or about, I was hurting. My hips were killing me, again, lack of good training runs before. I was able to push through thanks to the awesome playlist I had so pain stakingly put together a week before this race... Periodically throughout the race I will put my headphones in, take them out, just depends on whats going on around me. If I'm in a group that's talking, I'll listen. Sometimes, they're being funny. I'll get a little chuckle. Sometimes, the song at the time, I'm not feeling, I'll take the ear pieces out and let them dangle. I can still hear the tunes, just not blazing in my ears. Well, at this particular point, I heard the first few notes of the song I had been waiting for. The song I knew if I heard it, would make me dig deep. I scrambled for the ear phones, put them in and listened like I had not ever listened to that song before. Eminem "Till I Collapse" was the song, that day, that carried me through the last half of mile 5 and the first half of mile 6.
I have so much fun doing these races and running in general. I hope I continue. My mom gave me something to ponder before this race. She said, so what are you running for? I was like, for my mental health (chuckle, chuckle). She was like, no, for what purpose, what good cause? She said, you may as well bring some awareness to a cause you are passionate about. I have some things in mind. Just not sure of a way to implement just yet. I'll keep you posted about that.
Until next time....
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