What a fun race! I'm so glad I did it!!!!!
Saturday morning, I woke up congested and with a super sore throat. As the day went on, I was feeling better. So far, so good. In the afternoon, JP and I were going to eat lunch, run a few errands and pick up my race packet. At least that was the plan.
We were at Olive Garden (I LOVE carb loading!) and I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought it was just because I was so hungry. Ate my salad and breadsticks and when I took a bit of my pasta, the first bit didn't taste good at all. JP instantly knew I was sick and we asked for our meals to be boxed up and our check. No sooner had we gotten home, I got sick. OH NO! I have a race tomorrow!!!! I slept the rest of the day, went out quickly to get my race packet and prayed for the best.
Sunday morning, I woke up and felt better than the morning before. I decided I was good enough to race.
It was a beautiful morning -- a warm, sunny spring morning. As we got closer to the race site, I got more and more excited.
The course started on the University of Michigan (Dearborn campus) campus. We ran a little bit on the campus trails and then out and about on the surrounding roads. Note: Only in Michigan are there race volunteers cheering you on the sidelines and warning you of pot holes. Some were SO big, I'm sure a runner could get lost!
First six miles felt great. Pace was a little faster than I was thinking nit should be, but I figured I'd go for it and see what happens. Plus, I was pretty consistent. Goal 1 -- accomplished.
Mile 1: 9:08
Mile 2: 9:23
Mile 3-4: 18:01
Mile 5: 9:01
Mile 6: 9:04
Shortly after I hit mile 6, the first female runner was heading back and hit mile 9. Geez!
Next 7 miles... well, let's just say I have a lot of work to do before my full marathon. My legs tightened up, I was just plain tired and didn't feel strong. Not consistent on my splits, but I was mentally tough, so I consider Goal 2 accomplished. :)
Mile 7: 9:14
Mile 8: 9:33
Mile 9: 9:34
Mile 10: 10:04
Mile 11: 10:08
Mile 12: 10:19
Mile 13: 9:42 -- Needless to say, I was ready to be done and pure adreneline took over for the last 1.1 mile.
Total time: 2:04:01 (9:29 pace).
I finished 59 out of 139 in my age group. Finished top half in my age group, so I was pleased. After the race, my parents took JP and me out for breakfast, but I started to feel bad again so we had to cut it short. Took a nap and relaxed for the rest of the day. Anyway, I'm so glad I did this race and am motivated to continue training for the next one.
JP took a bunch of pictures, so I'll post those later.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Congrats on your race! What a great accomplishment...I've only managed a 5K so I'm always in awe of the "real" runners who can do those long distances.
Hope you are feeling better ;)
Nice finish! Your first 6 were strong. I would guess that either the hydration or nutrition started to go down in the final 7. That's what often happens to me if I don't stay on top of things. Feeling poopie the night before sure contributes, too. Way to pull through from that, also.
I'm glad you got to do the race even though you didn't feel great! Why does that always happen though???? For at least half of the triathlons I have done I have been at least sort of sick and one time I was really sick and probably should have skipped it (but I'm glad I didn't). I guess in my case it has to do with me having 4 kids that share their germs.
Congratulations! And your 'sick' running is basically the same as my 'game-face-on' running, so color me impressed. Is Detroit going to be your first full, or do you have one sooner? I'm registered for Disney in January, but would like to do my first full before then... haven't decided when yet though.
Post a Comment