The past three weeks have been filled with ups and downs, a sickness that refused to leave, many skipped workouts, and way too many sleepless nights. All the uncertainties of whether or not I'd be able to run today permeated my brain all week, unlike the kind of uncertainty that comes with the "taper blues." I decided to go into today's race with no expectations, no goals, and no idea as to whether I could run 26.2 or not. It was hard to even stay positive about running this race due to falling off the training bandwagon a few weeks ago.
Riding to the race with Kara Bonneau helped calm the pre-race jitters and uncertainties I had been experiencing, THANK YOU!! This is my third year running this marathon and I don't think I'd do it without the on-site parking, sure makes for a peaceful pre-race experience. I needed today's run to show me where my fitness level was at, so I did want to run it with enough gusto to get me back on track both physically and mentally.
The race began in the dark, which I absolutely loved, and I set off just behind the 3:30 balloons. Up until 3 weeks ago, I had been training to finish anywhere in the 3:30's, but today I just had no idea how to pace myself. Luckily, by mile two I had caught up with a group of three men that were pacing to finish between 3:35-3:40 so I stuck with them until we dispersed around mile 20. I'm glad I chose not to use my iPod today, I enjoyed both the concersations I had with fellow runners and the serenity of the trail. At 13.1 I was at 1:48, an 8:19 pace and I was still feeling strong. Miles 19-22 were much quieter, slower and tougher, but I trudged through and mile 23 was my last water stop. The last two miles I was pleased to clock an 8:13 and 7:53 and still sprinted the last .2 in order to pass two men to the finish line! (the inner competitive drive doesn't die with age) Funny thing, my chip time was 3:40:01 (previous PR was 3:40:02), which means I qualified once again for Boston and set a new PR by just one second! A very pleasant surprise. According to the results, my first half was an 8:19 pace, the second half an 8:24 pace. To top off my excitement, I finished 3rd in my age group (yes, the old ladies 40-44 group!) and took home a bottle of wine.
In retrospect, I got what I needed today--a bit of confidence in my training despite the 3 wk set back, a stronger desire to push a little harder at Boston next month, more mental toughness than I had expected, and a positive ending to a race that I had completely bonked at last year (13 min slower than today). I'm still surprised at how great I feel physically, maybe I had more in me than I thought I did and I should have pushed a little harder?? Save it for Boston I guess, 28 days and counting!!
After dinner, I took a 1/2 mile stroll and a 1/2 jog to help with recovery. I'm surprised at how well my body feels, perhaps I could have run faster today, who knows. I may be one of the slowest on the Bull City track club, I'm trying hard to be okay with that, but maybe one day I'll be faster.
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