On Saturday, March 31, I ran 13.1 miles through the best place on Earth: the Indiana University campus. I wasn't prepared to do well - I was prepared to walk if necessary. My longest training run, since the Monumental Half in November, was 6 miles (only once). I had ran some leading up to the race, but in NO WAY did I feel even half as prepared as I did for the Monumental. Still, I had signed up, paid $45, and my best friend Kate was coming from New York to run it too. I was doing this thing!
Alex and Clint, Kate's husband, were running the 5k which started at 8AM. After their start, we did a small warm up jog and used the restroom. We saw another friend, who actually was one of my roommates my senior year at IU, and talked with him for a while. He is the real deal when it comes to endurance athletes. Alex told me after the race that he had seen Craig, while waiting to cheer for me, and that he did not look winded at all. In fact, Craig looked like what he was doing was easy. On what I would call a course that was much more hilly than anything in Indy, Craig ran under 1:30.
As for me, I took a whole new approach to this race in most ways. I did not wear my watch. I obviously didn't feel trained. I listened to music. I wasn't worried about my time - I was just trying to hold a steady pace. I wanted to completely zone out and forget what I was doing in order to NOT have to walk. One thing remained the same: the straw. Seriously, try it. I friggin' love it.
*About the straw: cut a straw in half and carry it with you. At each water station, drinking is so much easier. I learned in the Monumental that if you don't want to stop, that you should carry at least 2 straws in case you drop one.
Here is how zoned out I was: I dropped the straw I was carrying without even knowing until I saw the first water station. That's right, within the first 2 miles of the race, I had zoned myself so far out that I completely forgot what I was doing. I couldn't tell you where I dropped the straw, no idea. So, that meant walking quickly through the first aid station so I could take in some water. These 4-5 steps were the only steps I "walked" throughout the entire race, and I do not count them, SO THERE! I dug my other straw half out of my butt pocket and held on tight.
The hills got to me soon enough and I was not able to stay in that far away place deep inside my brain for much longer. I treasure the fact that I was able to go there for the first 3-4 miles of the race though. Without that, I don't know if I would have made it without walking. Being able to zone out made the race feel shorter to me. Back to the hills, there were plenty of those. With each uphill came a chanting in my head: "one less hill, one less hill." And with each uphill came a downhill. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I am good at downhills. My high school cross country coach taught us how to run down hill and recover at the same time. To put it simply, let the hill do the work and think about your feet or you might fall. Lean into the downhill and speed up your turnover while thinking of nothing but your feet (so you don't trip). I did this quite successfully during the race. I had plenty of chances to increase my speed and allow my body to recover some while the downward slope was working for me. At one point right after the 4 mile marker, there was a girl with a sign that said "The next 2 miles are downhill." I told her thank you.
Miles 5-10 were just me walking a thin line between zoned out and running downhill. I had very successful drinking at each water station. At mile 7 a man was sitting outside of his house with a beer station set up. Small dixie cups full of Keystone. Seriously? Who would want that?
About mile 10, I knew we were running back to campus. I am not good at directions, but I could tell the course was headed back. And that meant we were now running to the finish line. You are always running to the finish line, but there comes a point in a race that you feel like you are in the homestretch. For me, during this race, it was about mile 10 that the homestretch started for me. 3.1 miles is a decently long homestretch and I began to feel anxious. This was a new feeling. I wasn't anxious about doing well. I wasn't anxious about beating anyone. I really don't know what all the anxiety was about, but it was there, and it didn't help. I started wanting to walk. I felt FINE. There was no reason to walk other than it would feel nicer than running. That's not an excuse. Massive blisters on the bottom of your foot would be an excuse, but I didn't have those (and even when I did, I didn't walk). So, no walking. I was going to battle this anxiety all the way to the finish line. (It wasn't that bad, it just feel like anxiety in my chest, which is a feeling I hate.) In reality, if I had walked, I think the anxiety would have burst through because I would have been so disappointed in myself. I'm glad I didn't walk.
I saw the finish line and couldn't wait to cross it. I saw Alex and he was taking a picture of me - oh boy. I finished and felt pretty bad, like shaky bad. Oh, and whiny. Yes, I felt whiny (more like I was whiny). Alex was a saint and continuously asked me what I needed and told me he was proud of me. I kept saying how I almost broke 2 hours (I missed it by 29 seconds). He said I still did well. :) I got some water and got a picture with Kate :) Soon enough we were on our way to Bedford to clean up and relax some before heading BACK to Bloomington to enjoy the afternoon at Miss-N-Out, a Little 500 Series Event.
Little 5 is this coming weekend. I will be in the pit supporting the Delta Sigma Pi women's team as they race. Looking forward to that and some Bloomington running. I'd say if I train on some hills more often, I could get pretty strong...more to come on that as I transition into full on marathon training. I have to choose my race, but then I will be dedicated to FULLY preparing myself to compete and do well. If I don't train to compete, there is no point for me (I won't enjoy it as much). I will be marathoning in Indy in the fall, but just which marathon to choose...I'll let you know!
No comments:
Post a Comment