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June 18, 2007
Grandma's race recap
I'm not exactly sure where to start, so I will start with the most frequently asked question leading up to the half: "What time do you think you will run?" I'm not a big fan of that question, but it's inevitable that people are going to ask it when they know you are heading into a big race. My response: "Well, I hope to be around 1:23-1:24." At that point in the conversation, the person asking the question would raise his eyebrows and without verbally saying, "YOU ARE CRAZY," his eyes would silently scream: "NUTSO!"
I'll admit it: I am slightly nuts. I liked abnormal psychology in college for a reason ;) But I understand the reaction. My PR before Saturday's 1:23:28 was 1:27:12. Yet before Saturday, I never walked into a race deserving to run fast. I never headed into a race where I consistently put the miles and the workouts in the bank. I have spent far too many years magically willing myself to run faster times than I deserved to run. Saturday was different. I toed the line with a quiet confidence because I knew I had put the work in to be there. My nerves eased up before the gun snapped, a fluffy cloud of peace enveloped my body, and I started my watch believing that the race should literally run itself.
H - my friend/coach who doesn't like to be called "coach" but he is the best coach I have ever met - gave me two numbers to remember: miles 5 and 10. I am a bit old school in that I do start my watch, but I never take splits, lap times, half times, mile times . .. I let the race story unfold as it will and I let my internal clock set the tempo. I am fairly good at only obsessing about the numbers that I need to. In this case, H. said the be around 32:00 for 5 and 1:03:25 for 10. His ambitious goal was for me to dip under 1:23. I hit mile 5 a little under 32:00 and mile 10 in 1:03:28. I shook my head as I passed mile 10: how could H. have been so dead on? Clearly, he knows me way better as a runner than I know myself.
When H emailed the race plan the night before the race, I have to admit that I giggled and let out a "yeah right." But when I passed mile 10, I knew he was right. I didn't even know what pace that was . . . all I cared about was hitting 63 minutes.
The last 3 miles flew by even though they weren't problem-free. At mile 11, my right shoulder cramped and I lost feeling in my left foot - it completely cramped and went numb. The temperature was in the 80s at this point and I suppose that I was a tad dehydrated, but I refused to let anything get in between me and the final clock time. When my foot rebelled against me, I took a few deep breath, told myself to relax, and then I completely ignored the fact that I no longer had a left foot working with me. I also got a side stitch, but I ignored that too. This race was just as much a mental test as a physical test.
I flew through mile 11, but mile 12 never came . . . I missed the mile mark so I was completely caught by surprise when I neared the end of the race. Of course, for those of you who are familiar with Grandma's, the final mile is literally the never-ending mile. I made a mistake by not studying the course map or driving the course. I didn't realize the end was near until it was way too late to dig deep and burst to the finish with a blazing kick. I allowed myself to ease up too much toward the end of this race - a mistake I will NOT be making again.
I finished the race with a good feeling: I still had a lot left in the tank to give. Hopefully I will exhaust that extra fuel when I race another half in August.
I am still trying to process the race. A part of me doesn't believe that I actually ran that time because it is something that used to feel so far out of reach. I always wondered, "what would it feel like to run 1:22 - 1:23?" Well, I have tasted that time now . . . and it feels the same as 1:29. I want to go faster :)
The best part of my training - so far - is that I have survived it relatively injury free. My mileage has been steady for the past 9 weeks around 44-54. I have done 2 workouts/week and run mostly 5 days/week. What's the biggest difference between now and when I was running 1:29? Easy: consistentcy and FAITH. I trust my coach, I trust my body, and I believe that I can do it. I have let go of the mind games, the self-doubt, the anxiety over what other people think . . .
I'm not going to get wrapped up in thinking about the Chicago Marathon this October, but if things continue to go well, then I am going to go after it and chase down the one dream that I have had for 20 years. Grandma's was awfully good to me - and Chicago has always been a friend - so I am ready bank the miles and go . . .
Posted by bridget at June 18, 2007 7:52 PM
Comments
wonderful
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at June 19, 2007 3:07 AM
Bridget,
A big, big congratulations again! You make it sound like this big PR was easy. I guess that means there's a lot more where this came from! :)
Hope you're feeling almost recovered!
Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at June 19, 2007 7:29 PM
To pass on some praise I once received in Chicago "Great run! I must say that I am not surprised, just pleased."
Posted by: Kit at June 19, 2007 11:13 PM