Max and his fianceToday I thumbed a ride with some friends to Sedalia MO to participate in the Sedalia Half Marathon to benefit the Max Lewis Special Needs Trust put on by the Sedalia Runners Club.
The forecast was for it to be unseasonably hot and sunny. The course is a great course for a PR being out and back with no major hills.
As usual I was relaxed and not getting worked up about my race or how I would perform (read underprepared), so much so that I didn’t even bring my registration confirmation or ID along.
What went wrong:
I blew up around mile 11 and had very negative thoughts for the balance of my run/walk.
My time was much slower than I had hoped for at exactly two hours.
I forgot to pack snacks and a gel for the race….I could have died!
I didn’t want to go out too fast, but in the final analysis, I probably went out too slow.
I brought my camera along and took NO photos.
What went right:
Packet pick up was a snap and no one asked for any proof that I was me.
My feet survived with no big issues even though I was wearing brand new shoes.
It was a bit cloudy and breezy so I never got over heated.
I did manage to secure a gel from a kind fellow who had an extra so I did not bonk.
I did not get sunburned.
I got to visit with Max (an old friend) for a bit and that was a treat.
Overall I declare the day a huge success though because I had the best time traveling, running and lunching with my running friends. They are such a great group of people and I feel blessed to get to spend time with them. (Although I did have a bit of mommy guilt when I did not arrive home until almost 4 p.m.)
Also, I learned a few lessons about my body and running. I learned that for me, if I am going to race 13 miles I need to run 13 miles on my long training runs. My body has to practice the distance it will be expected to travel.
I have to say that I think a 10k is my favorite distance to run/race, but there just aren’t that many 10K races here in Columbia and I am not a huge fan of racing out of town…..especially for a race that lasts less than one hour. So I will keep working on my speed and technique for these darn half marathons for a while longer.
I am not in this photo because I was still out running. :(
1 comment:
It is so hard to run on a course you don't know, you are always a little unprepared and I think that plays a role in the mental aspect during the race.
With that being said, look how far you have come with your running over the last year! You should be proud! congrats. Roots and Blues is going to be a piece of cake for you.
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