You guys! I’m gonna get real with you for a minute. I run/train a lot. I’ve been training consistently for half marathons for over a year now. The Go Girl Half Marathon in OKC was going to be my break through race where I finally complete the race in under 2:10. But I freaking failed. Hard.
With as much as I run, I’m embarrassed by my failure. Yes, my training over the past few months has completely sucked. I started a new job and am just now finding my rhythm of working full time, training, parenting, and wifing; so yeah, my schedule has been off. And my IT Band has really been acting up. I can’t seem to find shoes that I feel comfortable in and my training runs have been painful. Lately, my relationship with running has been a struggle. Despite all that, I continued with an altered version of my training plan to allow for my IT Band to rest. I was determined this Spring racing season would be when I finally get closer to the 2:00 Half Marathon.
I was mentally prepared for the the Go Girl Run. Because my training had been off and I wasn’t in top physical shape, I knew my mental game had to be top notch. And actually, my race started off great. I was able to eat a fraction of a bagel (eating always upsets the ole tum tum before a race), drink a bit of water, and use a restroom with indoor plumbing before the race (no one likes port-a-pottys). The temps were chilly but not too bad. It was a smallish race so the starting line was manageable. The race started in the dark and I couldn’t tell you where we ran because I was just following the person in front of me. I wasn’t able to keep a consistent pace at first because I have a difficult time seeing in the dark. A women in front of me tripped on the road and fell hard so I’m certain I’m not the only one that has difficulty running in the dark. By mile two I fell into a nice pace that was challenging but still felt “good”. Before I knew it, I had reached mile four and the game plan was to just maintain current pace/effort for the next four miles.
I ROCKED the steady pace portion of my run! I hit the half way point with a time of 1:01 and a split pace of 9:22. I was right on target and hitting my goal pace like it was my freaking job. I was going to do it! I was going to get below 2:10.
I drank a little water and took in a bit of fuel. Then mile 8 happened. I just can’t seem to get past the affliction that is MILE 8. At this point the 22 mph wind made it feel like I was dragging a piano behind me. This is the point that sharp pains shooting through my knee were all I could think about (due to IT Band). This is the point where the wheels straight fell off and sent me crashing into a pile of self pity and despair. I had to stop several times to stretch out my leg and walk to alleviate the pain in my knee. By mile 12 the pain was so bad I contemplated not finishing. But I did and I’m glad I did.
My overall average pace ended up 10:08 and a final time of 2:12:40. No PR for me. [sad music] UGH! I JUST WANT TO GET FASTER! HOW DO I GET FASTER?!!?
But my lack of preparation and poor performance didn’t mean the entire event was a bust. I wanted to make the best of this well organized, fun race celebrating women. So that’s just what I did. Nebraska Brewing Company was there serving up delicious microbrew beers. I tried their strawberry brew and it was perfection in a plastic cup. They also had a tent where you can have a custom t-shirt made so of course I had to have a Run Oklahoma shirt made. It’s kind of my favorite thing from the race. I met up with old friends and made new friends. I also got to celebrate in a friend’s first ever half marathon. Hopefully I can take the things I learned from this race and crush my goals at the next one.
