The race started at 7 am just North of Crown Center. I got there about 45 minutes early and stretched and tried to track down some safety pins. I probably gave out 500 safety pins while I volunteered at packet pickup the day before yet when I got my stuff I totally forgot to grab some for myself. I managed to find 3 and then made my way to the start area.
It started out well. I found the 2:30 (pipe dream) pace group. We stood around and waited, listened to the National Anthem and finally started running. Initially I couldn't get my
ipod to work but after turning it off and on a few times if finally came to life so that's good. First couple of miles were pretty easy just down and over and back. I stayed with the 2:30 pace group for the first couple of miles and pulled ahead when I passed through the first water stop with just a sip of water. One of my strategies was to not actually stop for water until the later stops so I could keep my legs longer (huge mistake).
Immediately after the first water stop was the first big hill. The main big hill. The big hill that gave me nightmares. I backed off my speed (downshifted from 2
nd to 1st) and trudged up the hill. I topped the hill and felt pretty good but my legs were hurting. Not good considering we were only 2.5 miles in or about that. By the time I crested the hill the 2:30 pace group had pulled. I don't know where they went but when I looked up they were gone. After I rounded a corner I never saw them again.
I continued my theory of not walking through water stops which makes less and less sense the more I think about it but that's what I did. Miles 4-6 felt great. I walked some of the hills, which was unplanned but necessary. During that stretch I felt strong and my legs were good. I made mile 6 in under a 12 minute mile pace so I still felt like I could still finish with a good time. Somewhere along I started feeling a little discomfort in my left quad. It wasn't bad just annoying. It hurt a little and then would go away. I didn't think that much about it and continued along.
Around mile 8 the 2:40 group caught me so I was definitely slowing down. The hills were just killing me. I thought I had been running hills in my
neighborhood but I realized those hills aren't like these hills. Right after the 2:40 passed my left quad locked up in a cramp...a massive nasty cramp. I reached down and felt what seemed to be a baseball attached to the inside of my leg. I rubbed and rubbed and it finally started to feel better. I walked for a bit and tried to run again...I lasted about 5 seconds before it locked up again. It was horrible and it continued.
For the last 5 miles I ran until I cramped and then walked and rubbed. Then I ran, cramped, walked repeated. For 5 miles. I walked so much that my legs weren't tired anymore I just couldn't stop cramping. I drank water at every rest stop after that but it just wouldn't stop. It was too late.
At some point in the lat 5 miles I started thinking about how much water I drank the day before...1 glass. I made a couple of bad decisions with meals plus I was busy a lot of the day and didn't even think about pushing water. Even the morning of the run I didn't drink water...just some
Powerade.
Around mile 12 the 3:00 pace guy caught me...I did everything I could to keep up with him but the cramps were too much. I ended up finishing in 3:01:34.
I'm not going to lie but I was absolutely crushed. I've been working for this for 6 months and I bombed. I finished but it was not good. It wasn't how I wanted to finish...it was supposed to end like this.
I've always been big on accountability so I hope nothing I wrote comes across like an excuse. My training for the past month has been crap. I didn't run as much as I should have the miles I did run have the intensity they should have. Plus who doesn't drink water the day before a run? That was ridiculous.
I deserved that 3:01:34. I deserved every last second.
Everyone has to start somewhere and even though I failed miserably with that showing it has never stopped me before. There is another 1/2 next month. I'm going to repeat the last 4 weeks of my training and try to redeem myself to myself for myself.
Keep on
keepin' on.
