Marathon #30...I made it to the start line

After a rough September I was thrilled that I was able to bet to the start line of TCM but part of me was panicking inside with all the what ifs of missed training. My final "long run" of training went great, I headed out for 8 but met a friend with 1 mile left and ran 10, oops. I figured after missing my last 9 mile tempo I could handle this.

Two days before marathon day Nichole and I talked strategy and I was convinced to try a new approach instead of my crash and burn marathons of the past. Our plan was to start with 3:35 pacer and run 8:10s until mile 5-6 then creep down to 8:00 pace and slowly ease into 7:50s. My nutrition plan was in place, Nichole was meeting me around mile 12-13 with UCAN and we had high hopes for the day.

I spent Saturday working at the expo with UCAN, sharing this great product with other runners, chatting with friends and then relaxing. This was the coolest weekend we've had in months so clothing was a huge decision and debated for hours until the last minute. Decided on short, tank, arm sleeves, mittens and throw away jacket.

We headed down to start, drank UCAN and dropped our bags then I lined myself up with 3:35. Mile 1 and 2 were right on 8:10s and I had to hold back. Then the pacer was speeding up 7:40s for the next couple miles, what?! "Just find your own pace" I keep telling myself. I settled on 7:50s for most of the next 15 miles. In my head I was reminding myself that Nichole would be waiting for me near mile 13 and I wanted to run well. I grabbed my UCAN from her and kept running.

The next few miles felt great, even the part 16-18 where I typically struggle. Then I started to feel the fatigue of not fully training when I hit mile 21, I started walking water stops. The nest miles got worse...My leg started giving me sharp pains when running. I felt like my Achilles was pulling, not a great feeling. By mile 24 I accepted that I was done...I text running friends that I "quit" I was walking the finish. I gave short run attempts and stopped with pain each time.
Source KING STUDIOS
Mentally I fought...Do I run through this and just be tough? If I run through this will I end with a big injury? I chose the smart option and walked a lot...I finished I missed my goal (by a lot).

Mentally I was a mess, a full range of emotions ran through my head Sunday night. My leg ached all night, I couldn't get comfortable so I knew I did the right thing.

Share how you got through a tough race...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GoMacro Thrive Review and Giveaway!

Image
All runners know that post marathon week(s) are filled with the fight to keep eating healthy yet indulge a little. I try to carry healthy snacks wherever I go to avoid the munchies. Needing gluten free makes finding healthy foods quick even tougher. I have my go to foods but love finding new options with such variety. I think my only complaint is the carb to protein ratio which for each bar is 3 or 4:1. I prefer a snack more along the 2:1 carb to protein ratio. To help this I add a few extra nuts to the bars when I have them for a snack, problem solved! Like all GoMacro products, Thrive are USDA-Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Gluten-Free certified, 100% Vegan, and soy-free. Thrive is currently available to purchase online and will become available to Whole Foods this month! GoMacro is offering 30% off to all my readers with code Thrive30 for online purchases Here The Thrive Bars come in 6 flavors: Caramel Coconut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Blueberry
Read more

Turkey Day 5K

Image
We have run this "race" many times, through name and sponsor changes, course changes and nasty weather. This year I went into it with hopes of a PR considering the perfect weather, but I failed to think about the massive amounts of people who would decide to run now that it wouldn't be too cold. I'm not sure the exact numbers but there had to be well over 5000 people, many who had no clue how to line up for a race. I lost track of the extreme numbers of walkers, kids, strollers and dogs I passed after it took almost 10 minutes to cross the start line! I spent much of my time weaving and trying not to trip over dog leashes or people stopping in mid course. I pleased to hit Mile 1 with a 7:40, still 1 minute over where I hoped but I figured much slower given the conditions. I finally found a guy to follow who making a path through the course and was able to hold that pace with a little trail running through the downtown parks. I didn't care since it was Nove
Read more

A few Races...

Image
Stillwater half was my final pre-marathon race. The weather was a mess, hot humid and gross! I ran with the 1:40 pacer to keep a nice pace and actually held myself back the first haf but yikes then we turned to the road and no shade and it all faded! I struggled to keep the "easy" pace as did everyone around me. I was happy to finish just 45 secs behind the pacer 1:40:45 and not too far off my goal of 1:38. That heat was brutal... Photo credit Stillwater Gazette Grandmas Marathon  For those who don't follow me on IG  @marathonmom28  here is the short version... I started great, on pace to PR then I became hypothermic (yes in June) and once the rain started it was painful (thank you Raynaud's). I finally walked off the course between mile 19-20 where Matt met me with dry clothes and a warm car. Grandmas this is strike 3, I think I am done!  I spent the car ride home thinking of next races and wondering if I could jump back in, (dumb I know). As we drove
Read more