Yesterday was the big day. Well, not THE big day, but a big day none the less. The weather was nice, but it seemed to quickly heat up when we started running. Stupid us- we didn't warm up before the race because I was on the porta-potty line for a last-minute nervous pee. The worst thing that could happen would be to not be able to finish a race because I had to go! Of course, while on line, I was gabbing with the people around us about the fact that when you got to the front of the potty line, there was a sign saying there were additional bathrooms at the beach pavillion. Shouldn't that sign be at the BACK of the line? Who's going to get off the line, being the next person, to walk a 1/4 of a mile to use the bathroom??? Anyway, one of the guys waiting for a friend said the last stall was empty because the sign was green. Wouldn't you know I opened the door and got an eye-full of a man standing there peeing? Glad it wasn't a poor chick hovering!
So, the race started on time and we were off! My legs felt horrible from not warming up! And we were moving at a pretty decent clip. After going over the bridge and turning around past the visitor's center, times were being called out for the first mile. Before we hit the turn times like "7:10" and "7:20" were being called out. We were going WAY too fast. By the time we got to the 1st mile we were at 9:15, which is still faster than I run. I needed to SLOW DOWN! Going back up and over the bridge helped that happen, big time. It felt like it was getting hotter by the minute! My stomach started to bother me, too. I think I swallow a lot of air when I run. Wouldn't surprise me since I sound like I'm practicing Lamaze when I'm running. People sure can hear me coming!
The last mile was pure torture. My husband started talking to me to get me through it. All I wanted him to do was shut up! I just kept picking a landmark and getting myself to run to it. It really is hard to run without music, for me. It's such a nice distraction! Once I had the finish line in sight I tried to make a final push, but it didn't last very long. We finished at 30:36, 37 seconds shy of my goal of under 30:00. I was so disappointed in myself. All of that negative talk on the course slowed me down and kept me from reaching my goal. I am proud that we ran a 9:51 mile and that we shaved 4:04 off last year's time, though. 30:36 is now my Personal Best.
After that race, I have to reevaluate my goal for the 10k next week, though. A 10:00 mile just is NOT realistic for that distance. I don't even know if an 11:00 mile is now! So, to be safe, I think I will shoot for a finish time of 1:15:00 or under. So, I have to do under a 12:00 mile. I would also like to run the entire race and finish. I'm so anxious! I'm running on my own, without music again. I have to motivate MYSELF to get through this! I think I need to start working on some mantras or cadences or a playlist for my head to stay POSITIVE!!
You did great!! 30:36 is a very respectable time! I rarely run with music, and I never run with music during a race--I just concentrate on picking a person to pass, and then I work hard to pass them. I also listen to the conversations of runners that are running in pairs or groups. I've heard some interesting things! :)
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