limewave
05-10-2010, 07:17 AM
Saturday was the BIG 25k race. My first time doing that distance, but I have done a few HM and one marathon a few years ago. I felt I had some experience and, therefore, in retrospect, underestimated how tough it was going to be.
It was in the 30's, windy, and snow/rain mix when I headed to the race. Wind gusts were around 35 mph. I had some friends come to watch and one of them let me wear her fuzzy winter coat until the race start. And once I got into the start chute with the crowds, the wind and cold wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.
My projected pace from my training program was 10:20 min/mile with a finish time of approx. 2:40:30. But the last few weeks I've been running faster than my scheduled pace. I made a (probably unwise) decision to run as hard as I could (within reason) for as far as I could and see what happens.
And that's what I did.
The first 2-3 miles I was surprised to see I was pacing at 9:15 m/m. It felt really good and I decided to try and stick with that. I was able to keep that pace without difficulty for more than 10 miles.
And then my iPod stopped working. After that I landed funny on my left foot and my hamstring went berserk. I ended up walking all the downhills after that, limping on the flats, and doing alright on the uphills.
Around 12.5 miles, my blood sugar levels plummeted. I tried to take in some gu, but it felt like a rock in my stomach. It was painful. I tried taking in fluids, but that felt horrible too.
At mile 14.5, I started looking for first aid stations. I saw a guy laying on the street being helped by paramedics. My first instinct was to go lay down next to him.
At mile 15, I saw my friends waving and cheering me on. It felt like my head was separating from my body and was going to float away.
I finally crossed the finish line: 2:31:07.
Mentally, I was out of it. I wandered past the food stations, through the finish shoot, vaguely looking for first aid. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I know I was messed up.
When I didn't find a first aid station, I began wandering in the direction where my friends were planning on meeting. At some point a woman asked me if I was alright, I said "I don't know" and started crying.
A little later a police officer found me curled up by a building. He asked if I needed help. I told him I was supposed to meet my friends at a coffee shop. He thought he knew where I was talking about and helped me there.
My friends were waiting for me. They bought me a big hot chocolate and some bread with lots of chocolate chips in it. I felt a lot better after resting and eating. They said my voice was slurred when I first got there.
All in all, I feel it was a success. I beat my projected finish time by 10 minutes.
Goals for next year: I want to have a better nutrition plan. Now that I know I can run faster, I'll set up my training program for a faster pace. Then I'll have a better idea of what I am capable of on race morning.
:)
It was in the 30's, windy, and snow/rain mix when I headed to the race. Wind gusts were around 35 mph. I had some friends come to watch and one of them let me wear her fuzzy winter coat until the race start. And once I got into the start chute with the crowds, the wind and cold wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.
My projected pace from my training program was 10:20 min/mile with a finish time of approx. 2:40:30. But the last few weeks I've been running faster than my scheduled pace. I made a (probably unwise) decision to run as hard as I could (within reason) for as far as I could and see what happens.
And that's what I did.
The first 2-3 miles I was surprised to see I was pacing at 9:15 m/m. It felt really good and I decided to try and stick with that. I was able to keep that pace without difficulty for more than 10 miles.
And then my iPod stopped working. After that I landed funny on my left foot and my hamstring went berserk. I ended up walking all the downhills after that, limping on the flats, and doing alright on the uphills.
Around 12.5 miles, my blood sugar levels plummeted. I tried to take in some gu, but it felt like a rock in my stomach. It was painful. I tried taking in fluids, but that felt horrible too.
At mile 14.5, I started looking for first aid stations. I saw a guy laying on the street being helped by paramedics. My first instinct was to go lay down next to him.
At mile 15, I saw my friends waving and cheering me on. It felt like my head was separating from my body and was going to float away.
I finally crossed the finish line: 2:31:07.
Mentally, I was out of it. I wandered past the food stations, through the finish shoot, vaguely looking for first aid. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I know I was messed up.
When I didn't find a first aid station, I began wandering in the direction where my friends were planning on meeting. At some point a woman asked me if I was alright, I said "I don't know" and started crying.
A little later a police officer found me curled up by a building. He asked if I needed help. I told him I was supposed to meet my friends at a coffee shop. He thought he knew where I was talking about and helped me there.
My friends were waiting for me. They bought me a big hot chocolate and some bread with lots of chocolate chips in it. I felt a lot better after resting and eating. They said my voice was slurred when I first got there.
All in all, I feel it was a success. I beat my projected finish time by 10 minutes.
Goals for next year: I want to have a better nutrition plan. Now that I know I can run faster, I'll set up my training program for a faster pace. Then I'll have a better idea of what I am capable of on race morning.
:)