I'm not sure I should have run this half marathon. But I ran it last year, and had fun so I wanted to run it this year. And I had this lofty goal of finishing 5 minutes faster than last year. Without really training. (I've been feeling good lately.) I had some good long runs—last week's tempo and the 12 mile before that.
But Matt got sick a week before this race. And I tried EVERYTHING not to get sick. I washed my hands all the time. I kept away from him. But on Thursday, I started coughing and had a massive asthma attack at work.
I went to urgent care and got a steroid shot and z-pack. On Friday and Saturday, I was really sick. Sunday, I felt like I was feeling better. But not quite 100%.
I ran this race sucking on cough drops and with Vick's Vapor Rub on my chest and neck. I figured I could tough it out. I think I underestimated how sick I'd been.
The race
The race started off well enough. I felt good. My first mile was too fast, but it felt easy. Miles 2-4 were dead on pace. (I stopped at one water stop and had a volunteer pour water in my hand bottle. I was too sweaty to unscrew the lid.)
At mile 5, I wanted to quit. I think I walked a few steps to open a cough drop here. I had 8 miles left and I was tired. I didn't think I could finish the race. I told myself to just to to the half way. Mile 6 was okay, I almost got back on pace.
Mile 7, I slowed way down. I saw Matt at some point in mile 6 or 7. I had actually considered calling him to tell him I wanted to quit. Then I saw him and said it's not going well. He said to slow way down and finish. (This is the closest to not finishing I think I've ever come.)
Then I decided to just stop. I told him I needed water, my bottle was almost out. He didn't have any water.
Who crews for their sick wife and doesn't pack water or gatorade? He said last year I refused water. It was 10 degrees hotter this year.
Some nice man poured some in my hand bottle. I asked Matt to open my gels, since I was too sweaty. It took him 60 seconds to open my gels. You just bite and rip. It was the slowest gel opening in the history of the world. I'm just going to say that maybe Matt was still really sick.
And I was back on my way.
The rest helped. I walked on this course occasionally and then I'd feel better. So mile 8 was under 9 minute pace again. Yay.
And then mile 9 was slow. I started feeling like garbage. There really needed to be more water stops on this course. I thought there would be a water stop at 10. There wasn't. Catherine Shinholser caught up to me and asked me if I was okay. I said MEH. And ran about a mile with her. This helped. She had so much energy. And then I lost her. (My bottle was on it's last dregs and it was heating up.)
After 10, my calves started feeling crampy and I knew I needed electrolytes, but there was only one gatorade stop on the course.
I walked again here and there. When I got to 12, I knew I was close enough that I could finish. LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE WALKING. There was one last water stop and this one had ice. This was the best water stop ever. CUPS WITH ICE IN THEM—AMAZING.
I saw Matt before I got to mile 13 and threw him my hand bottle. There was nothing in it and I was tired of carrying it.
I cried at the exact same point I did last year. It's bright glaring daylight and straight up a concrete hill, right before the track. And I just cried and said I couldn't. I walked for about 30 seconds. (Matt walked ahead of me.) Eventually I ran it in. And finished. I got a spinny medal.
I asked Matt to have water, gatorade and a fan at the finish. After I finished, I saw Matt.
"Please tell me you have water," I said.
He didn't. He had to walk to the car. I went and found my own water. (I did not do the dramatic collapse on the ground finish I wanted to.)
Finishing the race was HARDER than running any of my half marathons. It was harder than my PR two months ago. Even hours later, my body is tired. my legs hurt. I'm drained.
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My race prep: Zoom Flys, glide, socks, hand bottle,
gels, shorts, headphones, hat on the cooling towel. |
What went right.
1. Carrying a hand-held was the right call. I would have been so much sicker without carrying water. I wish I would have had a second actually.
2. I ate breakfast and fueled right for this one. (I would have liked more gatorade on the course.)
3. I wore new shorts and didn't chafe. Yay.
4. I didn't totally overheat. We're in a heat wave so I was worried. It started out cooler than expected. And a good part of the race was in the shade. It probably made it up to 80 and super humid by the time I finished.
5. I remembered to dump water on my head. Which helped.
6. The race started out well actually.
7. Carrying cough drops was actually a good call too. I think I wouldn't have been able to finish had I been coughing.
8. I did the first two water stops exactly right. So progress. I know how to do them now!
9. I didn't do a cool down, but I walked for maybe 10 minutes after finishing so that helps.
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| Fellow Athens runners. |
What went wrong.
1. I was just tired. My legs felt fine. I wasn't super overheated. I was just tired. The kind of tired you are after a long workout after around 6 miles. I guess this is from germs and being sick. I didn't feel the endurance I usually have.
2. I did have a cooling towel and couldn't get it wet enough to actually cool. The towel is a good idea, but it was new and I need to figure out how to use it.
3. The course needed more water and gatorade. Also Matt not bringing water for me was disappointing. There probably should have been 3 more water stops for as hot as it was.
4. The greenway wasn't closed, so there were a lot of walkers and cyclists out. At one point, the lead cyclist was leading the top runner in on one side, two large men were walking side by side and I was trying to get by them. (The course is an out and back). I think I nudged between them. But there were a lot of cyclists and walkers on the greenway. Some were courteous. Most were oblivious and in the way. And some were downright rude. It was raining last year so people weren't out and about. Just lots of obstacles to go around. (Note if you find yourself out and about and a race comes by, maybe be nice and encouraging and try to not get in people's way.) I did like seeing the dogs.
I don't actually know how I finished this race. I was so tired the rest of the day. It wasn't as bad as my long Fort Yargo race or my first 5k, but it was tough. I wouldn't say it was a bad race. I was 2 minutes slower than last year and still well under 2 hours. Am I disappointed in myself? No. Only that I didn't recognize this race would be this hard. I did wonder if I should do this race.
As for mental toughness—was I mentally tough? My body was screaming at me to stop. Louder than it usually does. I would tell myself how lucky I was to be out and running on a pretty greenway. I would tell myself to smile. I would tell myself just to get to the next mile marker. I don't know if mental toughness counts when you're this sick.
Also, thank you for running a few miles me: Virginia Brooks and Catherine Shinholser.
Post race food
What's next? I think I'll take a half marathon break. I would like to do rogue runs this summer. But maybe I'll get my mile time down this summer.
