The husband and I were really worried about the logistics of it all.... traffic, where to park, etc. It turned out to be fine. We never found the runner drop-off point, but we got fairly close to the start and I hopped out and walked to the starting place. It was easy to figure out where to go and you didn't have to check in or anything. I was happy to find my friend Hilarie before the race started, and we came up with a plan to meet up afterward and go out for lunch. Jesse ended up parking at Wild Oats, and he rode his bike all over town while I did the race. He found me at two spots along the way to cheer for me.
I was in the 70-90 minute joggers group, which turned out to be perfect. When it comes to pace, I was about in the middle of my group (slower than half, faster than half) which exactly the kind of group I wanted to be in.
A few minutes in, I was looking around to see if anyone was going about the same pace as me, and spotted someone who looked familiar. It was Michele, a parent of a former student of mine! I took off the headphones and jogged over to say hi, and we ended up running the entire race together. It was WONDERFUL having someone else to run with! We chatted a lot, especially during the flat and downhill parts. It was such a fun race. There were people in the neighborhoods spraying us with water, throwing marshmallows, handing out beer and snacks etc. The hardest part was the hill going up to the stadium at the very end. I gave Michele my phone # and I'm going to see her tomorrow, so I'm hoping we can schedule some time to go on a few more runs together. She's been running for 30 years and I think she'll be a perfect running partner.
I had 3 main goals: 1. Don't Die. Check! 2. Run the whole distance. Check! 3. Finish in under 90 minutes. Check! I finished in 82 minutes. Here are my stats:
Honestly, even though my goal was 90 minutes, I'm really disappointed in my pace. I would have liked to have been in the 11 or 12 minute range. Michele pointed out that I talked a lot, and said that means I could have gone faster. I don't know. I CAN go faster, but I can't keep it up for long periods of time because I get so worn out. Then again, while I was tired after the race, I wasn't any more tired than I usually am after a longer run and I wasn't sore or anything. Maybe I do need to push myself a bit more. Then again, now that I know what kind of back and neck problems I have, I'm reluctant to push it very much.
For now, I want to just keep on doing 3 miles twice a week and 6-8 once a week, ditch the walking breaks entirely, and see if I can slowly improve my speed a bit. I also want to start bike riding. And of course, I'll keep doing crossfit with the ladies from work and keep working toward losing weight.
It's going to be a busy summer! 2 more days... can't wait!!!
0 comments:
Leave a Comment