It is also placed perfectly as a tune-up race for those of use gearing up for a fall marathon. The downside is that it is in mid-August, so it very well could be HOT HOT HOT. Fortunately, this year the weather was absolutely perfect. The sun was shining and it was about 52 degrees at the start.My whole family had signed up to run. I was doing the half and the boys were all running the 5k. Both boys were hoping to win hardware and John was just happy to be able to run again pain free after many months of pain from a bulging disc and subsequent hours of physical therapy. I was planning to race it and wanted to run right around 3:37 (7:25 pace).
All week, I focused on good nutrition and getting a bit of extra sleep since I had been feeling a bit beat up and exhausted from my training. Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and was feeling great. The boys all popped out of bed too (even though it was 5:00 am and they have been sleeping until 10 or 11 am regularly lately). We headed down to the Memorial Union and got ready to race!! The 5k and half start at the same time but head out in different directions. So I left the boys to line up. I ran into my friends Jessica and Chuck who were pacing the 1:45 group and we exchanged best wishes. I then ran into my friend Michelle, who was running the M2 challenge (meaning she was running the Mini after competing in the Rock 'N Sole Half Marathon in Milwaukee in June). We gave each other a big hug and wished each other luck. I did not start with her, however, because she is a lot faster than me and I did not want to get pulled out too fast.
Before I knew it, the race started and we were running up Langdon Street! My goal was NOT to go out way too fast, but of course it is hard with all the runners. The first half mile or so is uphill, but then there is a big downhill toward the Capitol and down State Street, which is filled with people. My first mile clicked off at 7:19 pace. A little fast, but not bad. I was feeling really great and was determined to run by feel rather than to be a slave to my watch. As I hit the second mile marker, I saw I was at a 7:12 pace. Oops, perhaps I should reign it in a bit. The next 3 miles were 7:25, 7:30, 7:25. My coach had suggested that I run between 7:30 and 7:35 pace, but I knew I had a faster race in me than that and I was feeling great.
Even when I was running in the Arboretum, which I notoriously hate racing in due to the hills, I was feeling really great. My pace slowed a little with the hills, but as I passed the 10k mark I really thought this was my race. If I didn't have a PR in me, I felt I'd be really close.
At that point I was just focusing on getting out of the Arb and getting to the last few miles. I usually take 2 gels in half marathons. I don't really think the nutrition is necessary, but I like getting in the practice. Yesterday, I only had one of my old stand bys (PowerGel) and some new Honey Stinger gels I had gotten. I took the PowerGel right before the start, but I was nervous about taking a new one mid-race - particularly when things were going so well. I am very familiar with the oh so true adage - never try something new on race day.
So instead of taking my second gel, I had been taking in Gatorade at the water stops - and there were a liberal number of them. There were 10 aid stations in the 13.1 mile race. Again, I don't think it was NECESSARY to take in Gatorade every mile in this length of a race, but I like the practice. Well, this was a mistake. Right after we exited the Arb, I threw down a full cup of Gatorade, then grabbed a little water too. We then ran down a decent downhill. Midway through the decent, I got a side stitch. Not a little stitch that gradually starts threatening. Nope, this was the dagger between the ribs and it hurt like crazy.
I honestly thought I was going to have to stop and walk. I kept myself going, however, and just slowed the pace. I hit mile 8 at 8:03 pace. At that point, I really wasn't sure what would happen. I haven't gotten a stitch like this in SO long and didn't know if it would resolve. Would I have to drop? Would I have a slow walk/jog the next 5 miles? It was depressing. So I just focused on some of the side stitch removal techniques (breathing out hard when the opposite foot lands, etc.). Thankfully, by around mile 9.5, the stitch was gone.
Yay, right? Well, sort of. I recognized it was gone and I told myself to go - pick it up. But I couldn't get myself to do it. I already knew I was off - who cares now? This is a terrible attitude and I knew it then and there. I thought that if this had been my goal marathon, I'd never let myself do that. I'd tell myself: you didn't train for MONTHS to give up - get on it. But that isn't the case here. I didn't really care about this race. So the mental battle was lost. I didn't completely give up, but I didn't ramp it back into the 7:25s I knew I was capable of. The last 4 miles were 7:50, 7:31, 8:02 and 7:46. I crossed the finish line just under 1:40. Official time was 1:39:58.
We ran into some friends and celebrated our successful races.
I am a bit bummed, but am taking away two important lessons:
(1) It is not a good idea to over-consume drinks on the race course for purposes of practicing for my main race. It has been very hot this summer and I was taking in fluids like it was a warm day. But it was only in the 50s and my body was not losing that much fluid, so it couldn't absorb all I was taking in. This no doubt lead to my excruciating side stitch. While you never know what exactly causes them, I suspect this was the source.
(2) I need to work on my mental toughness. It is such an important aspect of racing and I have neglected it. It is now on the top of my list.
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