So it’s done! The Flower City Half Marathon has been run. By me. And 2,364 other people too.
Pre-Race
My day started dark and early around 5 AM. I spent the early morning hours puttering around the house getting ready to go – putting together things for Zak, the kids and my mom who would be coming along later, and packing up my own bag too. The race started at 7:30, so I had a little something to eat around 6:30 to give myself an hour for digestion.
I will never do that again.
But do I regret it?
And if you told me you wanted to try it, I wouldn’t talk you out of it either. If you’re an experienced runner and have run a marathon or two before? Go for it.
With that said, it’s obviously best to run a marathon when properly trained – but if it weren’t for the fact that I went into this under-trained, I probably wouldn’t have investigated the run/walk approach to a marathon. From where I sit now, I’m very grateful I had a reason to try it.
Welp, a trail race was on the agenda for this morning! 10 kilometers to be exact.
Yes sir – 10 cold, rainy, snowy and more rainy kilometers. On the agenda.
Also on the agenda? A bunch of lessons to be learned. Get ready to take some notes.
Stay in the car as long as you can.
Let’s not rush to get out there just to stand around in the snow and rain, mmmk?
Snow is better than rain.
Because you don’t get soaked quite as quickly. Whose idea was this race anyway?
2010 started an awful lot like 2009 started: with a 7.5 mile road race first thing on New Years Day. Except unlike last year, I waited until the very last minute to decide whether or not to run this race.
The decision was made at about 8 AM on 1/1/2010 when my running friend Shawn called to first yell at me for still being asleep and then to continue our debate from the day before on why we should or should not run. He was just getting over a cold. I had just run 5 miles the day before. The weather was ok and the park where the race was held was a nice place to run. Pros and cons, hems and haws, we eventually decided to go for it.
I’m going to spoil the ending by jumping ahead and saying right at the start that today was probably one of the best runs of my entire life.
The day started at 4:55 AM when I woke up a half hour before my alarm was supposed to go off. I slept like a rock and felt great when I woke up. I called Shawn at 5:30 to make sure he was awake and moving around.
Shawn and I went over our strategy last night, but I was still feeling unsure about our approach this morning. Fast at the beginning? If so, how fast? Save it all for the end? How much do I hold back? Maintain a steady pace throughout?
It’s race day!
I got up and made myself a glass of green juice for some pre-race fuel. I use to eat a bagel or oatmeal before races but now I’m a green believer.
I couldn’t decide if I wanted coffee before the race or not. By the time I decided I did want a cup I didn’t have enough time to make a pot. I stopped on the way and got a small coffee from a coffee shop with a little half and half.
At the start of the year my best girlfriend Sharon was on a mission to lose 30 lbs before her 30th birthday. We talked about how running was a great way to lose weight, or in her case, lose the baby weight… I mentioned how helpful it was for me to have a race in mind to train for when I started running a few years ago. Motivation is a wondrous thing. I’ve run the Lilac 10K the past two years in a row and thought it would be a lot of fun to do the 5K together this year. Sharon was game and started training in February.
More Mama’s Weeds
