Another 1/2 marathon in the books even though it’s one I had no business running in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong….I loved the course. It’s truly one of the most beautiful 13.1 mile courses I’ve run in my lifetime, and I’ve run a lot of them😬. But the entire week leading up race day, I was struggling both emotionally and physically.
My husband said to me on Wednesday “Your birthmark is shining as RED as Rudolf’s nose on Christmas Eve“. He wasn’t exaggerating. My birthmark is right smack in the middle of my eyes below my forehead and it sticks out like a sore thumb (or Rudolf’s nose on Christmas Eve) when I am sick or stressed.
To be honest, it wasn’t until I spiked a fever on Wednesday that I figured out I was fighting off a bug. I originally thought it was just a bit of anxiety brought on by some family stuff which I am very thankful worked out. God is Good All the Time!
Thursday I woke up feeling better but tired. I struggled a bit on Friday with some nausea but I decided I would play an audible and if I felt good in the morning I would head over to Long Lake for their Country Western Half Marathon. My husband wasn’t too keen on my decision but as always, supports me 😌
I woke up about 4:30 Saturday morning feeling better. Not perfect but I really felt like running 😜. Since I was in bed by 8 pm I got a solid 8 hours of sleep with no nausea all night long! That’s a BIG WIN!
An even bigger win was my sourdough toast with almond butter and a green tipped banana tasted great and my tummy was happy. I also drank lots of water and about 28 ounces of electrolytes. This one is my fave before a race and during.
So far so good…no more nausea like the past two days so I decided to get dressed. I looked at the temp and it was 30 degrees so I changed my mind about wearing shorts 😂.
Once we arrived, I got registered and did some shopping…because why not right 😁.
After a few dynamic warm up exercises, I headed to the start line. I was soooo COLD. The wind gusts were horrible which made the feel like temp about 27 degrees. It’s a good thing I didn’t look at the wind forecast before we left because I most likely would have bailed.
It was definitely a challenging course. One of the hilliest courses I have ran but also one of the most beautiful. The fall colors were still beautiful and the race finished along the Luce Line Trail which was probably my favorite part of the run. The course also took us by the lake which was stunning. I was proud of myself since I didn’t have to walk any of the hills….even the one BIG ones.
Even though this was also my SLOWEST half marathon to date, it is also a NEW PERSONAL BEST in a new decade of my running life 🤩.
My plan was to run the first half very conservatively hanging at a power of about 155. The first half felt like I was out for a long run Friday and I debated about running faster about mile 4ish. But I also didn’t want to tank and burn out either. I had a rough week so I was playing it safe I guess.
Going into the second half the race I was still feeling strong so I increased my power to about 165 which turns out to be about a 9:10 pace 👆🏻. I hung there till mile 12 but my last mile up the final hill into the wind was a bit slower. I tried to pump my arms faster but the wind won 😒
In hindsight I probably could have started out a bit faster but overall I did ok. Slower than I was hoping for by about 5 minutes but the conditions were less than ideal with 20+ wind gusts. Plus racing after a tough week is not the smartest decision I’ve made🥴
Oh and guess what…I placed 1st🥇in my age group which won me a prize 👆🏻! It was a 28 oz can of Dakota Pride Original Baked Beans…Oh goodie🤣
As always a BIG thank you to all the volunteers and my number one fan, my husband, behind the camera taking the videos and photos. It was a cold day to be standing out there watching us crazy runners.
After the race we did our normal post race ritual and went for brunch. As always…Coffee! I love a good cup of black coffee after a race with a delicious brunch.
The Brussels were incredible with the salad and runny egg. My husband ordered the buttermilk cakes with ricotta cream. OMG. We shared😁.
My mom’s 87th birthday was Sunday so we took her out for a late dinner later that evening. We had soooo much fun! I love to see her smile!
It was truly a wonderful day and night but about midnight things went south…as they say. This is when I get to the part, when not to run a race….
Unfortunately I was up most of the evening with more nausea only much worse. Sunday morning I felt like a truck ran me over and my tummy was still very angry. I tired my best to hydrate. The more water I drank the better I felt. About 10:30 I ate an apple and had some tea. I felt even better. I started to believe I was just dehydrated and needed to eat.
I did my best to rest, hydrate and take in more food. I made sourdough pancakes and they tasted heavenly. Sunday night I still felt nauseated but Monday was better and today (Tuesday) I got out for a slow jog. More like a shuffle actually but the fresh cold air felt amazing.
Running a half marathon after getting over a bug is NOT the smartest thing to do and my body was definitely not happy with my decision. But it’s no secret, us runners do crazy things. The oddest thing, I have no regrets. I ran, I had fun, and I crossed two lines. Will I do it again🙈?
What’s the most unique prize you’ve won at a race?
Have you ever ran your slowest race but also your best in a new age category?
I am excited to see if I can improve with better conditions and of course a better week leading up the the race.
How do you celebrate after a race?
Have you ever run a race when you’re not feeling your best?
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