Jalapeno Half Marathon: Highest of Highs, Lowest of Lows
Goal: Finish and not get hurt
Registering for this half marathon was questionable at best on my part. I hadn't really been able to run outdoors much, and after my performance during the super-hot Joe's Run 10K two weeks prior, I was pretty concerned. Add to that the fact that the day before the race was a big birthday party day for one of my closest girlfriends - that meant mani/pedi time (and wine), big dinner at a local gastro-pub (and more wine), concert by an up-and-coming superstar at a really intimate jazz venue (and more drinks). Oh, and on top of that - the whole crew wanted to ride bikes the entire day!
I kept my day-before hydration in mind. And, luckily enough, after returning to our bikes after the concert (and before the rest of the crew planned to ride 4 miles home and then hit the pub by our house), one member of our group noticed his bike had a flat tire. I offered him my bike to ride home and then called myself an Uber. I was home, in bed and asleep by 11 - which turned out to be a very important accomplishment heading in to the run.
The Run:
The early-morning wake-up call came, and I was ready and out the door in about 20 minutes. It's a lot easier to get ready and leave for a race when it's just you, I've noticed. I don't drink coffee or really eat anything before I run. I try to drink 16 ounces of water and maybe shove some SportsBeans or something down my throat, but I really struggle with eating before I run AND eating right after I wake up.
But the best thing to happen upon arrival at the start line? The weather! I was worried it was going to be surface of the sun hot again - but I still wanted to wear my Dopey shirt - so I had my hydration belt with four bottles, I wore the shortest pair of running shorts I have and no compression socks. Man, talk about overkill.
The entire race the weather was in the 70s, with a "chilly" breeze blowing every so often at up to 15 mph. It was overcast. It was not humid until the last two miles or so.
Sure, it rained on me for about 15 minutes at mile 7, but at that point, it was a very welcome rain.
The ups of the race SURE weathered the downs, that for sure. I've mentioned it before, but I beat my previous best by 12 minutes - and that's even after I tripped in a hole, stumbled and nearly fell down. I took the last two miles pretty slow after that because the last thing I need now is an injury keeping me from ANY of the races and training I have planned.
My Thoughts:
I thought about posting this over on the 2016 Princess Marathon thread here on W.I.S.H., or even on one of the groups I belong to on Facebook for rD events. But after thinking it over, I figured it's best if I just put my thoughts out here, get it off my chest and out of my mind, close the book on the whole thing and move along.
I am VERY proud of my fellow/future runDisney runners. The companionship I feel already amongst this group of people - from newbies to elites - is just one of those special things that you can only come across in certain situations. I'm also incredibly proud and (hopefully) supportive of my rD people who are taking leaps and training for things that are way out of their comfort zone, but they put their best foot forward every day to try to reach that goal - it's one of the things that I think makes rD so awesome and inspiring, and worthy of all the stress and associated cost it takes to be a part of these events.
And I LOVE seeing fellow trainees at local races, wearing gear about training for certain rD milestones - they'll always get an extra high-five or thumbs up from me.
But I'm sure what I experienced on Sunday is not limited to just rD trainees.
Prior to the race, I saw a gal wearing a custom hot pink "2016 Princess in Training" top - it was super cute, with all the words in the shape of the castle and everything. She was fully decked out, just like she was ready to be running at Disney - custom top, sparkle head band, black Sparkle Athletic skirt, the works!
I generally head towards the very back on races like this, because it takes me a while to get going. So, I didn't see her again until around mile 3.5 - she was working her race-walk thing and doing good. I gave her a thumbs-up as I passed and then kept on going my way.
The course (like most of our races here on the trail) was an out-and-back with the turnaround point at roughly mile 6.5. There were hydration stops nearly every 1-1.5 miles (which was awesome!), but other than that, very few other volunteers along the course directing the root or anything else. Not like there needed to be, because it was a pretty basic out-and-back route.
My mile times started speeding up around that point - and after looking back at my Garmin watch, miles 8, 9 and 10 were my fastest by nearly two minutes compared to my starting time, so obviously I was really in a groove.
I round a bend heading towards the mile 10 marker ... and who do I come up right behind? The same walker in the hot pink shirt and the black sparkly skirt. My heart just sank - not because she was ahead of me, but because there was really only one logical way she could be ahead of me again at this point.
But, running is about you - not everyone else, and I certainly wasn't going to be winning my age group that day - so I just settled back in and kept going.
And then I tripped in a hole and nearly fell down. These two incidents are completely unrelated, obviously.
I was enjoying my post-race beverage and doing some stretching when I saw her cross the finish line, about 10 minutes before the official close of the course.
She got her medal and everything because, just like the rest of us, she paid $85 to run this race and she crossed the finish line.
But I think it just makes me disheartened, or even sad, because really, in the end, she's just cheating herself when it comes to training. I guarantee you, every race I've done I've thought about how easy it would be to turn around and get that better PoT to get me into a better corral. But I don't. Because, it's not really the point of the race - or even the journey, is it?
At the end of the day, the goal for each of us is to reach our final distance - be it 3 miles, 6 miles, 13 miles, 26 miles or even the combined 48 miles. To me, it shouldn't be about the t-shirt, or the costume you wear, or even the bling ... it should be about challenging yourself, going for something you have never done before and training to make that dream and achievement.
I have a lot more thoughts about the whole thing, but it's probably better that I just end this here. I hope the lady can continue training to accomplish her goal, to complete the 13.1 miles under the 16:00/mm requirement. I wish her luck in her training and getting a PoT, but I just hope it comes honestly.
Anyway. That's all from me for today! Off to run some errands before my trip (and hopefully get my legs to loosen up and bit in the process), before I hit the streets for a shorty run tonight!
