Wow,its been a while!!!!
It's been a crazy past couple of months,full of sickness after sickness and illness in the family.....
which has left me unable to train how i needed to....
i had contemplated just not doing any more races this year,i thought about skipping the half marathon all together and just maybe,maybe jumping in on the 5k held on the same day......
i was feeling pretty discouraged about doing any races,since this whole "training" season went out the window this year.
BUT,leave it to a good friend to help me get my mind in the right place.
after emailing Crazy Sue my thoughts about running the half mary, this is what she shot back at me and was EXACTLY what i needed to hear:
"Sorry to hear that your marathon training isn't going as well as you planned. But I wouldn't worry about it. Yes do the {race} and have fun with it. Like all professional and amateur athletes, we all have good seasons and not so good. And when that happens, still enjoy the journey."
So what else could i do but heed the advice from another crazy head athlete?
yesterday was race day.
woke up,had a granola bar and was on my way,forgetting my watch.
in all honesty,i had my mind set on running the 5k.
when i went to register,i saw lots of people from the gym who were going to be running.
(no pressure to run fast,right?)
and as soon as i was making my way to the registration table, an announcement came on saying that the 5k was full and registration was closed----but there were still a few spots left for the half....
ok,i had no choice now. time to man up and just run the half,run for fun and just treat it like a long run....
i KNEW there was no way i could PR today--
time to let go of pride,and embrace the suck......
and thats just what i did.
miles 1-4 went by fast.i didnt have a watch so i had no clue the entire race what my pace was.i thought about asking other runners around me for the time,but i resisted the urge.(this proved to be the right choice!)
today was about enjoying the journey,even the not so fun parts.
the first 4 miles were spent,trying to get a comfortable pace and trying not to think about the goals i had set for this day,this race,trying not to think about how poorly training had been going,trying to just be in the moment.
then i see/hear a group of people on the side of the streets with cowbells---i couldt help but think about sue and her words.....
miles 4-8 also went by fast. i had a small group to run and chat with,a group who loved to cheer for others as much as i did!!! at mile 5.6 i heard a guys garmin go off,stating the pace,which was 8:10min mile pace.
not sure if i needed to hear that,but i made a mental note to keep these guys in sight the rest of the race.
miles 5-8 were hilly and on a gravel road. i see a guy with long long dread locks who keeps stopping to walk every so often. everytime he would walk,i would pass him,and encourage him to keep going and not to stop. this happened about 4 times.the 4th time he picks his pace back up and tells me this was his first half and longest distance he has ever ran. i congratulate him and over the next 3 miles he stays slightly ahead of me.
miles 8-11 went by pretty quick. i felt good the entire time until mile 11,thats when my legs felt heavy.
during these miles i encouraged everyone who passed me,and those who were stopping to walk.
mile 11 marked the start of the first of 2 huge hills.
i catch up to dreadlock boy and we attack the first hill. he gets ahead and stops and walks-i yell at him to keep going. and off he goes. packs of women pass me and im telling everyone what a great job they are doing,i pat those who have stopped and walked on the back and tell them to keep moving....
mile 12
and here is the last and final hill.
dreadlock boy is slowing down. i zone in on his heels and try to catch him, encouraging him and everyone around me to keep going,you got this,baby steps if have to just dont walk! a pack of older men come up behind me. we all laugh and joke about the hills,and then we continue to be the cheerleaders for those around us. finally the last turn!!! after joking about how we would all tuck and roll to the finish,the older guys take off-i catch up to dreadlock boy and he tries to outkick me at the finish...tried,i beat him by a shoestring...
after i cross the line i cringe when i see my time.
cringe.
slowest time i have ever ran a half in,but oh well.
i was greeted at the line by high fives and pats on the back. the older guys thank me for helping them get up those hills,and two ladies say thanks for for hollering at them to keep moving when they were walking,and then dreadlock boy shakes my hand and thanks me for pushing him to the finish line of his first half!
even though i always cheer for others at races,i dont think ive ever had so many people come up and actually say "thank you" after a race. this made me feel good and helped me forget about the disappointing time on the clock.
after all,today was about letting go of pride,embracing the suck,and enjoying the journey anyways!!!!
when i got home,this message was in my inbox
Congratulations Melissa Cunningham you finished the 1/2 M on December 9, 2012 with a chip time of 01:53:44. You placed 228 of 665 runners, 54 of 274 Female runners and 13 of 55 in the Women's 30-34 division. You scored 894 Grand Prix points in this race. Weather on Race day was 49 degrees, cloudy.
SO that sums up how my big day went......
and i guess how my season has gone as well.
i have a choice to either embrace the journey and enjoy it,or to let it get me down.
while initially i chose to let it bring me down,in the end,i embraced it,and learned that life will never always go as you plan it,life happens when you arent looking and its always best to just hang on and enjoy the crazy ride instead of riding with your eyes shut....
lifes to short to worry about what didnt go right,so when things go wrong,learn from it,readjust,refocus,continue on.....and enjoy the journey!!!!!
