*Forgot to mention* What is the deal with the skewed sense of reality - while running I looked up and I'm pretty much sure I said out loud "Yeah! Only 9 miles to go! Single digits." Seriously!?
We got back last night from Seattle where I did the marathon! I signed up for the full nearly nine months ago, giving me plenty of time to train. Well, life got in the way of training, so I decided the half would be just fine, only having run 15 miles as my longest training run. Texting (for four hours) on the drive to Seattle, Di convinced me to go big, and big I went. Trevor dropped off Jason and me in Tukwila for the start. Classic: Jason asks me "what corral are you" to which I reply 26. I ask him the same thing and he says "one!" The guy is part Ethiopian, finishing the half with 6:17 splits, and fifth in his age group. He was nearing mile six or seven before I had even started. Incredible. Once we crossed the starting line I was feeling good. Nice and steady. I thought to my delusional self "If I feel this good in a few miles I will be good to go. At about the nine mile mark the full and halfers split, and I took the right path (in a moment of weakness). The right path which tacks on an extra 13 miles. I figured I was in Seattle for the race, might as well make it memorable. I ran up until around mile 16 or so, and when it hurt to run I walked. And then it hurt worse to walk so I ran. The pattern repeated until mile 26.2, five hours and eleven minutes later. I wanted to beat my AZ marathon time of 5:07, and I just missed. Trevor keeps reminding me it was a harder course (lots more hills). Maybe I'll have to do a third in a few years to break five.
I'm reminded of my run now by not being able to walk on my jacked up left foot!
It really was a perfect day for a run. The most beautiful weather...which led to my body looking like Olivia when she goes to the beach and gets sunburned. I don't think I've ever been this sunburned in my life. Possibly one or two times before from a Kailua beach day circa 1990 when my face got so fried I couldn't open my eyes. Let's just say I'm in hiding from my neighbor the dermatologist for probably a month until my rosy self turns back to normal. Anyways, lovely day, boring hilly race but the 26.2 is finished. Next time I sign my crazy self up for a marathon I will train for a marathon!!
2 comments:
You are amazing!
Wow! That is amazing.
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