What a week…

Where do I even begin? This’ll be a long post… reader beware.

I left work after a 1/2 day on Monday to hop on a plane to Utah for work. Arrived around 8 or 9pm and worked until 11 (it’s budgeting season at work… which means that every minute I can be working, I should) and set the alarm for 5 the next morning. I needed to get a 12 miler in before the trade show started.

12 miler went well! It was an uptempo run, which I really enjoy. Didn’t hurt that the scenery there is AMAZING. Running through the foothills in Salt Lake, watching the sun rise. Wow.

I didn’t end up getting back to the hotel until 10 – it was a late day at the show, and we grabbed dinner together afterwards. I called my husband that night, and was just zombie-like. Need sleep!

Up again at 5:30 (1/2 hour more of sleep!) Wednesday for a quick 5 miler. Last day at the show; left around 3pm for a 5:00 flight. We were delayed an hour and a half at first, but once a plane arrived, Delta didn’t have a crew to man the plane (it was past their allowed consecutive time) — so we waited until nearly 8 (or was it 9? I don’t even know). Gross. So… got into Red Wing past 1am, and was in bed shortly before 2.

If I was zombie like on Tuesday night, I was COMPLETELY fried when I came home.

Thursday I was sent home from work mid-day by my boss. He said I looked terrible (thanks!), and I really wasn’t thinking right. I tried to nap that afternoon, but when your brain is THAT tired, it doesn’t sleep well.

I’ve tried to sleep a bit this weekend, and that’s helped. I came down with a sore throat Fri/Sat, probably partly because I was so run down.

Fast forward to Sunday’s 1/2 marathon. I didn’t really lay out a goal for myself. My training plan had a 12-13 mile marathon pace run (6:30s), so I figured I’d shoot for that. The gun went off, and I couldn’t “feel” 6:30. (Note to self: need to do more MP pace work.) Not only couldn’t I feel that pace, but I couldn’t hit that pace, either. Was it because I was a little under the weather? Because it was super hot and humid? (probably 80? And nearly 100% humidity. It was just ugly) Or just because I’m not that fast yet? I couldn’t tell. I know I don’t race well in heat/humidity, so I told myself to stick to around 6:40, which worked for the first 5 miles. Then things started to go downhill…

Around 6-9, I think I slowed to 6:50. After 9, it became 7:00. Jerry came down to watch the race, and he actually biked the last 3-4 (maybe more?) with me. I was SO glad to have someone right there. He’d say some light hearted things every so often, which took my mind off the heat and my body’s inability to deal with it. I became really, really dizzy in those last 3 miles, and I allowed myself to walk twice. I’m embarrased about that now… even though it was a miserable day and I felt awful, I’d like to be mentally stronger than that. Jerry was there both times and gave me water. He didn’t say much during those two times… I really wish he wouldn’t have had to see that :(.
Note to self: need to mentally prepare myself to HURT during that marathon. Today was good preparation for that.

I didn’t even look at my watch the last couple of miles, I was just focusing on finishing. Jerry said I slowed to 7:10s or 7:20s. Ouch.

Finishing time: 1:30.30.

That’s my slowest 1/2 marathon. A few weeks ago I ran a 10k and that was my slowest ever. Hope this isn’t the start of a trend…

Other random race highlights:
-My husband finished 22 minutes slower than last year, after catering to someone who he was running with who had to be carted away in an Ambulance.
-My 17 year old cousin ran a sub 1:34, placing 2nd in his age group. He looked great!

Coach Jerry & me after the race