I'll say it again. Busiest. weekend. ever.
Saturday
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typical unflattering race photo |
Johnny's Runnin' O the Green was at 10:30 on Saturday morning so I got to sleep in until 8 am! Woohoo! I made it downtown with a few pitstops (forgot my bib # and had to go back to my apartment to grab it), nabbed a sweet parking spot on the street, and gathered with the rest of the Train-This race crew. The temperature was in the mid 30s so I decided to race in Lulu shorts, a pink short sleeved shirt (which really stuck out considering 90% of the race field was wearing green), black armwarmers, gloves, a regular running hat, and my Garmin/HR monitor - everything else got taken back to my car. I ran a short warmup with Mary and company and then lined up - AKA was packed like a sausage into a crowd of 1000+ where absolutely no one understands that runners go to the front and walkers go to the back.
Not much to say about the race. I think I went out a little hard but running has been challenging lately because I was off for 3 months and I am still trying to get my run back to where it should be.. so I attempted to race at where I know I am capable of running and then couldn't quite do it because I'm not that fit right now. So I went out too hard and then just slowly died (except for the last mile) and the race ended up hurting pretty bad.
My chip time was 37:07 with a pace of 7:25 min/mile. This is WAY suckier than last year where I had a chip time of 36:11. Seriously? A minute slower??? WTF. I am annoyed.
Then I had to do a 5 mile run which was absolutely torture for my legs. I ran with Karin and Chris and thank god they were there to talk to because otherwise I don't think I would have lasted for the entire thing.
After the race I scooted home, changed, and then headed down to
Middle-of-nowhere Middlesex, NY to help my friend/teammate Solveig move out of her house and into an apartment. Other than being 30 minutes late, it went smoothly and we managed to move a whole bunch of boxes using both of our cars. I got home from that adventure at 7 pm and forced myself to get on my bike for a 1 hour recovery ride. And seriously, I was looking for ANY reason to bail from this ride - my legs were KILLING me, I was exhausted and starving. I called Kim and left her a voicemail saying "I called you to see if you thought I should bail on my ride but since you're busy doing fun things unlike me, I am leaving you this message." And since Kim was unable to give me permission to skip it, I did it! It felt good on my legs so it was definitely the right decision.
Sunday
I said f-you to the lost hour of sleep and rode 3.5 hours with Kim which was not my best ride ever. I was super grumpy all day because this week I am on overnights and that just destroys my Sundays and any positive attitude that I might have had. After riding I forced myself to run for 30 minutes even though my legs were still wrecked. I was finally done with my workouts at 3 pm which gave me a few hours hang out with my cat before trying (and failing) to nap before work.
I don't understand why the 'runners start at the front, walkers start at the back' thing is so difficult for so many people to get. I'm still searching for a tactful way to say, "I can tell by your 'racing attire' of jean shorts, fanny pack, and keds that you are not a serious runner; can you please go to the back?" (seriously, I saw someone dressed like that in the front line at a 5k once.)
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up over your time too much... for not running for 3 months, I don't think your time is bad at all!
Seriously, that pisses me off when walkers get in front, then walk side by side for the entire race.
ReplyDeleteWow, that seems like a great pace to me, especially after not running for a while. But I get it, it sucks to come out of a race you have done before with a slower time.
I love the FU to the lost hour of sleep.
Ugh. We should start a petition for start corrals at all races. With officials to regulate entry.
ReplyDeleteWay to rock 3.5 hours on the bike! That takes some serious dedication.
Hi Alexa !
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Make it a great day,
Ruben
Oh, stop you big whiner. You ran a fine race. I got passed by a walker.... by a WALKER!
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks for waiting for me to run that 5 miles afterwards. I shall forgive you... maybe. If you see dementors at your door one morning, you'll know I haven't.