Mo' Cowbell Half Marathon
10/6/13
Saint Charles, MO
Time: 2:22:47
So, the more I think about this event, the more I feel crappy about it. Figure I better get this blog up before I just talk myself out of writing it. It is way more fun to write about a great run than a disappointing one.
First off, Tim and I rocked this half last year! We had great weather and we both ran personal bests. It was well organized and had great amenities-- chocolate milk AND beer at the finish! Also, the medals were awesome. We were totally looking forward to running it this year.
Mo' Cowbell 2012
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect with this half marathon. Last weekend, I had a motivating 20 mile run and a pretty decent 4 miler at the Murphy Lake. My overall times for my runs have been slower-- I blame the long runs on that-- but I had a pretty kick ass speed workout on Tuesday. Mentally, I thought I was prepared for a half. I wasn't expecting a PR or anything, but I was thinking some of the work I've been putting in would at least equate to a feel good run. Unfortunately, the stars were just not aligned for me.
I woke up race day morning with a headache. Earlier in the week I was plagued with a migraine and I just never fully felt 100%. I didn't have my usual race day jitters, but I also wasn't feeling too confident about it either. I just felt meh about it. This is very unlike me. I am usually a ball of nerves and excitement. Also, I slept pretty crappy. The pillows at the hotel were those puffy ones that completely deflate when you put your head on it. Blah. I also blame them for the bad hair day I was having. I could not smooth that bump out to save my life!
Stupid bumpy hair.
We headed down to the start and although it was chilly, it wasn't nearly as cold as last year. I looked for everyone that was running, but didn't have any luck. I did run into Laura and was able to wish her luck on her Relay. Tim and I parted ways at the corrals- they were so crowded. Folks were squished in there like sausages. I continued to look for Leah, Jaime and Tracy, but figured they were closer to the front, so I just gave up. My legs were cold and felt pretty stiff. I just had a bad feeling. I didn't want to run. Not even a little bit.
So, the run begins and I'm just having issues from the start. The shorts I was wearing-- shorts I have worn ALL summer long without any issues-- were riding up. It hadn't even been a mile before I stepped off to the side to adjust them. Ugh. I had dead legs that just didn't feel like they were ever going to warm up. I just couldn't get comfortable running. Then, around mile 3, some jerk face spits his gum out and of course, I step in it. Seriously, you have like 2000 runners BEHIND you and spit out your gum in the middle of the road? WTF, man? I did shout, "Not cool, man" to the guy, but of course he had earbuds in. I stepped off and grabbed a leaf to get the gum off of the bottom of my shoe. At this point, I'm just too annoyed to even think. Guh.
I decided to not wear my hydration belt for this one. I figured I'd just use the water stations. This was not a good decision. I forgot how much I hate dealing with the people at the water stations. Someone sloshed water on my already cold legs and when I grabbed my cup, I got water all over my hands. After this, the wind picked up and I was freezing. So, yeah, mental note: just wear you own water at larger events like this.
I guess because of the water and the wind, by bladder decided to play tricks on me. I felt like I really needed to pee. I don't know if it was more mental or what, but the entire time I was running through an area called New Town, all I could think about was how bad I needed to use the bathroom. I kept arguing with myself about this. If I stopped, an already crappy run was going to equate to a crappy time. However, if I stopped and took a potty break, maybe I would feel more comfortable running. In the end, I decided to stop. I looked at my watch the entire time I was waiting in line. It was not a good feeling at all.
After the time killing potty break, I did feel a bit better running afterwards. My legs never really decided to do what my mind wanted them to do. They just continued to feel heavy and stiff. Also, I started to feel a blister rubbing on the side of my foot. I just felt discouraged. About 8 miles in, I just had to accept that I was having a bad run day. The goal at that point was just to get done and get my bling.
Despite all the unhappy, I did manage to find some moments of triumph on the course. Last year a hill between mile 10 and 11 did me in. This year, I was able to do it without any issues. I also played "the fishing" game pretty successfully the final 3 miles. I would pick out a person ahead of me and challenge myself to pass them. This helped me get through those last miles and it also made me feel like I wasn't moving at a snail's pace.
The last mile felt endless. There were 2 hills to run down and they about killed me. My blister pretty much exploded at the point and I wondered if I would even be able to walk afterwards. When I finally saw the finish line, I had my usual "Let's get this done!" push that was instantly deflated when a little munchkin decided to cross the finish line with his mama. Ordinarily I would be all like, "Awww," but I was not happy with having to stop short less than 5 feet from the finish line because I didn't want to be the running monster that knocked a kid down when finishing. Yeah, this just wasn't a good run day.
Not a great run for me, but I'm always happy when I'm done!
So, I'm not happy with how I did. I'm annoyed that I'm letting it bother so much. I'm just nervous that I'll feel this way on the day of the marathon. What if I feel awful the entire 26.2 miles? Will I have the willpower to even muck through it? Sigh.
Okay, enough of that. Even though I had a crap running day, my running family did not. Laura and Esther did fantastic on the Half Marathon Relay! They finished in 3:20:03. I'm so proud of them! Laura is run/walking her first half marathon in 3 weeks!
Determined Divas rocked Mo' Cowbell Marathon Relay!!!
I am so glad I didn't find Leah that morning. I would have just held that girl back! She rocked those 13.1 miles and totally smashed her previous record. She came in at 2:07:06 and I'm so proud of her! I don't think she'll have any issues with the marathon coming up!
This pic is pretty crappy quality, but how freakin' fantastic is this shot?
You gals are AWESOME!
Tim did fantastic, too. Now, he was disappointed because he didn't match or beat his time from last year, but he came in at 1:43:07. Considering he's been running with my slow butt, I think he should be pretty happy about that! I know I'm proud of him!
Poor Timmy didn't PR. So, he drowned his sorrows away. :P
So, I guess if I can't find success in myself, at least I have a rockin' running family to inspire me!
The between sucked yesterday, but I did cross both.
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