My splits say it all. I started strong in the first 5k, running an 8:56-minute mile. I felt great; the past few days I stayed away from coffee, alcohol and sugar, and ate tons of vegetables, protein, and drank lots of water.
But I was running so fast that I didn't adhere to my original plan: sip of water and bite of food (I brought apple bites and almonds) every 1/2 mile. That strategy worked well for my 1st 1/2 marathon in Alameda back in May but I was so focused on speed I didn't give myself the chance to warm up and by the time I ran out of fuel (around mile 5 or 6) I couldn't recover.
By that time, my brother, who had started behind me, had caught up. We took a quick bathroom break (another error: should've gone again right before starting). He quickly moved ahead and I kept slowing down.
I did finally come to my senses and re-hydrated both at the water stations and with my own water bottle, as well as started eating my snacks.
The irony was that what I was most worried about, my knees, specifically my right, didn't hurt at all. My calves on the other hand truned into rock-solid blocks of tightened muscles.
But what was truly amazing was my mental state: I was so strong! I knew exactly what was going on and I pulled myself through it. I even smiled. I waved at the 14 bands along the way: A high school marching band, a rock band covering Pink's "So What", an old-school do-woop group, and 2 cheerleading teams. We wound our way through downtown San Jose, Japantown, a beautiful neighborhood. Kids and adults cheering and waving and giving high-fives.
The race seemed to go by quickly; I focused on enjoying the experience and frankily, learning from my mistakes rather than punishing myself for them. That's not to say I wasn't disappointed. I fished 4 minutes slower than my personal record. Ugh. I hate writing that. When you don't meet a goal, you either give up, or you keep going. I guess this means I need to run another 1/2 marathon...
P.S. A big congrats to my big brother who completed his first 1/2 marathon! Go Jim!
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2 comments:
Okay, reading this makes me and my lazy butt feel lame. I swear, I can't even run a mile in less than 13 minutes (at least that was my time the last time I ran one... 9th grade)
You are definitely a motivator, Jean!! I may not be doing any 1/2 marathons any time soon... or any marathons, ever... but your ability to keep going, keep pushing yourself to just do better next time, is inspiring! Way to go and hurray for you! And mmmmm.... almonds sound really good right now!
Just imagine yourself 1 1/2 yrs ago - you'd be so happy to do a half and now you are analyzing the details. Amazing!
I can't believe we missed each other at hardly strictly - but I hope you had as good a time as we did, weirdos notwithstanding.
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