Rodes City Run - NEW PR!!!

I went to the race yesterday fully expecting to merely mosey along and survive, since my training has been less than slacking lately (the 15 miles I was supposed to get in last weekend turned into 7 since the area around Red River Gorge is nothing but hills - and very steep inclines at that). I got the new Garmin Forerunner 405cx however, and was able to wear it for the first time during the race. I planned to run with 4:1 intervals, but apparently I didn't set the watch up correctly (damn you, technology!) and never got the reminder "beep" to take my walk break. Not that I really NEED a reminder, I mean, I've been doing it this long without one. So when I looked down at my watch and saw that I had ran longer than four minutes I thought to myself "Well, I'll just do 6:1 and see how that feels." So, six minutes came and went and, much like Forest Gump, "I kept running and running...."

Between miles one and two there is a slight hill that goes on for a while. Now, if you've read any of my prior blogs you know that I despise hills. No, really - despise. So, when I found myself setting small goals to try and get up it without stopping (Okay, I'm going to run to THAT sign there. Okay, now I'm going to run to THAT telephone pole), I was confident that I could run the whole stretch, and felt mighty proud of myself when I did.

Having defeated this hill and feeling rather accomplished, I decided that a flat surface was no time to take a walk break, so I kept going. And when I came upon the first water stop, I willed my body to keep running forward (granted, I had my fuel belt with me since an additional 10 mile training run was planned for after the race - and I drank from that.) I was surprised at how good I felt, and that I was able to run this distance without the interval walk breaks - I haven't NOT done planned walk breaks during a run for about two years.

At 3.1 miles in I checked the Garmin and saw that I was 31:40 into the run. Shortly after this I saw a co-worker of mine who was standing on the side of the road cheering for her son who was also running the race. I ran by, saying a quick hello and giving her a high five, and continued on down the road. The excitement of having a personal "fan" there to keep me going must have been a little much for me though, because I could feel my heart rate increase and started to feel that I was overdoing it. I slowed my pace a bit, took some deeper breaths, and kept going. Shortly after I opened up the GU I had been carrying in my hand - I prefer to ingest hand-held GU since the heat from my hand warms it up and makes it more liquid-like and less thick - I got a little choked up and was forced to take a walk break, and another water break, for a minute. (Note to self: It's probably a good idea to WALK while eating during a race so that the Heimlich maneuver is not a part of your racing equation).

The break did me good, because when I started running again it was almost like starting with fresh legs (the reason I like the interval runs in the first place). I was going at a pretty good clip when ahead came another slight hill - which I am proud to say I ran up without incident. At some point I do remember having to take another one-minute break between 4-5 miles, but luckily this didn't hamper my overall race.

After passing the 5 mile marker it felt good to know I was in the home stretch. Mentally, I kept focusing on running one block at a time. I wanted to take a walk break so badly, but I had looked down at my watch and saw that I had between 11-12 minutes to run the last 1.2 miles for a PR. If I walked now, that might not happen and I would be kicking myself for having taken that break (I had been keeping a 10:30 minute pace, but didn't want to take any chances). I kept going and before I knew it, I had rounded the last corner to see the finish line a short distance ahead. I told myself that I was making good time, and wasn't going to look down at the watch to check my time - I would just do my best and hope for a PR. Someone apparently kept moving the finish line further and further away though, because I found myself running with no end in sight. When I was finally able to see the mats on the ground, I did look down at the Garmin and saw that I had almost one minute exactly to finish with a PR. I kicked it up a notch and sprinted that last little bit. I thought I was going to throw up. I felt that I had pushed myself during this race already, and to have to crank it up even more during these last yards was tough. I passed the finishing mat and hit "stop" on the watch. Unofficially I came in at just 3 second faster than my prior year PR (later, at home, I would find that I actually finished a full MINUTE and FOUR SECOND faster than my best time - I had remembered the time from 2010 incorrectly. Oops.)

So, a new year, a new race season and a new PR - not a bad way to start off 2011. The Papa Johns 10-miler is just a few weeks away, and if I crank up the training now, I'm pretty confident I can break my own record on that race as well. Not to get too confident in myself, but the last few years has shown that I'm getting stronger and faster in my races. Must be something in the water....

Case of the blahs...

Got a huge case of non-motivation mixed with some depression that isn't doing a thing for my training right now. Even missed the Anthem 5k - the first of a series of three races that I've done every year for the past 7 years. Had a recent break up after 3 1/2 years and I'm struggling at the moment. I know getting out there and being active would help, but I just can't find the motivation to do it. Funny - this is the exact same advice I give to my patient's on an almost daily basis, yet I can't make myself do it. Have a girls-weekend coming up though, and a 15 miler planned in that time period that I HAVE to get in so that I can survive the Flying Pig Marathon - I NEVER want a repeat of Memphis again! One thing that I do think will definitely help, is the new Garmin 405 that I have coming in the mail tomorrow. I always love trying out these new gadgets, and just having that watch alone will be enough to get me up and running in the next few days. I just hope the novelty sticks. I need whatever help I can to get myself up out of this chair, and out of the house.