Race weekend recap- Disneyland Half Marathon 2011
I have to start by saying... I looked forward to this weekend for so long... and just like that- POOF- it's over. But at least it was a good one... one capped off by a solid half marathon. So, kiddies, let's recap this weekend- good, bad & ugly!
I got to California, and as is the norm, got my car, and made my way to lunch with one of my closest friends. Got to hang out with him for a few hours (way too short!), then hit the beach for some run time and time at the ocean. Unfortunately for him AND me, I had the first wave of the meltdown hit me hard, and the day didn't finish as happily as it started. *sigh* I pushed myself hard on a 75 minute run, and then stood in the ocean for a good hour and a half. Waaaaah.
Friday was better, and I started the morning with an easy run, some time in the hot tub, some time in the pool, and then hung with a friend again for most of the afternoon... and it was a laugh fest capped off with more than a few beers. Carb loading, right?? Right. :) That good time was MUCH needed, and it set my mind at ease... finally.
The race festivities started on Saturday morning with me heading over to the expo with another friend of mine (who worked the iFitness booth). I made a few new friends in the line waiting to get my bib, which you'd THINK would have helped me.... but by the time I got my bib and goodie bag, the emotional meltdown that had been teasing me for several days kicked in, and kicked in good. I tried sticking around the expo to meet one of my friends, and couldn't do it... I ended up running back to my (very sexy convertible Eclipse) car- tears flowing. Uggggh. There is something about racing that brings the pain to the surface, and I ended up crying off and on the rest of the day.
Thank GOD for my friends- the one on the phone who listened to me cry, the ones who gave me hugs in person, and the ones at the carb load dinner that made me laugh hard enough to forget the tears for a few hours:
Once I got back to where I was staying, I quickly answered a few emails, laid out my race gear, and crawled into bed. Where I laid most of the night, my body buzzing like my nerves were connected to a power outlet. It was a weird feeling, and every hour or so, I found myself checking my phone's alarm to make sure it was set for the right time. Ugggggh.
Finally, at 3:00, I got up, showered, and got dressed. Ran into the kitchen, munched a banana, and then laid back down to wait for my friend to get ready. That ended up being the smoothest part of the morning. We ended up running really late, got her baby to the sitter, then got to Disneyland 20 minutes before the race, where I had to race (hahaha) to find a porta potty. Notice what's missing here? Yep. Any mention of a real breakfast or Gatorade. None. Nada. I had some SmartWater and a tube of ShotBlox on our way over, and THAT, my friends *was* my pre-race fuel......
After the porta potty stop, we made our way to the corrals, where I was supposed to be in Corral B... 15 minutes before the race? Yeah right. I couldn't make it past the mass of humanity that thought Corral C was THE place to be. I looked around me and realized that the race was NOT going to start off the way I wanted it to.
The pre-race fireworks and stuff was fun, and before I knew it- BANG, it was time to run.
And that's when my emotions shut off, the music began flowing through my veins, and I let my training take over. One by one, I began picking off runners/walkers. Well. Sort of. Getting through THAT many people had more than one slow moment... and there were times when I was doing just more than a slow jog. That was okay though... and I let myself enjoy the park. Smiling at the Disney characters as they appeared. Smiling as I remembered being at Disney just a few weeks earlier with my daughter... just... smiling. And suddenly, we were out of the park- running through the streets of Orange County.
And my GOD did the people come out in full force to cheer us on. Young, old, flamenco, hula... you name it, they were out there, and it was a beautiful thing to see. The miles began to fly by, and before I knew it, I saw the mile 6 sign that signaled me to eat my first gel. Had I really been running for more than an hour? Wow. I pushed my pace harder at this point- a new PR was within reach and I wanted it badly.
At mile 9, however, I reached down to take my second gel... when I realized that it was GONE. NO!! An insufficient breakfast, and then losing the only food I had on the course?? I pushed the fear out of my head and pushed a little harder... and before I knew it, I was in Angel Stadium on the jumbotron! How freakin' cool is that? And even better? They had gels for us as we ran in! Sweet baby Jesus, thank you!
At mile 12, I hit a bit of a wall when I realized that I had to pee. And not a little, but enough to make me stop and walk a bit to hold it in. That's when I realized that we were close to the park. Really close. Close enough that it was time to leave it all on the course, and push hard.
12.5, 12. 8, 13.0... DONE.
Not quite a PR, but a race I am very proud of. I was able to push past an emotional meltdown, not enough sleep, and no race morning breakfast to come within 2 minutes of my old PR.
PR (Surf City '11): 2:07
Disneyland Half: 2:09
Pretty bling, huh? :)
Lessons were learned. I know where I need to train so that NYC is a solid marathon.
I do have one question though. Any ideas on how I can stop having these horrible meltdowns before my races? I have a feeling if I don't get my crap together, that this negative, bummer girl that I become is going to mess stuff up... :(
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Can you do some journal writing in the week before a race? Schedule time with good friends that you can let it all hang out with then too?
Thisnis actually one of the reasons that I haven't been racing this year. All ofnthe performance anxiety really got to me and eventually made all the running and exercise a real grind. That along with my body breaking down (it happens when you get old) put me in the path to burnout.
I'm back to running regularly now, but not to race. Just to enjoy the introspective time.
Nice bling! Call me next time you're in California. I'm sure that will be in a couple weeks...
Nice job Allie! I hope to run the Surf city and some day make it to Disney in Florida. They have a PT conference down there every year same time on purpose. Altho I know myself. If I ran, I'd be useless at the conference. Hope to see you in CA.