This was my first Half, and I was so excited! I was actually planning for the Seattle Rock & Roll Half in June, but my training was going well.... I had recently run 11 or 12 miles, and felt good.... I decided to go for it. I'm so glad I did! What a great experience.
Doug was long gone, before I even crossed the starting line. He needed to be near the head of the pack, and I needed to be towards the back- having no idea how slow I'd have to go.
Doug ended up finishing in 1:40:49. It was a very respectable time, but Doug was disappointed it wasn't faster. I love that he is so much faster than me, cause he was able to help me out a bit towards the end of my race. Plus- it's a cool thing running towards your family at the end of the race. Loved that!
I finished in 2:07:20, which is far better than I thought I would do. I thought if I could come in at 2:15 or 2:20, I'd be thrilled. I was over-the-top happy when I crossed that finish line. Except for the horrible cramp in my foot. It started about mile 11 or 12. I fought it the entire rest of the run. Just as I was thinking I was going to have to walk, Doug showed up on the race course and told me I was almost there. What a sight for sore eyes! (feet) He came at just the right moment, and I was able to run the rest of the way without stopping.
Here I am after the finish thinking,"Wow! I can't believe I did it! I always wanted to do that!" My alternating thought was, "My foot is killing me!!! I need to get this shoe off and stretch!"We took Sierra with us that day so she could get some driving hours in. She also served as our photographer, so we have pictures to document the day. (Thanks, Sierra!)
** A note about my foot cramp. About a week before the race I started having some shin and foot discomfort. I added up the miles on my shoes, and sure enough- I was due for a new pair. I was going to try to make it through the race, and then go get new ones, but the day before, I made the impulsive decision to get new shoes and wear them during the race. (Yeah- not the brightest of ideas.) Asics have never failed me, and I had never felt like they needed to be broken-in before use, so I did it. Didn't even try them on in the store. (Yep- another stupid move.) I walked into the store right before closing, grabbed my size, and then put them on for the first time before the race the following day.
Well- apparently the updated model of the GT2000 series came out fitting 1/2 size too small. Which I didn't know. They felt great on my feet until that cramp. The cramp continued for several days- even while walking or lying in bed. Not fun. Every time I ran, it got worse. This became a huge issue. I did a lot of research, tried lacing my shoes differently, icing, stretching... You name it. Finally, it came down to the fact that I did need a larger shoe. Thankfully, I was able to switch them out for another pair. And also thankfully, my foot issues gradually improved over the next few weeks. Those too tight shoes (the toe box was too small I guess- they never did feel too tight, but the new ones have been wonderful!!) were causing a Morton's Neuroma in the bottom of my foot, which often has to be treated with Cortisone injections and/or surgery. I didn't want to go there!!! Another blessing sent my way.Lesson learned. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment