Well, no not really. But we are counting down the weeks, days, hours, until the San Diego Rock N Roll M.A.R.A.T.H.O.N. on June 6, 2010.
A few weekends ago I ran in the La Jolla Half Marathon (beautiful coastal views...then a nice TWO-MILE UPHILL up Torrey Pines Road). I clocked in at 2hr 11min (and something seconds, but I forget exactly)...definitely not my best time (again!) (remember I also bombed San Dieguito when I had a foot problem/injury/malfunction) but I'm well on my way to reaching my 2010 Triple Crown goal. Apart from the miserable two-mile uphill (on mile 7 in the race, of course. hah!), it had the potential of being an OK race. The course was too narrow for the amount of people in it, and I felt that the race never thinned out like how it usually does. I hate feeling like I'm going to step on someone's heels when I'm running. I'm sure people don't enjoy hearing me pant behind their backs either (haha, wind-blocking for me sucka!) Then there was also that 1-mile downhill (which you would think would be nice especially towards the end of the race), but actually turned out to be a pain on my knees due to the angle. Oh, and then there was the one man on mile 12 I saw on the side of the road by one of the water stands receiving CPR because he had a heart attack...and then running 50 yards down the road and seeing another middle-aged man receiving CPR from the paramedics for also suffering from a heart attack. After I saw those two men on the side, I lost all desire to run in that race. It was an awful sight, and almost felt surreal. I felt guilty for having continued running, but I'm not sure what more I could have done had I stopped. FORTUNATELY for these two men, there were many random physicians and nurses who were RUNNING in the race and were at the right place and time to help them out. God only knows what would have happened otherwise.
After seeing that, I was reminded of the importance of learning to listen to my body during my runs...whether they are short or long, on cold or hot days. These men didn't look 'unhealthy' or 'unfit', just average (like me). I'm assuming they pushed themselves too hard under the adrenaline and competitive nature of racing. It was a tough course (even seasoned runners told me how tough the course was beforehand!)...Pacing oneself is key...in racing and in life!
So this month, I really have to keep myself on track with my eating habits, hydrating myself and getting enough sleep. I am excited and nervous about the marathon, but am amazed at how far I have come in my running. It's hard to imagine that I used to be terrified of the half marathon but have now come to the point where I can run them without fear (they're no walk in the park though, hahaha). Maybe one day I'll feel that way about a marathon too :)
Good luck, you must be so excited! It's so hard to see people get hurt during races like these, but it's so important to listen to your body. For the past couple of years the Chicago Marathon had 90+ temperatures and too many people overdid it and got really sick. It was kind of scary. I'm looking forward to reading about your countdown...and of course the race itself.
ReplyDeleteI would be so unhappy running in 90+ temp! I'm adding Chicago to my list of races though :)
ReplyDeleteWe're running 15mi tomorrow and 21mi next week Saturday (yikes on next week's run!)