Redemption Run

Sunday I had a truly terrible death march, . . I mean run. It was one of those days where I should have just bagged the run and done it Monday. Of course I couldn't do that! I had to push through and do it anyway. I ran for 2 1/2 hours and only made it 13 miles, which I didn't know until I mapped out what I ran after I got home. Why did I have to wait? Well, because I forgot my receiver for my iPod. What else did I forget? To take my asthma medicine! I also earned a blister during the first five miles of the run. Good times!

Of course Sunday's misery did get redeemed. Yesterday I went for a nice nine mile run. I averaged 10:12/mile and honestly that's only because I took a walking break with my gel. I even made it to swim class later! It is amazing how a good run can erase the negative feelings left over from a bad one. I just have to keep remembering that I will be ready for this marathon October 25th. At this point, I just have to make sure that my head game is down. I have come really far in the 6 months since I broke my leg. I can't let a rough race or run mess with my mindset. I just have to remember what I tell myself anytime I am feeling the burn during a race, "I am strong, I am powerful, I am AWESOME!"

Finger Lakes Tri

Well last Saturday was supposed to be my big comeback. I trained hard all summer and really thought I was going to beat last year's time. The water was pretty rough, but I was able to beat my swim time from least year. I was 9th of 52 in my age group out of the water. I'm pretty proud of that. I was feeling pretty strong as I climbed on my bike. Unfortunately, my bike wasn't feeling the same way. I had taken my bike in for a tuneup the previous week because it was not shifting smoothly. This turned out to be a big mistake. As I climbed the first hill of the bike ride, I began to drop gears. I am not sure how much time I lost with this equipment malfunction, but I am pretty positive that I lost a bit of time. By the time I got to the run, I was steaming mad and really frustrated! The run did not go as well as it should have. I blame my emotions for getting in the way a bit, but I also believe that I would have performed better if I'd puffed on my trusty inhaler at this point. I ended up finishing 30 slower than last year, but ranking higher for my age group. I came in 24th out of 52. Not bad overall considering that I am still recovering from my injury in February - just disappointing because I had a goal of 1:30 and ended up finishing 1:42. Next year I will do better - I would like to compete at the Olympic distance at least once next year. However barring any further injuries, I think I should be able to complete at least 2 if not three outdoor tris in 2010.

Rochester Half Marathon

This year I completed the half marathon more as part of my training for the Marine Corps Marathon than as a race itself. I figured that it would be a good training run and have the benefit of water stops and fans to keep me going. It is always amazing how much better I run in a group than on my own. That being said, I hadn't really done any solid distance in about two weeks. I hurt my calf muscle right before school started and was forced to rest it. I did this race by myself and really didn't expect to have anyone cheering me on. The lonely part about being single for me is that most of my friends aren't into running and so I do most of these races on my own. Of course, in reality, you should always try to run your own race. That being said, it is nice to know that someone is at the finish line waiting for you. Keeping all of this in mind, imagine my surprise when I saw friends cheering me on at the 2 mile mark! It definitely perked me up! It was a cool morning and actually perfect weather for a long run. Much better than last year's heat!

I had a great first 7 miles and was on par to finish the race in about 2 hours. Unfortunately, I started to slow down in the last half. The Ford Street bridge seems to consistently be my nemesis - that and Exchange Street. I ended up walking most of Exchange, but then began running as soon as I turned into Corn Hill. Knowing I only had about a mile left to go, I kicked myself into that moment's version of high gear and finished the race strong. Turns out I beat last year's time by more than 15 minutes! I am incredibly proud of myself. Just seven month's prior to this race, I broke my leg. It has been a tough summer and a rough recovery. I can't believe that I have been able to not only get back into training, but come back stronger and faster than before. I am really encouraged by my performance in this race and hope to get enough solid training runs in for the marathon that is in just four short weeks from now.