Notes
Interesting race today in Eugene. Got a lot of sleep last night and felt pretty good when I woke up race morning. Made it out to the Hilton and caught the shuttle to the starting line with Helen and Holly, my athletes. Warmed up in the Elite athlete area and the body felt pretty good. Gun went off and I settled into near goal pace (5:45). The plan for me was to run at goal pace for as long as I could hold it. Stayed relaxed and did not jump the gun in the first few miles. First mile was a 5:48. Ran 5:50's for the next couple miles and then dropped back down to 5:40's through 13 miles. After the half-marathon mark (1:16:18, 5:49 pace), my hips began to rapidly deteriorate and cause sharp and severe pain. I was also dealing with minor stomach issues for a few miles. At first, I thought it just might be a rough patch and I continued on for another few miles. However, the pain would not abate and it began to take its toll on my pace. I went from 5:45's to 6:15's, then 6:30 +. At the 16 mile mark I made the decision to drop out of the race. I stopped and began walking toward the finish line area which I was told was about 1 mile away from my current position. However, I decided to turn around and wait for the girls to run by and then decided that if my hip could handle it, I would pace Helen for the last 10 mile of the race. After waiting a long time, I saw Liana (my athlete) go by and she looked strong. I waited for Helen to come by and then I re-entered the race and paced her. Shortly after, Helen began to experience stomach issues and started struggling. There were several times during the course of the remainder of the race that we had to stop and I seriously wondered if she could safely continue on and finish the race. However, she toughed it out somehow and kept going instead of quitting (when most people definately would've quit). I was very proud to see her finish the race on Hayward Field. She not only finished, she also PR'ed by over 10 mins!!! Her toughness took a toll on her body though and she collapsed at the finish line and was taken to the medical tent and given an IV. Thankfully, after 40 minutes she recovered and was back on her feet. Other people in the tent looked more roughed up than her and it was kinda of scary to sit there and see them at times.
I finished 2 seconds ahead of Helen.
My other athletes had good races as well. Liana took 12th overall and ran 2:56. Holly ran 3:06. Helen's official time was 3:09:02. Most of the other people I knew that raced had rough days and some did not finish. Nobody I knew actually ran or exceeded the goal time they wanted.
I'm not too worried about the outcome. Yes, I would've preferred having a much better day and setting a PR. However, I think it worked out ok because instead of having 2 people (Helen & I) end up dropping out, which would've been what happened, both of us finished the race and Helen even set a big PR despite struggling.
I am starting to think that marathoning may not be the sport for me. I've already been told by a doctor that I have hip dysplasia and that distance running is not a good idea for me. After today, I am starting to concur that super long runs may be detremental to my hips. This is the second time that I've experienced this severe period of hip pain. I may decide to give up competitve running and only run for fitness reasons from here on out. I will however continue to coach other competitive athletes. I really enjoy coaching, perhaps even more so than being an athlete myself. I guess we'll see. For now, I will take time off and re-evaluate my options.