Notes
Net Time = 2:42:20 (12:24 Pace)
5 Mile Time = 58:55 (11:47 Pace)
10 Mile Time = 2:00:55 (12:06 Pace)
Garmin read 13.23 miles for 2:42:21.83 (12:17 pace).
Before the Race:
The race started really early, so we stayed in a hotel the night before. I slept poorly and got up at 4:15am. I had scheduled a cab to pick me up at 5am. I planned to get to Valley west Mall at around 5:15 and get on a bus by 5:30. I figured that would get me to the dam by around 5:45, so I wouldn't be hanging around for too long before the 7am start.
Well, the cab showed up at 4:45. I got to the mall and walked right onto a bus at 5am. Thus, I had the better part of two hours to hang out at the dam before the race. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit iffy: on-and-off drizzling, breezy, overcast, and a bit cool. No one wanted to drop off their bags and head out onto the dam (which was exposed to the wind), so we all hung out by the bus dropoff.
I wore my Athleta knickers and a t-shirt, along with a throwaway zip-up sweatshirt. I was so glad for the sweatshirt! Even with it on, I was shivering before the race and wished I had worn long pants. However, I actually dressed properly for the race: I ditched the sweatshirt after less than half a mile and was fine. I managed to eat about 1/3 of a Quest bar and drink a bit of water. I really should have had more to eat and drink, but I just didn't feel like it. At the very last minute I went to use the restroom and the line took a while. I actually got to the dam after the race started, but it didn't really matter. I'm at the back of the pack, so it takes a while to cross the start line anyway.
The first mile felt okay. The second half of it was downhill. Even still, my pace was about 20 seconds off goal pace (for a 2:30 finish), so that was my first clue I wouldn't PR. The next few miles were okay. I let go of my sub-2:30 hope, but thought maybe I could manage to improve over my previous race (and get a "Fat Girl PR").
Things started to go awry at around the halfway point. I still hadn't eaten anything (besides the partial Quest bar) and wasn't drinking much. The rain had stopped, but it was still overcast and humid. The occasional breeze sometimes felt nice and sometimes felt chilly. I kept telling myself I'd eat something when I saw food at an aid station because... I don't know. For whatever reason I didn't want to fiddle with my fuel belt, which contained a pack of Shot Blocks. I didn't realize the aid stations only offered Powerade and water. I finally had 4 of the Shot Blocks, I think around mile 7.
Breathing-wise, I was fine. I actually wasn't pushing it nearly hard enough, according to my heart rate monitor. I spent most of the race in zone 1, which is embarrassing. My muscles were hurting, though. By the end, everything was tight: feet, calves, quads, thighs, lower back... My arms and neck were tense starting a few miles into the race, and I even ended with a headache. That night (and for the next few days), my jaw was sore and it hurt to open my mouth. (!)
The wheels totally came off during the last few miles, and I ended up taking a couple of walk breaks. I felt like such a loser. I actually thought I could maybe do a marathon this coming October when I clearly couldn't even handle a half. It was foolish to think I could PR after gaining so much weight. I spent the second half of the race thinking about all this, and thinking that I shouldn't race again until I lose the weight. The second half was not a fun experience, and I felt pretty low mentally.
After finishing, I got my Everyone's Special medal, picked up my bag, and stuffed the medal in. I quickly went through the food/drink line and met up with Garrett, then headed back to the hotel to shower. I did zero stretching or recovery of any kind, which was stupid. I just wanted nothing to do with running and didn't want to talk about the race. I just kept thinking that I'm too fat to be a runner.
So. That all was depressing.
Looking back, I really tried to train consistently, but got derailed in the last few weeks by injury and illness. I also did way too much of my training on the treadmill, which I think contributed to the injury and left me unprepared for even small hills. Also, obviously, I didn't meet my goal of losing weight. (What else is new?) Making the assumption that excess bodyweight adds 2 seconds per mile, my 25# weight gain over the last year added 50 seconds per mile, or around 11 minutes, to my time. In that case, being at my previous weight would have netted me a finish time of around 2:32, which would have been a minor PR.
I need to decide what I want to do with the next few months. And the rest of my life, for that matter. I'm already signed up for a 10K in June, so I'll likely still do that, but I'm thinking about scrapping my plans to race 5Ks in July and August. I think my focus needs to be on losing weight (while maintaining a running base so I'm not starting from scratch when I want to race again). Obviously October's marathon is out, but maybe I shouldn't even do the half. I just feel totally worn out.