After a hot and humid Mini-Marathon half marathon two weeks ago and two weeks of tight calves, I was not feeling motivated to run the Geist Half Marathon this weekend. Besides that, wrapping up things for the year at school had taken my energy and focus (graduation ceremony, preparing for field day, packing, grades, etc.). Just getting to the start line proved a frustrating venture.
When we got our race packets Friday evening, I found that my start corral was ‘F.’ What? F? My start was in corral ‘D’ two weeks ago. There was no seeding for the Geist Half at registration, placement was based on the pace time you entered. Obviously there were a lot of people with high aspirations.
That morning, I got up late. I just wasn’t feeling it, but I had to get going. That put us (my husband and me) behind schedule. We hit almost every red light. We parked, and as we got out of the car I realized that I had forgotten my watch. My husband went on to the start as I slapped on some expired sunscreen, but he could not get into corral ‘B’ due to overcrowding, which of course was my fault. I got to my corral just as the race was starting and had to dodge and pass those high aspiration runners for a little over a mile.
Then, something wonderful happened. The one mile marker showed my pace at around a 9:20 mile, the same as the Mini two weeks ago. I figured that was a good sign. As I passed each mile marker, my time was under a 10 minute pace. It felt good to run hard and release the stress of my earlier frustrations.
Around mile five, I needed to release something else. I moved to the side and started to walk, thinking I could discreetly release some pressure. A bicycle police officer shouted across the throng of racers, “Runner, are you okay?” No, no, no! You are not supposed to draw attention to me! I wondered if he could read that in my eyes. I took a quick glance around for a possible alternate, but oh yeah, he was talking to me. I waved a hand and shouted, “I’m good,” as I let ‘er rip. I didn’t see a reaction from any runners, thank goodness.
Around mile 10, I got a pebble in my shoe, but I was too excited about my time to stop and take it out. The last three miles were slower, and not just because of the pebble, but I still finished strong. At the end, I had a personal best half marathon time (2:11:22)!
Lesson learned: Even when you feel like you don’t have it in you, push on, do your best with what you have, keep your focus, and you might be surprised. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to say a little prayer to the One looking out for you.
Better to Laugh 