Race Recap: 25K Endurathon

Pre-race with a local running friend.

It turned out to be a B goal race day. No PR, but I did manage to stay under an 8:00 pace average. I knew by mile 2 that it wasn't going to be an A goal race day. Right about mile 2 was when my stomach started having issues (crampy, side-achey, etc.). I ran the rest of the race feeling pretty yucky. I kept thinking the stomach pain would go away after some deep breathing and a few more miles, but it stuck around all the way until I finished the race, and then into the next day. 

About Mile 9 is where I saw Scott and B. It was really nice to see them. I'm so grateful for a husband who supports my racing and running addiction! It means a lot to me. When I saw them, I stopped for a minute to take off my jacket and whined to Scott that I wasn't feeling good. He just smiled and said, "Keep going!" So I did. That little bit of encouragement from my hubby was all I needed to keep me from walking for the next little while.

At mile 11 I learned not to try and take a sip of water while running downhill because it will go straight up your nose. You would think I would have the hydration thing down by now considering how many races I've run, but I'm still working on it. It wasn't until about mile 14, my last drink, that I finally remembered to pinch my cup to make it easier to drink while running. 

I had to mentally fight the urge to stop and walk almost the whole race. I kept telling myself that it would be over faster if I just kept running. 

At about mile 14.5, I finally lost that little mental battle and stopped to walk. I know, so close to the finish. I was disappointed in myself, but luckily the walk only lasted for about 30 seconds because just as I stopped to walk, two guys ran up behind me and encouraged me to keep going. I thought that was so nice of them! That little bit of encouragement was all I needed to keep going. 

With less than a mile to go, I looked down at my watch and saw that my time was in the high 1:50's. I thought, "Hmmm, that would be nice to finish under two hours, but it's not going to happen today." I had absolutely no kick at the end. I crossed the finish line knowing that I had given it my best and toughed it out, so I was just fine with my time of 2:01. I was actually surprised it wasn't a lot slower considering how bad I wanted to quit.

It was a small race and I ended up getting first in my age group. We didn't stay for the awards though because all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. I got sick right after the race, and I'm still feeling pretty miserable. 

Also, it was my first race with my Garmin! It was much easier than watching for mile markers and recording all the laps myself. I also liked being able to look down and see what pace I was going whenever I wanted to. I also loved not having to constantly try to do math in my head! Running brain and math don't go well together. My running buddies and I have realized that after many sorry attempts at math during our track intervals.

Here's my splits from the race.

Well, I'm off to take a nap.