The Training Blog of mickieblueeyes

I am one happy camper!!! First I have to thank my husband, and two wonderful boys, for coming with, and supporting me. And, for putting up with all my wining, and all the time I spent running this year. Also, thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Now for the details. It was a beautiful crisp day in Tahoe. I was not really looking forward to my run, as I hadn’t done much the past couple of weeks. I felt like total crap this week, and I was sure I would flop today. Five years ago, when I ran this race I did it in 2:19:56. I hadn’t trained for it, at all, and the farthest I’d ever run, up to that time, was eight miles. But, I was teaching aerobics then, and was about 10 pounds lighter.

The first couple of miles of this race are up hill, on pavement. I was happy that I held a 10 minute pace for the first two miles. Then we were off onto single track trail. By then we were spread out, and I was behind about 3 gals running the same pace as me. I felt suprisingly well, and held my 10 minute pace up to mile six. I was trying to be a little braver on the downhills. Usually, I am being so careful not to trip, that I think I waste too much time.

Then came THE HILL!!! I knew, from before, that I could walk it faster than I could run it, and I actually passed one of my pacers. I always try to really speed walk, if I’m going to walk at all. At the top it was downhill on pavement. WOAH!! I was hoping there was a run away truck ramp at the bottom, because I wasn’t sure I could stop. Back onto single track dirt trail. We went quite a way down hill, and it felt great. But by the time I had gotten to mile eight I had lost seven minutes, somewhere.

Here’s where things went downhill, and I don’t mean in the good way. My hip flexors started to hurt bad. The track we were on is my least favorite part of the run. It’s a pretty hard packed, dirt road with rocks about fist size everywhere you put your foot. It’s painful. I started walking that too. I started to get bummed out, because I didn’t think, there was anyway, I get finished in 2:20 like I wanted to.

Then all of a sudden I see mile marker eleven. I looked at my watch, and I was at 1:57. I thought if I could just get going again, I might be close to my wishful goal, of 2:20, and if not, I certainly would make it by 2:30.

The Good Lord gave me the strenght to get those last two miles in, and by golly I finished in 2:21:44. Which was really more than I expected.

I won’t know what the official results are for quite sometime. But I am really happy today.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 10/05/2008
• Time: 15:17:52
• Total Time: 2:21:44.00
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Average Pace: 10:48.65/mile