The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”
It has been quite a while since I’ve posted but I have been keeping up with my running schedule. School starting back up seems to help a little. With the kids on a more structured schedule, there are fewer cancelled runs.
Early in the month, I did the Awesome 80’s 10k in Pasadena! It was fun but a little disorganized. It started about a half hour after it was supposed to, which wouldn’t have been terrible but, I showed up an hour and 15 minutes before the 10k gun was set to fire so I could meet with the BGR Group. Parking issues forced me to miss the group photo, which was the main reason I showed up early. Otherwise, I would have been happy just to meet the girls. So I was there for almost 2 hours before I got to run!
I had fueled up with 2 bananas before I hit the registration tables. Typically, that’s a lot of food for me but carbs burn quickly so by the time I was belly up to the Start Line, I was already hungry again. Starting a run properly fueled is Job One! And the lack of it could be the difference between an OK run and a GREAT one!!!
It was CRAZY hot out there but so many people were dressed for the event! It was fun.
This race was extra special because it was my 40th Birthday present to myself. I turned 40 the next day. This is a BIG deal on many levels but turning 40 means I get bumped up into another age group. This could be exciting.
I’m looking forward to this new phase. Don’t get me wrong, by no means am I saying that the 40-45 Women’s age group is a piece of cake! These ladies are no joke! They are crazy competitive. But as I move further and further into this age group, my children will become more independent and I will be able to make running more of a priority.
Also, I will be more focused on the mechanics of running. In so doing, running will likely become more beneficial for me. Gone are the days where I can run without stretching. Gone are the days when I will run without proper fuel. Gone are the days where I will run through injury. All of this means I will be more careful and aware of what my body is doing.
Getting older forces you to take better care of yourself. There will be fewer late nights, fewer missed doctor’s appointments and no more overlooking aches and pains…. That pain could mean something now and I’ll be getting it checked out.
This race taught me a few things (or *reminded* me of a few things, I should say. They were things I already knew):
First, 6+ miles is a long distance run for me. I know many people who run more than 10 to 20 miles every time they go out, but that’s not me, and there’s no shame in that. It’s just a fact: 6 miles is a long distance.
Secondly, fuel and hydration are key! Duh! Yes, I know this. We all know this. But it’s easy to get into the habit of expecting the race coordinators to have well supplied aid stations during an organized run. This wasn’t the case here. The 5k runners got to go first and the supplies were completely diminished by the time the 10k runners were on the course. I should have replaced my calories at mile 4 but I didn’t. That was on me, but I should have been able to get fresh water on the course by then. The Gatorade I had in my fuel belt was completely gone and the aids stations were tapped out. This was *very* disappointing and the last 2 miles were pretty rough.
Thirdly, 90+ degrees is hot!!! It was 92 degrees by the time we were able to get running and that is HOT!!! The 10k was scheduled to start at 9am, which is on the late side for an organized run AND this one started late so it was nearly noon when many of the runners were finished and it was burning up by then. Extreme heat is another thing that can make difference between pleasure and torture.
And finally, this race taught me that I am responsible for my racing experience. While all of these things might be a bummer, it was completely within my power to combat all of them. And next time I will. Sure, it’s nice when race coordinators have their sh_t together, but it’s not their job to make my race worth running. That’s all on me.
I have another 10k race on October 6th and a Half on the 21st….. I’ll keep in touch!
Now, on to the Run!:
September 1st – 6.36 Mile Run – Awesome 80’s 10K
September 4th – 3.06 Mile Run
September 7th – 7.38 Mile Run
September 8th – 3.36 Mile Run
September 11th – 3.87 Mile Run
September 15th – 3.38 Mile Run
