02/15/10 - 02/21/10 - Week Total: 30.5 miles
My long runs normally dictate my writings. As I go and hit the road, dozens of topics or ideas on how to describe my running week come to mind. I usually get several blog titles, but one always shines over the others. That has been the case, week after week, year after year, with very few exceptions. Like this past weekend, when I ended up with A Blank Mind.
The distance: a 15 miler. The course: pretty much known. The setting: A race. The temperature: Started at 36F/2C, ended at 48F/9C. The Sun: In all its splendor. The clouds: Absent. The Rain: Nonexistent.
And there I go with members of a running club, ALL very fast runners, to prove myself that in race conditions I am able to improve my pace.
And without knowing I was in mile 5. I don't remember what happened in the first third of the race, or what my mind had in it. All of a sudden I found myself in the place where we did the turn around at a 10-mile race organized a month ago by the same club. This time, we continued for 2.5 miles to turn around in the half mark. From 5 to 6.5 I only remember I felt very strong. It was a little bit hilly (nothing remarkably hilly, but not flat) and I felt that my legs and heart could not be in a better situation. At mile 6.5 I started to slow down but still felt good. No thoughts until I got to 7.5 miles and was the time to turn around.
At mile 8 - a water station - a lady that had been running close to me all the time told me "come on". We ran together for half a mile until I noticed my right shoelace was loose (thing that never happens to me and I tend to criticize). Lost my thoughts again when I found myself between mile 10 and 12 completely falling apart. Literally. And in top of that I was very thirsty. I was drinking at every water station 1 cup of water, but I felt I needed to connect a hose to my mouth. At the 12th mark I improved a bit and got a surge at mile 13, don't know how, and suddenly I was finishing the race. I tried to sprint as I use to, but didn't have too much strength.
What happened throughout the race and why I was blank most of it, is beyond me!
Overall, I ran at a better pace (11:12) that my long runs training pace (11:21), and faster than my Half marathon the weekend before (11:32)... And as my first 15-mile race... it is a PR.
Splits:
1 - 10:05
2 - 10:33
3 - 10:59
4 - 10:36
5 - 10:37
6 - 10:57
7 - 11:45
8 - 11:09
9 - 10:54
10- 11:05
11 - 12:06
12 - 12:21
13 -11:48
14 - 10:52
15 - 11:40
4 comments:
Congrats on a fine 15-miler and a PR!!
Strange, though, that you have no recollection of the first 5 miles. Maybe you forgot to drink early in the race? Dehydration may have contributed to your "falling apart" late in the race. Whatever, I think you will also be setting a half marathon PR soon as well :-)
Sometimes I feel like my brain is just dying to shut off and not have to worry about anything, figure anything out, think about anything.... Maybe you just need a shut down and reboot. :)
Great job on the race!
Congrats again!
AND I did update the runningmates site!
I am looking forward to June!
Well done on the PR first girl, and way to go on upping the pace over that distance. I get that spacing out thing too sometimes - not sure why it happens.
ShirleyP may be right though - it might be dehydration all along?
Keep it up girl - your progress is stellar!
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