How NOT to Do What I Did

Dear Friends, 

This post is a "How Not to Race Well" if you will as yesterday's Lucky Clover 10K didn't go so spectacularly. 

Saturday morning I walked the dog, rode my bike to yoga and took a fabulous 1h 15 min class. After baking a chocolate cake for the manfriend (easy peasy recipe) and doing some studying, I needed a serious nap by 3 p.m. 

The manfriend went to run some errands and I told him to be back by 4:15 so we could leave for the 5 p.m. race. Well, I ended up sleeping until exactly 4:15 when he walked in the door... 

I woke up, scarfed down a piece of chocolate cake (due to paranoia that I needed some more fuel in me) and groggily threw on my running clothes. 

We were on the road by 4:30, but I was pretty nervous we'd be cutting it close. And we did. I bailed out of the truck 12 min until race time as the manfriend found a place to park. 

I opted to run the 5K road first because there is a decent hill you have to run over and back and wanted to get it outta the way. Mile 1: 7:57, Mile 2: 7:20, Mile 3: 7:40 (who have liked to keep this pace)

Within the first mile, I could tell my stomach was still attempting to process the cake, which wasn't exactly conducive to running fast. The next two didn't feel great, but I kept pushing. At the halfway mark, you come back to the start area where you do a little transition loop and head out to the trail. 

The second half was much worse than the first. Parts were muddy and rocky and my stomach was even rockier. By mile 4, I was wondering if I might vomit so I didn't push the pace. 

The frustrating part was that I could tell my legs could have pushed harder, but the rest of my body just couldn't. 

Mile 4: 8:04, Mile 5: 8:24, Mile 6: 8:48.

The last mile was pretty slippery, but fun and had me reminiscing of all those fun trail races I've done. So happy to be finished. Possibly the first time I didn't touch an ounce of post race food or drink. 

Somehow (thanks to the Luck of the Irish  it being a small race), I came away with a third place medal for my age bracket with my 49:57 finish. In fact, nearly our whole running group won awards!

Oh, and I voluntarily did an Irish jig (my own rendering) in front of the crowd and won a $20 gift certificate to use for a future race - #winning!

Disclaimer: The race itself was great, but when your stomach isn't cooperating and you're half asleep, it's hard to appreciate the details to their fullest. Eclectic Edge, as always, put on another well organized, unique and fun running opportunity. 

I was also lucky enough to meet Raina of Small Town Runner who lives about an hour outside of Eugene. She was volunteering at the finish line. 

Raina is just coming off two full weeks of rest from running to heel an injury. We all know how mentally painful not running can be. 

So in case you're wondering, my tips for how to avoid this in the future would be... 

Tip 1: Don't overdo it on race day.
Tip 2: Opt for a 20 min power nap instead of a sleep fest.
Tip 3: Don't eat within 90 min of a race, especially one that is less than 10 miles. 
Tip 4: Get to the race at least 30 min prior so you can get your bib, warm up and pee with no stress. 

To make up for a less than stellar feeling race, we met some friends for a cold beverage at the new Plank Town Brewing Co. in Springfield. It definitely gets two thumbs up in my book for good food, beverages, friendly staff and atmosphere.

Happy St. Patty's Day! Hope you're wearing your green! Is anyone doing anything fun to celebrate? I'll be studying because nothing says party like taking notes on A&P!