Week 8: racing again

One thing that I'm learning about marathon training is that you will always be exhausted. No matter how much sleep I get or how much I stay off my feet; I'm always tired. Hoping my body and mind can endure the next ten weeks. I just keep telling myself that crossing that finish line is worth all of the pain and agony I am feeling now. 

Started off the week doing my first race since April. I had no idea what to expect because my focus has been on endurance and not speed. The race started at 11:00, and it was supposed to be 90 degrees! YIKES! I suck in the heat. Kevin, Melissa, and I did a warm up run and got in a good stretch. We headed to the start line, and I said a quick prayer. I asked God to allow me to stay within myself and survive the heat. I felt good and was surprised that I ran the first mile in 8:36. Maybe, just maybe, I could still run fast. I decided to not look at my watch anymore after the first mile and run how my body felt. I was surprised with my time and pace at the finish. I guess my body is capable of much more than I think! 

The next day was just as warm, and Kristin and I took on another seven mile run. We both felt great on the way out but struggled on the way back in. After walking twice to get in a drink break, we finished the last mile strong. We beat our pace from the previous week by a minute. The little things that make you feel better after a long, tiring run. 

Since I had another race scheduled for Sunday, I got in two days of Insanity Max 30. These workouts kicked my butt and left my muscles sore. I did enjoy my time with Shaun T and my colleagues. There's nothing better than getting sweaty with Shaun and these two. 

Friday was a rest day before tackling 15 miles on Saturday morning. When I woke up, it was raining. Kristin and I were supposed to meet to do the first ten of my fifteen together. I sent her a quick text letting her know I understood if she wanted to cancel. She quickly texted back and said "we are doing this". So blessed to have this girl as my running buddy. We started off in the rain but luckily it stopped after about fifteen minutes. It's amazing how quickly the miles were passing by while we were lost in conversation and cooler temps. There were a couple of times we looked down and couldn't believe how fast we were going. We finished our ten miles, and Kevin joined me for the last five. I never realized how much I would treasure the miles that we log together. We're doing something we love with someone we love. The only thing I don't like is the fact that sometimes he pushes the pace without knowing it. I just do my best to keep up! At some points, we were running at a 9:36 pace. We finished our five miles at a 10:07 pace! I was impressed that I was able to do that after running ten miles. 

I wasn't sure how Sunday's 5k was going to go after running 15 on Saturday. I wore my recovery socks for most of the day and took a nice long soak in the bathtub. I was hoping that would be enough to allow me to finish the race at a decent pace. The only thing I had going for me was the fact that it was 50 degrees when I woke up. It's amazing how much of a difference 40 degrees can make. My friend, Monica, asked what my goal was for the race. I told her that I had no idea; I was just going to run how my body felt. Kristin, her friend, and I jogged a mile to the start line. My legs felt ok, so I was hoping to stay under a 9:00 pace. Once the cannon shot to get us started, I got lost in the music and crowd. My hamstrings tightened up around mile 2 as I was going up a small high. Once I started the downhill, they loosened up a little bit, and I was determined to stay under 9:00. I crossed the finished line a little bit faster than Monday. Not sure how I did it, but I did. Kevin was excited to be a cheerleader for the day and made signs  for me and my friends. After the race, we had a small tailgate party with food and mimosas. Perfect end to a great training week. 

Lesson learned this week: never underestimate yourself. Your body is able to accomplish so much more than you think!