Are races sort of like childbirth? (I've never birthed a child so I can't say for sure.) Does the exhilaration of a finishing a race make you forget anything that might have sucked about the race itself - hills, heat, bumpy road, or just the fact that you were running for 13.1 miles? The runner's high is so intense that by the time that shiny finisher's medal is hanging from your neck, you're already geeked about next year's race.
Last weekend I ran Dexter-Ann Arbor for my third year in a row. Because I'd run it twice already, you'd think I'd remember how tough it is but for some reason I'd blocked it out. I knew the last mile was rough but somehow I forgot just how tough. And long. I swear it's somehow farther than a regular mile! I also forgot that there are other hills besides that last mile. Ah well.
I decided to run with the 1:35 pace group, led by the winner of the Martian 1/2 Marathon. He ran that in 1:12 so this was just a jog in the park for him! My goal was to run with the group for most of the race and then break away near the end to finish ahead of the team. That plan fell apart pretty quickly. I stayed with them for the first 2 miles but by mile 3 I wanted to go ahead. I'm just not used to running with a group! I struck up a conversation with another runner and we broke away from the team. Because I tend to run faster when I get talking, we picked up the pace and the next 5 miles passed pretty quickly. At that point, my heart rate was over 190 and I knew I couldn't sustain that pace for the rest of the race. I slowed down and grabbed a sip of water at the next station. 5 miles to go.
My new goal was to not let the pace leader pass me. With 2 miles to go I heard him behind me. That's when the race really gets tough. It's all uphill, there was a headwind, and I was tired. Before I knew it, he was racing ahead of me and there was no way I could catch up. He'd made great time, though, because surprisingly I finished just under our 1:35 time. My pace was 7:15/mile, which was 15 seconds per mile better than last year's time. Woot woot!
So, as I was running those last 5 miles, I was thinking about how glad I am that I'm not running another half until September, how challenging this race is, how sore my legs were, how much I don't want to run my marathon if I can't even handle picking up the pace at mile 13, yada yada, yada. And then I crossed the finish line, saw my time, and all those thoughts were gone and I couldn't wait to run this race again next year. And yes, when I do I'll still wonder how that last mile is so damn long!
TimeI decided to run with the 1:35 pace group, led by the winner of the Martian 1/2 Marathon. He ran that in 1:12 so this was just a jog in the park for him! My goal was to run with the group for most of the race and then break away near the end to finish ahead of the team. That plan fell apart pretty quickly. I stayed with them for the first 2 miles but by mile 3 I wanted to go ahead. I'm just not used to running with a group! I struck up a conversation with another runner and we broke away from the team. Because I tend to run faster when I get talking, we picked up the pace and the next 5 miles passed pretty quickly. At that point, my heart rate was over 190 and I knew I couldn't sustain that pace for the rest of the race. I slowed down and grabbed a sip of water at the next station. 5 miles to go.
My new goal was to not let the pace leader pass me. With 2 miles to go I heard him behind me. That's when the race really gets tough. It's all uphill, there was a headwind, and I was tired. Before I knew it, he was racing ahead of me and there was no way I could catch up. He'd made great time, though, because surprisingly I finished just under our 1:35 time. My pace was 7:15/mile, which was 15 seconds per mile better than last year's time. Woot woot!
So, as I was running those last 5 miles, I was thinking about how glad I am that I'm not running another half until September, how challenging this race is, how sore my legs were, how much I don't want to run my marathon if I can't even handle picking up the pace at mile 13, yada yada, yada. And then I crossed the finish line, saw my time, and all those thoughts were gone and I couldn't wait to run this race again next year. And yes, when I do I'll still wonder how that last mile is so damn long!
1:34:58
Pace
7:15/mile
Fuel
Get Ready / Mayer Hawthorne
All the Time / The Strokes
Beanbag Chair / Yo La Tengo
Bulletproof / La Roux
Dear Rosemary / Foo Fighters
Little Numbers / Boy
You Called Me / Mayer Hawthorne
We Come Running / Youngblood Hawke
The Edge of Glory / Lady Gaga
Change / Churchill
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) / Kelly Clarkson
Mercy / Duffy
Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups
We Found Love / Rihanna
I Will Wait / Mumford & Sons
I'm Shakin' / Jack White
Hurts Like Heaven / Coldplay
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor / Arctic Monkeys
Crushcrushcrush / Paramore
Kick Drum Heart / The Avett Brothers
Under Cover of Darkness I / The Strokes
One More Night / Maroon 5
Work Around It / Them Swoops
Blood for Poppies / Garbage
Chop and Change / The Black Keys
Can't Hold Us / Macklemore
Love the Way You Lie (ft. Rihanna) / Eminem
Beanbag Chair / Yo La Tengo
Bulletproof / La Roux
Dear Rosemary / Foo Fighters
Little Numbers / Boy
You Called Me / Mayer Hawthorne
We Come Running / Youngblood Hawke
The Edge of Glory / Lady Gaga
Change / Churchill
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) / Kelly Clarkson
Mercy / Duffy
Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups
We Found Love / Rihanna
I Will Wait / Mumford & Sons
I'm Shakin' / Jack White
Hurts Like Heaven / Coldplay
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor / Arctic Monkeys
Crushcrushcrush / Paramore
Kick Drum Heart / The Avett Brothers
Under Cover of Darkness I / The Strokes
One More Night / Maroon 5
Work Around It / Them Swoops
Blood for Poppies / Garbage
Chop and Change / The Black Keys
Can't Hold Us / Macklemore
Love the Way You Lie (ft. Rihanna) / Eminem
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