I ran the 10K at Hartwell Dam (which is on the GA/SC state line) on Saturday and it wasn't good...
Oh it started out good...I woke up on time (5 am), felt good...got my bag packed, packed the cooler with water & fruit for the 2 hr drive there and 2 hr drive back...
The sun came up around 6 o'clock and I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day...I got to the Dam in plenty of time to do stretches and walk around, find the potty's and just mingle around...there was around probably 400- 500 people signed up..talked to some..most of them were doing the 5k...but I figured I would be alright since there seemed to be a big crowd of people my age...then they called for the 5K'ers to get on the bus to go to the top of the dam which was the half way for the 10k...after 5-6 busses pulled out that left the 10Kers...around 150 people left...and let me tell you...I knew I was in trouble...these people were hard core runners...most looked like marathon runners....all those people my age were on the busses to do the 5k...everyone kept looking at me to see if I had missed the bus..but no I told them I was doing the 10k...I think I saw pity in their eyes...I started to worry but I knew I would finish this thing if I had to walk it...
The race started on the road and it was flat and even had a nice down hill.
I stayed with the pack for the first mile and half and then the incline started....now I have no problem running on the flat or downhill but for some reason the incline pulls on that hamstring...I swear to you this incline was over 3 miles long..I kept telling myself (as I fell back from the pack) that I could make up my time on the down side once we got to the top...I mean if something goes up doesn't it make sense that it will eventually have to go down...NOT...there never was a down hill except at the first of the race....I just couldn't get my mind into pushing myself...all I could hear was my mantra...."just wait for the downhill". Everyone kept passing me...even the one old man that I had secretly laughed at at the beginning of the race because he was doing a shuffle run and was probably in his 80's...(don't ever laugh at these guys it will bite you in the ass in the end)...I just couldn't get myself to run..I would run a little then walk (I did this for at least 3 miles of the race). I kept looking behind to make sure I wasn't the last one, there were some walkers way behind me and even they were catching up. We ran over the top of the dam...it was cool looking down but I wasn't really the mood to enjoy it I just kept waiting for a down hill...even the flat seemed like it was on a slight incline. I did run in the last 1/2 mile because I refuse to walk over the finish line..but by that time most of the runners had finished at least 15 mins before me and they were all wandering around on the path and you couldn't even tell where the finish line was.. I kept asking "where is the finish" and they would point me in the right direction...it was just like my nightmares before the race where I get lost and can't find the race...but I did finish...my time was 1:11:23 (I hate to even put it here).
In looking back..I wish I could do the race over...this time I would be mentally prepared...I feel that I let myself down...I know I could have done better..I have run with more pain than I did in this race...
I hear Moanin' Mona and Evil Eva telling me all kinds of excuses...I know that if there were more people running ...like 1000 I wouldn't have felt so out of it...I would have been able to push myself more...I basically gave up on myself and I don't like doing that....I'm thinking that I will go back to the dam and altho I can't do the exact run (because the first half was on the road) I could at least run the last half over the dam and then back...altho that wouldn't take me on the killer incline at least maybe I will feel better about myself...I know I can do this...I will not get discouraged...
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3 comments:
Every runner ends up with a race like this. I think we all need one to keep in our back pocket to remind ourselves of when things stunk, but we still finished. Mine was the Champlain 15K. I was the LAST one to cross the finish line. And the WORST time in the entire race's history - seriously. Worse than that - they didn't want to start the raffle until everyone had finished, so the WHOLE RACE was waiting for me at the end going "hurry UP!"
I could have DIED!!!!
But I finished, dagnabbit! You finished! And you will have it to look back on and motivate yourself. Trust me, everyone has one. :)
Wow - just that you go out and do it is a most wonderous thing - don't be hard on yourself - you did it, you finished - you are amazing. Hugs to you.
Hamstring injuries suck. There's a reason professional athlete's take time off for them. As always, I'm proud of you for finishing. Plus, you and I both know, you totally would've beat me.
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