Rain II

Alright, already! I'm prepared should it rain on September 10th. Today I got completely drenched on my run. By 30 minutes into it, I was wringing out my pigtails. I also realized that I am not done learning. Does anyone else have that voice inside their head that says, "Ah, you're at the taper. Your race is already written. Kick back. You could probably even forget everything you've learned and be juuust fine. Shoot, you'd be fine even if you didn't do another workout until that day." HA! Don't listen to it!

So what did I learn today? I learned that I STILL could wreck my marathon. I did an out & back course for my two hour run, but took only 20 oz. of fluid. I heard the logical, sensible me saying, "Turn around at 1/2 hour and refill your bottle, then repeat that route for the second hour" while the illogical me prompted, "Keep going. You'll be fine. And the scenery is so much prettier when you only run over it twice instead of four times. Plus, think of all the raindrops splashing into your mouth. You're plenty hydrated."

So Peacemaker Me compromised; I turned around at 50 minutes - and was rationing fluids with 30 minutes left to go. Will I ever let this happen again? Nah...

Then I have my whole heart rate dilemna. I reworked my race plan today, updating it with all I've learned. On my run then, I was thinking that I should add my target heart rates for each portion of the race, something along the lines of...

Bike
Miles 1 - 80: No higher than 135 beats per minute
Miles 80 - 100: Can get up to 140
Miles 100 - 112: Up to 151

Run
Miles 1 - 25.2: No higher than 145
Last mile: Give it everything I have left

So I had this all worked out in my head, when I thought, "Na, I'll just trust myself. I won't get carried away. Why write the numbers down?" With me, writing = sticking to it. So some evil part of me doesn't want to stick to those low heart rates... Does anyone else get the impression that I want to sabotage my race?? I learned the "too fast" lesson 3 years ago... Ouch, painfully.

I was training for a marathon with the goal of qualifying for Boston. I needed to run a 3:40; my best time to date had a been 4 hours flat. That spring I stuck to the training plan like glue too, and was in fabulous shape - the best of my running career. I was even first place woman at a couple of smaller races. So the big day came, and I was bawling at the starting line. I went out at the gun and ran a 1:30 half-marathon (lifetime best). I thought, who needs a 3:40 when I could get a 3:00??

Do you see the handwriting on the wall?

I bonked. Hard. At mile 16, I told my husband to go to the finish line or I'd make him take me home. At mile 23, eight-minute miles would have still allowed me to qualify. But I didn't have them. I finished in 3:52 and told Chris to NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES let me EVER sign up for anything like that again.

So here I am... I need to remember the humility I learned that day. I have been my own worst enemy in the past, a traitor to my hard work and training. On September 10th, I vow to smell the roses that come at a slower pace - OK, it won't all be roses even then - but I will stick to those heart rates above. And finish. That is my goal.

End of story.