Redemption was on my mind as I began my warmup at the Blessing of the Fleet in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Last year with temperatures above ninety and the humidity close to one hundred my body couldn't handle the conditions. I would over heat around mile four and my blood sugar was a disaster, started out above my set range and finished below my set range. It was easily the worse race I had ever run, I shouldn't have finished a ten mile race in over two hours. Yes I finished but I wasn't prepared and that is what hurt the most.
This year my body was ready and having a group of supporters helped more than anything. Being able to ride to the start with my parents meant a lot, it put me at ease. I was able to be my usual goofy self as we rode up, that allowed me to not think about the race which is huge. Then as I was stretching and doing my warmup I saw Kates grandparents, these two amazing people that have lived in the area all of their lives but had never been to the race. It added a little bit of pressure but to say goodbye to them and then run a couple miles to the start was so nice. It also helped that Kate was with them and gave me the amazing fiance you'll kick ass pre race speech.
At the start my nerves got to me, I was thinking about last year but stopped and said "You ran a 50k, you're worried about ten miles?? Are you kidding me!! Go do what you do and you'll be fine." I was right, for all the runs done without a watch racing with a watch was the best thing ever. I knew that I wanted to run the first mile in nine minutes, peeking at my watch I could see my pace and finished the first mile in 8:47, exactly where I wanted to be. I felt amazing as the miles started to go by, I hit mile five at 42 minutes which was right where I need to be.
It wasn't until mile eight that I hit a little speed bump, I had not had anything to eat or drink until that point, I figured I could make the entire race with just a gel at mile five. With my stomach being off I was afraid of the gel and it caught up to me, I would have my gel and some water at mile eight and it helped me get to the finish but mile eight and nine were run at 9:34 and 10:16 respectively which messed with my time a little. I was able to have a nice little kick for the last mile and finished just over 1:30:00.
Compared to last year it was a great race, my blood sugar was absolutely perfect after the race. As I changed for a nice dinner with everyone that came to support me I started to feel a little off. My stomach was a mess and running probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. I paid the price for running that night and all weekend, I got to know my bed a lot better but I'm back to normal and happy with the way I ran. I've been asked numerous times why I ran, the answer is simple, it's not going to kill me. Yes it hurt and I felt like crap for a couple days but did I put my life in danger? No, you learn more from the pain and the struggle than you would if you only ran or did things when you felt good. The pain helps, you learn more about yourself in those times than you will when things are good. I got my revenge on the race and I'm ready for a 50k in October or November!!
This year my body was ready and having a group of supporters helped more than anything. Being able to ride to the start with my parents meant a lot, it put me at ease. I was able to be my usual goofy self as we rode up, that allowed me to not think about the race which is huge. Then as I was stretching and doing my warmup I saw Kates grandparents, these two amazing people that have lived in the area all of their lives but had never been to the race. It added a little bit of pressure but to say goodbye to them and then run a couple miles to the start was so nice. It also helped that Kate was with them and gave me the amazing fiance you'll kick ass pre race speech.
At the start my nerves got to me, I was thinking about last year but stopped and said "You ran a 50k, you're worried about ten miles?? Are you kidding me!! Go do what you do and you'll be fine." I was right, for all the runs done without a watch racing with a watch was the best thing ever. I knew that I wanted to run the first mile in nine minutes, peeking at my watch I could see my pace and finished the first mile in 8:47, exactly where I wanted to be. I felt amazing as the miles started to go by, I hit mile five at 42 minutes which was right where I need to be.
It wasn't until mile eight that I hit a little speed bump, I had not had anything to eat or drink until that point, I figured I could make the entire race with just a gel at mile five. With my stomach being off I was afraid of the gel and it caught up to me, I would have my gel and some water at mile eight and it helped me get to the finish but mile eight and nine were run at 9:34 and 10:16 respectively which messed with my time a little. I was able to have a nice little kick for the last mile and finished just over 1:30:00.
Compared to last year it was a great race, my blood sugar was absolutely perfect after the race. As I changed for a nice dinner with everyone that came to support me I started to feel a little off. My stomach was a mess and running probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. I paid the price for running that night and all weekend, I got to know my bed a lot better but I'm back to normal and happy with the way I ran. I've been asked numerous times why I ran, the answer is simple, it's not going to kill me. Yes it hurt and I felt like crap for a couple days but did I put my life in danger? No, you learn more from the pain and the struggle than you would if you only ran or did things when you felt good. The pain helps, you learn more about yourself in those times than you will when things are good. I got my revenge on the race and I'm ready for a 50k in October or November!!
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