Starting this blog with an excuse as to why I didn’t meet my weekly “blog to #TCSNYC” goal: 51 hours without power due to Hurricane Dorian gave me an appreciation of how dependant on electricity I am and of how lucky we are…period.
What a difference a week makes. It was an absolutely gorgeous Saturday run day and I’m back to a race recap with some experiences and lessons learned to put in my running toolkit. It is hard to believe that my marathon is 48 days away and frankly it’s scary too. I’ve been struggling a bit about this whole marathon thing as I had retired from full marathoning 3 years ago. I had settled into being very happy with working on half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks distances and at my senior master’s age, I’ve been getting some PBs! Totally OK with me:) The struggle is between the part of me doesn’t want to do a marathon distance again and the bigger part of me wants to run NYC. Therein lies my daily inner debate and that can be tiring!
Maritime Race Weekend is a regular event in my run calendar and this year I had Coastal 10K in my sights. I love this race weekend from the volunteering at race kit pick up to running a race. There’s a certain buzz that is contagious and you just can’t help but feel the running community vibe. There is a perfect balance of camaraderie and competition. Regardless of the weather (which you know can be any one of the 4 seasons in September), this event never fails to amaze me and feeds my runner soul. The spirit of Michelle Kempton with the magical backdrop of Fisherman’s Cove is pervasive and if you’ve not run it you must! Check it out here: https://www.maritimeraceweekend.com
….AND on top of everything I had been given permission to wing it from Coach as I am in a marathon build and this is by no means a goal race. Liberating ! But the Coastal 10K was only 10K race on my schedule this year and when I set my yearly goals in January I did put down a sub-50 minute 10 K. At that time, this felt like a lofty goal for me as I’ve not gotten close to my PB of 48:59 5 years ago. My average 10K results in the past couple of years has been around 52ish minutes (with one high 50 minute last year) and in January I had never cracked the 25 minute mark in a 5K.
With a “wing it” spirit I came up with what I “should” do to meet the goal and of course the just-in-case-there’s-a-PB-in-me plan. I also gave myself some mini goals of not walking at the trouble spots on the route and permission to pull waaaaay back if I felt a twinge. There is a bigger goal in mind for November 😉 Winging it was really about being pleased with effort and execution while being smart.
I lined up for the race after a pretty sucky warm up, despite having Amy for company and Coach reassuring me that not feeling good during a warmup is really OK. (Right…not quite sure about that!) Runners and supporters around me were super chatty; my watch was ready with my 3 laps, the sun was coming up and I was a bit too relaxed. The horn blasted and we were off.
Lap 1 (5K): My legs were moving smoothly and I kept on scanning the body for twinges….surprisingly nothing was whispering impending discomfort so I settled into the race plan. I was feeling pretty good and worked hard at reigning myself in. I did not want to blow up in the first 5K 😉 The first hill was slow but did not impact my overall pace and I finished the lap exactly where I wanted to be. Confidence began building especially for hitting the prescribed pace. I’ve been know for my “ish” paces…and there was no “ish” about this. I nailed this one! Lesson #1 for the day: Nothing beats being able to put a check mark next to a race plan to build confidence for the rest of the race and in this case reigning in my pace DID give me the legs & lungs required for Lap 2.
Lap 2 (3K): I was still feeling pretty good, but I knew this is where the real work happens. It was getting difficult to keep the pace, but I was ready for the work. I kept glancing at my watch and saw that I was close to PB territory and this was exciting me. It did get tough and didn’t a runner stop right in front of me at the exact spot that I’ve been known to take a break…. argh! I needed something to snap me out of wanting to stop with her, so I muttered a “you got this”, passed her and desperately looked for something to distract me from this temptation.
The sun was rising at our backs and all of a sudden THE SHADOW appeared…and it wasn’t mine. I began to realize that the shadow was running with me step for step. When I sped up the shadow sped up, when I slowed down, the shadow slowed down. Distraction presented itself to me so I made the decision that I was not going to let the shadow pass me. Before I knew it my watch was buzzing me into the 3rd lap and my pace under the 50 minute goal but not quite in PB territory. Lesson #2 for the day: You don’t need to look far to find good distractions and make them work for you….but you still have to look!
Lap 3 (2K): Then it got real. The 9th K has tiny little bit of a hill that feels like a mountain regardless the distance your racing. The teensy negative thoughts crept in, but the SHADOW was consistently there pushing me. The pace slowed and the heart rate soared going up that hill and by the time I could compose myself, Fisherman’s Village was within ear shot. I was NOT going to miss that sub 50. The SHADOW wasn’t enough, so I conjured up Coach Erin stomping on that pain box, repeated over and over again the MRW mantra “Dig Deep” and just ran as fast as I could. My watch buzzed for the 10K….and I wasn’t at the finish line….soooo
MRW supplied tattoo ❤️ 
A permanent look ?
Lap 4 (90m) OK normally I don’t count these little overages, but today I am for a couple of reasons. 1). I was done and somehow my legs were still moving. I could hear the crowds and Coach. All the motivation necessary for that last spurt. 2) I will never have a lap that is that fast again and it is now recorded in Strava ! Lesson #3: Keeping a bit in the tank for the finish is always a good thing! Each one of my laps was faster than the previous one….and I didn’t die !
So a successful race day of a 49:34. My fastest on this course and my fastest since my PB 5 years ago. I have the most awesome Coach who reminded me that I was even closer to the PB than I thought due to the extra 90m, but even more, that it was a PB day after all. I ran at a faster pace than my 5KPB pace over twice the distance! To reward me for this accomplishment, she has made my training paces more challenging….and yes that is a reward🤪
So who’s winning that inner debate about this upcoming marathon? Well the scales have decidedly tipped to a “woohoo”! How can it not with a boost from the #SeniorMasterRunners-can-improve camp topped with the inspiration about the race itself in “Brittany Runs A Marathon”. If you haven’t seen it yet….it’s a must ! Click here for a little preview🏃♀️🏃♀️
