It was a gutsy move. But as they say, no guts no glory - and for me, no regrets. After my finish time at National, I was so curious to see if I could repeat it. So as I found a place to start at the Dismal Swamp Stomp, I noticed a guy holding a 1:45:00 pace group sign. This essentially means he would plan to run the race at exactly 8 min/miles and help guide runners to a 1:45 finish. This was a pretty optimistic goal, but I decided to start with that group and see what happened.
Me near the start (I'm in the pink shorts)
I was doing great in the beginning! I even got a little bit ahead of them for awhile. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but by the time I noticed I had lost them I was already far enough ahead to just stay where I was. But then I just hit a wall, something that I think most runners will say has happened to them at least once in a race. I'm not sure exactly what caused it, but it was getting a bit windy, it was warmer than any other race I've run so far (which isn't saying a lot), and very humid. Those horrible storms with tornadoes were starting to roll in, and even though we beat them, it was still a little bit intimidating for fear the rain would start.
That's the clock time. My official time was 1:48:31, which is very exciting!
By the time I made it to the finish, I was pretty rough - to the extent that I attracted the attention of the medical team and struggled to stand. Ouch. I told them I was fine and eventually got a little laugh out of them when I was asked how I felt and responded with "like I just ran a half marathon." And my parents were there to greet me at the end! I had these tshirts made and the three of us all wore them (though i raced in an Under Armour wicking shirt). It's so cool to get to see my mom enjoying the challenge and seeing how much we care about her.
Some of you are probably saying that this challenge isn't about time, and you're right. Because for you, it's not. I'd hope the people reading this blog will be just as excited to help cure psoriatic arthritis if I run a 6 minute mile or a 12 minute mile. But for me, it's a way to prove that I'm trying and all these efforts are worth it. As the April to June race schedule gets crazy, I'll probably decide to take them easier. But this was very fun to push myself. Don't you all know by now that I like a good challenge?
The only slightly bad news: about an hour after the race, I went to put weight on my right foot and felt horrible pain. After hobbling around for a few days, I decided to be safe and went to an urgent care center to get an X-ray. The good news is my foot looks perfectly fine and I should be good to run Nashville on April 30. They did give me this lovely shoe to help keep my foot flat and let it recover. I'm taking some time off from running right now, but I usually do that anyway after a race so it's not a big deal. Then I'll be back better than ever!
I hadn't been home since December, so it was great to spend a weekend in Virginia Beach. My parents and I had so much fun, and I ate all my favorite foods, which I'm ashamed to admit includes Bojangles. Really though, how can you not love it? I love DC, but I'll always have a huge love for my hometown and cherish the weekends I get to visit.
There will be more posts to follow specifically about this, but wow. My friends are great. We have raised almost a thousand dollars already, which will match to two thousand dollars! Please keep spreading the word and following us on Twitter and Facebook. My next race is April 30 in Nashville, so if you happen to be running it or have advice let me know.
Is it wrong that I want the Bojangles and not the hot and humid run? You're the best...keep up the good work!
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