Hey guys! Happy Monday! It's Memorial Day here in the US, so today we honor those who made the biggest sacrifice serving our country. I've joined in on a race many years in a row on this holiday, and today was no exception! You might have noticed I've been training for quite a while for this one. 😉
Well despite all my hard work leading up to this, I had quite a few obstacles that made just getting to the start line a challenge. A week ago my low back and hips started giving me some trouble, so I took off all last week from running to try to rest up. I also had a great sports massage with cupping to try to help, and an adjustment from the chiropractor. Both definitely helped, but I knew I wouldn't be quite 100%. Then yesterday I got hit with some stomach issues that left me quite depleted. When I woke up this morning I was on the fence whether or not it was even going to happen, but luckily after eating some breakfast and getting a super quick test run I knew I could at least try!
Though I was still a bit off riding to the race, the beautiful sky heading in was very calming. Having @dksart to support me helped, too, of course!
I actually started off with a pretty good pace. My back loosened up, so my stride settled in fairly well. However, the wheels started coming off soon after. I think I was a bit dehydrated even at the start, and as the weather warmed up my body started rebelling. Around mile 4 my stomach started cramping. By mile 5 I opted to walk for a bit to try to let it relax and take some fuel. After that I tried to alternate running and walking as I just got ridiculously fatigued. I took water at every station and just tried to cruise and listen to my body.
This was my slowest half ever, but I'm still pretty darn proud I gutted it out to finish! The course was beautiful, so I wish I had used my walk breaks to take some photos. The trail alternated between paved sections and a wooden boardwalk. Most of it was under tree cover, which did help with the heat a bit. Though the finish was a bit brutal as we had to jump on the hot track for the last 1,000 meters. My watchband broke as I was rounding the last curve. 🤷
Sometimes life just throws some curve balls. What can you do but roll with it, right? I'm feeling pretty well now, so hopefully the slow pace means I'll recover better than a fast finish. Time to rest up and then start working on the next goal and keep moving forward!
