Today was all about being happy in my own skin--running my own run and not causing more harm to my hamstring/groin.
I rode over to Tri-Cities with Diane (who placed 3rd in her age group @ 1:37) Becca & Nikki (who PR'ed with a 1:46) and Colleen (who wanted award for tallest or biggest boobs).
I love my friends.
It was actually a pretty perfect temperature, high 30's to low 40's. I enjoyed the course even though it was an out & back. We had a really nice run by the river. I mostly ran by "feel". I tried not to look at my watch and just listen to my body. I knew from the start that my upper leg/groin was going to bother me. But, it never hurt to the point of stopping and it didn't cramp up. It definitely slowed me down, but I knew going in that it would. The last 3 miles were very windy straight at us and cold, but I was close enough to done to not really care.
The bright side about today was:
*I finished....and considering I've only run 9 miles over the last two weeks, I'm happy with that
*I kept a steady pace from start to finish. I never felt like I needed to be done.
*People who passed me at the beginning were easy to pick off around mile 6, when I really find my "zone".
*I think I looked the same at mile 10 as I did at mile 1. That's not true for everyone, so I consider that a success.
*It does leave me to wonder if I "pushed" myself in a half---what could I accomplish? 1:45? 1:40.
*Once I tackle Boston, even if I have to hobble through most of it, I am really excited to commit to other activities. I swam 1/2 mile yesterday and really enjoyed it. I can't wait to go again.
So, I think I'm just going to have to resolve myself to continue training with a slight annoyance in my hamstring/groin. No more speedwork and I will add more crosstraining. Easy miles during the week and then a solid long run on the weekend. Only 7 more weeks until Boston!
My stats for today according to my garmin (because there was no chip)
13.2 miles 1:55:36--8:46 pace
No stops. One gel. One swig of water.
Great company.
Great job. What a pain to have that lingering groin pain. Hope it stays in the background!
ReplyDeleteAhh I knew I could count on you to update right away! Sounds like a very fun run and successful too. Glad your leg is hanging in there. Keep swimming, you know it's good for you. I need to get back in the pool myself:). Nice job, Boston is calling your name:).
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the half! Clearly your training is paying off since it sounds like you made out much better than expected.
ReplyDeleteI will be hoping you can keep that annoyance at bay and that it doesn't get in the way... take it easy!