Great morning for a race! Got up and had the usual GI issues before hand. I swear that it is an inevitable thing for me no matter what I do, but it did subside and I was hoping for a good time this morning. Several weeks ago, I decided to change up my training completely. Although my body can tolerate running a good amount of miles each week, it seemed to be working against me, rather than working for me. Over the past year, I have noticed that I just wasn't pulling good times in my races and was very disappointed with several of my marathons. Although my belly has been a big contributor to my slower times, I still think that I should have been feeling stronger going into the races, rather than feeling beaten down before I even toed the line. The cruel reality is, I am getting older. When I first started running, I was a few years younger and I had more time on my hands to recover from all that I was doing. I wasn't working a full time night shift on a busy hospital floor back then either. No matter what problem comes our way in life, we have to figure out a way to solve it or acclimate in such a way that we can overcome it. If it isn't working... then why keep doing it? It was time to take a chance so running and cross-training daily have become my routine for the last month or so. Two weeks ago, I pulled a great time in a very difficult mountain trail race and took 4th in my division. It was promising for me to see that I may be making some progress, but I couldn't be sure until I tested myself in my weakest event... the 5k. A little chilly this morning for me. I kept my hand tucked in my arm pits to keep them warm. I am pretty sure that I have Raynaud's Disease, a recent discovery and a total pain in the a**. It hurts. I forgot to bring some gloves with me. I could feel the odd numbness and tingling pain in my fingers. The course was laid out on paved walk-ways around the marina area. It twisted and turned a bit here and there which kept the mind busy but it really helped me mentally to push onward. My husband Dave was running with me today. My oldest son hurt his foot jumping around in the house the day before, so he sat on the sidelines with my youngest son. They were planning to walk some of the course together. I really had no clue where I was in the pecking order so I just ran as fast as I could. I had set my garmin for a somewhat conservative 7:30 pace just to help me not to go out too fast. When the race started, the first 1/4 mile, my watch said 6:20... oops. As I ran, I could see my husband ahead of me and I was gaining on him. When I passed him at a little over the mile mark, I was sure that he was right behind me. There was an out and back area on the course, and when I saw my husband running toward me as I was leaving that section, I was surprised. There was a woman ahead of me and I was determined not to let her beat me to the finish. She was slowing and I was holding pace then I passed her. As I approached the finish, I'm not sure why I didn't just book it. I held back a little... not sure why I did that. I still struggle at times with this feeling of fear. It's almost like I'm afraid to just let myself cut loose. Who knows what that means of what that is? Just another thing to work out, work on, and work through I guess. I had no high expectations going into this race today and it was wonderful to run across the finish line and find out that I had taken 2nd place in the women's division. I was only 30 seconds from the leader. I shaved off a whole minute from my best 5k time ever. Dave came in about a minute after me. I was presented with a $50 prize. Life is good!! My new training may very well be working and I am so happy about that!!! When I got home, I hit the gym for a 13 mile bike at moderate intensity and I felt great, but I did take a nap after! LOL! Happy running!!! | 