This is the first post where I don’t quite know where to begin. Let's start with the bad.... well, not really bad but definitely not the highlight I want to be talking about. My right knee started to bother me Thursday night while I was swimming. Every kick produced a sharp pain on the inside of my right knee. I figured it was just sore from the track workout the night before so I decided to ice it Thursday night, all day Friday (even while at work) and I scrapped my Friday long ride. After a full 2 days rest, it felt better and I felt a little more confident in racing this half marathon.
Here's the part that's not bad or good... Since the race started at 7am, I had to wake up literally at the crack of dawn to get Olliedog out so she could do her business and get myself ready. (** side note my Spanish speaking groomer told me they call Olive, Aceituna because that’s the actual translation of Olive from English to Spanish- too funny) Met BLT by the subway and we started our trip up to da Bronx. Got there with plenty of time to use the porta potties, drop our bags off and stretch which was really great. Didn’t feel pressured or stressed at all. I didn’t have any pre-race nerves, I just wanted to run!
BLT was planning on running a faster time so I tried to stick with her for about 2 miles then I dropped off. We don’t call her Buff Little Thang for nothing! So yeah, the first 2 miles were faster than I had planned but I didn’t feel like I was going too, too hard. I just felt like I needed to back off in order to feel strong at miles 10-13.
The Bronx course is basically all rolling hills. There’s no real steep ones but there’s long gradual climbs which I kinda like. My legs felt super strong going uphill (maybe all that biking is paying off!) and I wasn’t breathing too hard. I was trying to keep my pace around an 845 so I knew a 1:52 finish was out of the question. I was completely confident that I could run a 1:55 though.
Honestly, the race went by so fast. I was feeling good and feeling like I was pushing it but not so hard that I would blowup at the end. The last 2 miles I decided to push the pace a little more and I finished strong. But when I looked at my watch for the final time I saw 1:57!! huh?!?! So I was a little disappointed. Ok, maybe more than a little disappointed. I really, truly thought I could go 1:55. Not sure what exactly happened out there but I am glad I finished strong and I definitely felt like I could have gone at that pace for more miles. I guess that’s a good thing and a confidence booster for Chicago.
My knee held up fine so I think it just needed an extra day of rest before the race. Both my IT bands are sore especially the right one so I’m sure that has something to do with the knee pain. I’m gonna work with my torture device tonight, ahem, I mean foam roller then I might schedule an appointment with the head torturer himself, my chiropractor to have him work on them before my 18 miler this coming weekend.
The good news is that I swam my longest distance yet in the pool @ 2800 yds! I started off not feeling too great but focused on my form, lived in the “now” and I got my workout done. I checked my overall time and surprisingly it was faster than my 2700 yds I did last week. I hope I counted all those laps right! For anyone that cares, 800 yds equals 48 laps in my 50 foot pool. Yeah, I had to really concentrate on my counting as well as my form! I’m still a far cry from 4225 yards (2.4 miles) but I’m getting closer and closer!
I’m really looking forward to the Mighty Hamptons Olympic Tri in September. I really hope that I can keep my swimming anxiety down like I did in the NYC Tri and get the swim done in a speedy time :) I’m also looking forward to the bike! I never thought I would fall in love with biking but I really have. My Jamis Comet road bike has been treating my very well. Even though I like seeing all the Tri Bike Porn at races, I know my Comet is the best bike for me, especially with the the hills of Lake Placid looming in the distance!
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