National Run Day

Today is National Run day. In Houston it is also the opening day of the lottery for the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Half Marathon. I have a big decision to make and it is kind of blowing my mind, I didn't think I would be thinking about running a FULL marathon so soon. In December I ran my first half and hated it! I ran a great 10k, struggled thru the next 4 miles and spent the mile from 10 to 11 cursing myself for doing it. The last 2 miles I screamed at myself to pull it together that under no circumstance was I going to not finish and low and behold I crossed the finish just under the 3 hour mark, however the goal was 2:40ish. I went back to the hotel that day and swore to my husband that he had won (oh yea he's not a run fan) that I would never run another half marathon, that from here out 10k's were my game. 3 maybe 4 days later I signed up for not 1 but 2 more halfs, a series. So yet again I booked a motel and found a family friendly place to take the fam and went off to erase my first disastrous half off the books. Only this time I hit the wall yet again at the 10 mile mark, or so I thought. Come to find out after I finished (about a minute and a half faster that last time) that due to the course not being marked properly I had actually run about .80 miles longer than a half. In reality it was about the 11 mile mark that I began cursing my unwise choice to do this to myself again. Except this when it was over I was left this feeling that I really had something to prove. No way was I going to leave 3 hours as my half mark. My best 10 miler is just at 2 hours, no way I was I going to believe that those last 3.1 miles takes me an hour, I really needed to fix that. So on my 3rd attempt, on the same but corrected course as my 2nd half, I did it. I made the list, these are the things that went right, these are the things that need to be fixed (not went wrong, they just didn't work) and I worked out a new race plan. My nutrition was off, I was running the first half too fast, I wasn't listening to my body, I needed to break in new shoes, at mile 8 I need to pee so by 10 I don't feel like I am about to explode. And then I went out to work things out. As far a nutrition goes, I have always been on the cusp of diabetes, so I am very aware of how much sugar and what kind of sugars I am putting into my body. I trend towards honeys and splenda, stevia, and sorbitol. I love Nuun and try to keep away from Gateraide but I have learned that this practice while running has been holding my body back. Somewhere in the middle of the half I would need to take in actual sugar. I was also using the Stinger honey waffles for fuel, turns out it wasn't enough. I tried out a few different gels and on one long run, at the 1 hour mark I sucked down a Clif Mocha, and about 15 minutes later my mind cleared out of that fuzzy groggy been running for an hour mode. So this is why people dig these, that was IT I found my nutrition. And then the actual race day came. I had learned a few things from the past race, location wise, since this is the second in the series there were some stead fast things that would be the same. Like limited parking, left the hotel early found a great spot just  along side the finish line. The last race had only had 300 women runners and this one was going to be about 1200 male and female runners, with the long lines at the porta-potties at the last race, I lined up early to get that business out of the way. 40 minutes before the race I drank my cup of applesauce (yep, I jumped on that bandwagon, turns out the fiber in it keeps me from getting the ever loving runners trots) and began my water sipping routine but not too much, mile 8 was the goal before I had to pee not 6. I lined up further back closer to the walkers too avoid that rush of going out too fast. I was pumped, 3rd times a charm and all. I kept it easy for the first 6 miles, and then let it rip for the next few, at mile 8 I had to pee but the lines were too long, next cans weren't until mile 10, I kept up tempo making it to 10 at the 2 hour mark and then stopped to take my break. Things people don't talk about when it comes to running, your bottoms go on much easier when you are dry, once they are soaked with sweat and you body is sticky they come back up about as well as a rolled up bathing suit might. Runners trots are a real thing, as I witnessed this by the fact that someone who hit the can before me shit on the floor of the potra-potty. So if you can imagine, as I come out gagging, with my shorts in a knot trying to get back into the run of things, I kind of lost it. 10 mile wall and I just hit it. I did myself check, feet how ya doin'? They weren't killing me, knees are you with us? Yep they were holding strong, stomach? Queasy but nothing a little Nuun couldn't fix. Head are you in this? Sure but let's dial it down a bit. I switch my timers from 12/1 to 6/1 and went for it. Somewhere between mile 11 and 12 there was this glorious puddle. I couldn't resit it. My feet thanked me about 10 feet later. I thought OMG I'm gonna do this, I really going to get this done in a decent time. Yep I was delirious. Had. To. Be. I was actually enjoying myself. Holy Crap! I finished with a 2:45, a 15 minute difference between my 1st and 3rd (#2 still doesn't count, since it was a longer distance). Looking back at it I think that was the first day I thought of myself as a runner. I know from these experiences that if I choose to run the full it won't be pretty. I know that I will be demanding more from my body than I have ever asked of it. I know that it will be a challenge. I know that I will be lucky to finish in under 6 hours. I know that I will be wrecked and exhausted beyond my imagination AND yet maybe just maybe...