Run Like A Girl

This morning I ran the Nike+ Virtual Women's Half Marathon down in Old Town Alexandria with my friend Erin. Julie was supposed to join us, but crashed her bike at 10:30pm last night riding home from our house. She showed up at the starting line with some wicked road rash on her face and a very swollen hand. Needless to say, she definitely wasn't in any shape to run, but she wished us luck. Erin, on the other hand, was attempting her first half marathon and was totally ready for action.

This was a small race with a cool concept -- the actual Nike Women's Half took place in San Francisco with the slogan "Run Like A Girl". If you ran "virtually" today and had the distance documented, you got the finisher's schwag (a Tiffany's keychain). Our local running store Pacers did a great job. There was only one water stop, no closed streets and less than 200 women out there, but lots of positive energy -- and a finish line loaded with smoothies, water, donuts and free massages. Needless to say, that was all incentive to haul my sorry, slow self to the finish line!

Erin had gone into this saying she was going to stay with me for as long as I was able to run. The morning was cold as we set out - mid40's and I was glad I'd worn long sleeves, but my legs were cold. I was holding a decent pace, a touch faster than I was truly comfortable with, but since I knew I'd be walking the back half most likely, there was no reason to keep it totally slow. But it was still too slow for Erin....before the 5k mark she had surged ahead. I didn't mind though. First, it was stunning out. We ran most of the distance along the Mount Vernon Trail, which crossed the Potomac and was flush with red and golden leaves. Second, being a Nike/iPod event, music was legal! It's amazing what a difference it makes in diverting you from the pain and helping the miles to slip by.

The course was an out and back, and as I hit the 5.5mile mark I started feeling the tendon acting up. I kept urging myself to hang tough and at least run until I hit that turnaround point at mile 6.55. It was so frustrating -- I was feeling good, in my zone, everything was working except the damn lower leg. I passed Erin on her return trip about 1/4mile from the turnaround and told her that my running time was now measured in minutes before I disintegrated into a walk. She admitted later that she could see the pain in my face. But something happened as I approached the turnaround and the pain subsided a bit. The course wasn't hilly, but the few rolling sections allowed me to bound up on my toes, letting the tendon stay contracted for a bit. And a wicked blister on my instep had me trying to land more on the outer edge of my foot. The combination seemed to take the immediate pain away and the threat of spasms subsided. The mix I had on my iPod was a good one that let me settle into a groove and just go. Twice I pulled up and stretched alongside the trail, begging my leg to hang in there. My goal of hitting 2:30 was in sight if I could keep running just a touch longer. At the Zooma half marathon in June, I had to stop running at about mile 8. Today as I passed mile 8 I held my breath, nervous that the pain would return but something, maybe the music, was holding it at bay.

When I hit the ten mile mark I breathed a sigh of relief, at this point even if I had to walk, 2:30 was doable. I did the math...if I kept running, I could possibly break 2:20. I hadn't done that since first contracting tendonitis two years ago! Time to dig deep. It seemed as if most of the women that day had chosen to do the 8mile route, since I spent most of the morning running alone. I pushed hard, stopping twice more to stretch and before I knew it I was within half a dozen blocks of the finish! I could see Erin waving wildly at me as I kicked towards a strong finish. 2:20 on the nose for an average of 10:43min/mile. For me, an outstanding result! Erin too had a great day, with a 2:04 and the knowledge that she really didn't even push that hard and could easily have gone sub-2.

I have been so bummed for the last month or two that my tri season was so short. So today I feel happy. This was a good race for me - there's no championchip to "prove" my time, but I know it. And despite my desire to continue to get faster, stronger, lighter, fitter, apparently I've had a good year. My new keychain is now holding my keys, and will be a reminder to me each time I fire up the Jeep this winter that my hard work is paying off slowly but surely.