Running race 6:25:19 [3]
Oh boy, was this ever not my day!
This was my third time at the Trail Marathon in Michigan and I always enjoy the course and the nice, dry trails that we don't always have in Ontario at that time of year. This year Bash was keen on checking it out as well. We headed down to Ann Arbor on Saturday with stops at REI, Whole Foods, and Moosejaw before having an awesome dinner with Work4Justice who was sharing lots of great stories about the area's AR and O scene.
Race started at 7:30 and it was a bit chilly so my plan was to drop my jacket after the first lap. Wasn't feeling particularly mentally or physically prepared for this race as my training since my last race hasn't been very good and I was having trouble wrapping my head around the extra 17km on top of my longest run so far this year. I know that the biggest challenge for me in any race is my brain so shouldn't be surprised that this went the way it did.
Started in the third wave to try to avoid going out too fast and ran with a group that felt like was a good pace for me but was probably a bit quick. By 7km I was feeling rotten - fingers were swollen, felt overheated, tired, and cranky despite the lovely weather and course. I expected to feel decent for the first loop so it was mentally tough to feel this bad so early on in the course. By 15km, I was coming up with reasons not to do the second loop and was walking more than I should have been.
Finished the first loop in 2:48 - about 12:00 slower than last year but I felt like it taken longer than that. That buoyed my spirits a bit but I was still wasn't convinced that I was going to do the second loop. Went to the bathroom, sat down for about 15 minutes and ate, felt sorry for myself and sent Bash a text letting her know it wasn't going well and that she'd likely be done before me.
Decided I needed to do the second loop as I couldn't let myself off that easily just because I was feeling crappy (I had also thrown up Perpetuem on my shirt on the first loop). Gave myself permission to go as slow as needed but had to complete the distance I set out to. Started out walking then started running when I could. Caught up with a guy who looked like he felt as bad as me and we stuck together for the next 10 miles. At this point, was feeling a bit better mentally as I was happy that I'd gone out for the second lap. It was great to have some company and we both pushed each other a bit. He was in the 50K and debating whether or not he could go out for his third loop; I understood where he was coming from but encouraged him to try. The last aid station had PBR in small cups which definitely lifted my spirits. With about 1 mile left to go we caught up to a few other runners and I asked my new running friend if he was okay if I ran into the finish as for the first time in the race I felt a bit better (horse to barn syndrome for sure, and perhaps the PBR).
Lots of takeaways from this event including not signing up for events that I won't have time to train properly for, ensuring I start at my own pace, and the importance of mentally having my head in the game before any event. Despite having a tough day, I was really glad I kept going and the experience overall was a great one. Bash had a great race as well and it was a fun weekend adventure for sure!