Thursday, May 27, 2010

Half-Marathon in the Wine Country



i was sick for the half marathon.

... but i ran anyway. And it was amazing!


We wore chips on our shoes, and I was the only one wearing it backwards. I worried. "Will this still work?" I pointed down at the top of my shoe.

I asked nearly everybody. And everyone reassured me it would, since it's a chip... but i only half- believed them, because otherwise why did everyone but me have their chip facing away from them and mine was facing me, if it indeed didn't matter?

I was feeling low energy and didn't feel that adrenaline that usually hits me just before a race and I sorta prepared myself by shrugging the whole thing off, "well, if the chip doesn't work, it doesn't work... I'll know how long it took me to run it and that's all that really matters...."

But that wasn't the only thing that I was worried about. I was sick with a nasty chest cold. The chills-feeling fever, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing up mucus, kind of cold. I swallowed a cough suppressant over-the-counter medicine 10 minutes before the race to help curb my cough and then the gun sounded.

"Here goes...." I whispered to myself and I took a deep breath, turned on my music, and off I went...... slowly at first, weaving in and around the slower runners ahead of me and as soon as I found an opening, I found myself running a good solid pace. Seven miles later, I was still running the same solid pace. Look at mee! I sang to myself. "Looook at meeeee! i'm running strong!"

It was by far my best race yet. I was amazed at my stamina. I ran past Mile 8 and I was running just as solid as I did when I first began. By Mile 10, I began to feel it in my legs... my I.T. Band started acting up again. I worried it would affect my running like it did during the Annadel Half Marathon up in the higher elevations. It did somewhat, but it didn't drastically affect my running.

The route was beautiful. Up and down small winding wine country roads. The weather was perfect and I felt terrific!



I loved that I didn't let anything stand in my way. I pushed past my fears of "should I run or should I not run?" because I knew my body would tell me what I could and could not do.

All I knew what I needed to do, was to lean down, lace up my shoes, and hit the pavement running... and then open myself up to the possibilities my body could or could not do.

I finished my race in 2 hours, 13 minutes.

9 comments:

Dan Guerra said...

Wow Shawn you are amazing! It would have been easy to cancel the race on accounta being sick, but you went for it! Goood goin'!
I become more and more impressed with every new story about your running adventures...way to go Shawn!

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

What a fun race recap to read! That's a great finishing time and, yes, you did run strong! : )

doodlegirl said...

Thanks Dan and Tina for your enthusiastic words!!! I've been busy entertaining out-of-state-friends for the week, so it was just last night, in the stillness of the night I finally recaptured the race in my mind... and was able to capture it in words before I forgot. I didn't practice for this race like I should have. And I felt sick for the race and never knew until the night before if I was actually gonna run it. Whadda great experience!!! i Lo0Oved it!!! :O)

Jen said...

Nice! Isn't it funny how sometimes we get out there, thinking "this is not my best day" and it turns out the opposite! How did the chip work? At least you had your clothes on right side out. You did, didn't you?

doodlegirl said...

Ha! The chip worked fine!! One time I was running and couldn't figure out what the flapping thing was in the back! (it was my pocket... and yes, I was wearing them inside out!) :O) Not this time, though! Not cool to do that in a race.

Sherry said...

Way to go! Your getting fast..that is a good time!

doodlegirl said...

Thanks Sherry!!!!! Missed you in this run! Sure woulda been fun if you joined me in it!!! :O)

Christine said...

You never cease to impress me!!! I may have run a race while sick... but maybe just a 5K. Not a half marathon!!! WOW! Good for you!!! And with a great time, too!!! Congratulations! :D

doodlegirl said...

Thanks Christine!!! :OD