Yes you read that right, a race recap. Despite all of the pain and heartache over my foot, I was able to run a spring race. All that crying and whining, though not necessarily completely unwarranted, was a waste of energy. Sometimes good things happen.
Sometimes you have to do what sucks right now so you can do what’s right later. Giving up Pittsburgh was a difficult decision and I was sure I was doomed for Cleveland as well. I did what I could to heal and crossed my fingers a lot.
I made myself rest my foot for an entire week. No running for 7 full days. And when the 7 days was up, I waited 2 more. Fearful of running in bad shoes I put on my Kinvaras on Wednesday before the race and gave 3.5 miles a go. No real pain. Some discomfort, but not bad. So the next day, I was curious. I was waking up with no pain and wearing heels. So I tried again.
Kinvaras on, 5 miles, no pain. I was afraid to run to many miles in a natural shoe so I stopped there. I felt good, don’t push it. If I can get new shoes and an entry to the half marathon I planned to run the race in Cleveland.
On Friday I went to the expo to get my event switch. Team Volkswagen sponsored my half marathon entry and the folks at the team table we were really good to me. They gave me a bunch of goodies and talked with my about my injury. I knew I wouldn’t get a refund for my original registration but it helped me with switching fees. I headed over to the solutions table to switch my marathon bib to a half marathon bib fully prepared to pay the $20 switch fee. But the nice, sympathetic lady at the Solutions table hooked me up and gave me a clean switch with no fees.
Things were looking up.
On Sunday morning it’s safe to say I was nervous. I was frankly to afraid to wear my Kinvaras, a more natural shoe, for 13 miles but I believe that my foot problems had something to do with my Dyad’s being worn down. But the shoes I ordered had not come in (they were supposed to arrive on Thursday). I figured if I was going to get injured because of my shoes, there was probably an equal chance it would happen in either shoe, so I wore the shoes I had more confidence in, the Dyads.
At 5:30am Justin drove me downtown and walked the 10 block march with me to the Browns Stadium. We checked my gear bag and navigated the thick crowd to find my running friends before the start. About 15 minutes before the gun we walked to the starting line. My friend Serena was running with the 4:55 pace group, a 11:15 pace, hoping for a 2:25 finish. I had been running 10:30’s post injury but not for much more than 5 miles. So it sounded like a good pace for me.
When I crossed the starting line I stayed with Serena for a couple miles. I could see the 4:55 Pace group just ahead of us, but after the bottle neck of the first aid station they had caught us. I think Serena slowed to stay with the pace group because I looked around and no longer could see her. So I continued on at my comfortable pace.
I felt great when I got into Lakewood and off the Shoreway. Here it gets very flat and easy to pace. There were a lot of spectators out cheering and entertainment on the course was good too. I did think for a second that I might want my music but never got it out. Around mile 4 or I started counting down “miles till Katie.”
My fellow runner and blogger buddy KatieO was meeting me at mile 7 to jog a few miles with me. I knew this would be about where I would start hurting since I hadn’t run much more than 10 miles total in over 2 weeks so I needed a mid-run distraction real bad… 3 miles till Katie… 2 miles till Katie…
I saw Katie just past the 7 mile aid station. It was great seeing a smiling face. With her fresh legs we were running along at a 10:20 pace. After about a mile I knew that was to much for me, so I had Katie walk a couple steps while I ate some honey stingers and slow my pace. We chatted along the streets of Tremont and I don’t know if it was all the talking or the heat, and it was getting HOT, but I got a side cramp I couldn’t kick. At mile 10 I asked we walk it off. I am VERY proud to say that until that point, I had not walked at all.
Just after mile 10 I said goodbye to Katie and carried on over the Lorain/Carnegie bridge. And then, the wall. The bridge slowed me down and I walked. Then jogged, then walked again. The overcast sky had revealed a mean sun and I was hot but cold at the same time. But I didn’t want anymore water. In fact, I was sick of carrying my water bottle and could not wait to hand it off to Justin.
At the top of the bridge I started running again, enjoying the downhill change. At the bottom of the bridge, just past mile 11, I walked again to take a final S-Cap. I knew I would see Justin soon and I wanted to hand him my water bottle. But I didn’t see him till just after mile 12. I was so happy to see him. I smiled, gave him a hug, and then shoved the water bottle into his hands, “OMG you HAVE to take this!”
The weirdest things get to me when I start to feel uncomfortable.
The final quarter of a mile of this race is amazing. It’s full of life and excitement through the streets of downtown Cleveland, and it is all downhill. Just as I turned off to the finish line the 4:55 Pace group came up behind me. Imagine that.
I crossed the finish line with a Chip Time of 2:26:35. I can’t help to think, if I had just stayed with Serena and the pace group, could I have avoided all that walking? Does it really matter?
No, it doesn’t. Because up until 4 days before this race I was unsure I would run at all. It was 11 minutes slower than my PR but 8 minutes faster than any of my other Cleveland Half Marathon finish times. Which makes this one of the best Race Records (RR) ever.
I would like to say next year I will be running the full in Cleveland. This was my 4th year running a Cleveland event. I’ve the run 10k and the half marathon 3 times. So I really should try and run the full, but I know how “counting my chickens” so to speak goes, so I think I will wait to make the commitment. I plan to get my full marathon redemption in Akron this fall and go from there.
Half marathon #14 down. I would say it was a success.
***Disclosure: I was asked to join Team Volkswagen simply by signing up. They were looking for 300 runners and offered 300 free registrations, I submitted and was selected. All opinions are 100% my own. Photo cred for many of the above photos goes to Justin, my tolerant and supportive photographer/boyfriend.
