Great day for a race! Left the house this morning about 6:15, race started at 7. Sometimes it is really nice to have a local race, no worrying about time and where you are going to stay, traffic etc. Still kind of dark when we arrived and fog. This is the 3rd year they have held this race and I have done all three. Very few people running today though, apparently there was a triathalon in the next town over today too, so I think that ....took some of the usual runners. As I was looking around and saw so few people I thought to myself, oh no, so few people I will be dead last,,,they will probably send out the local police to look for me. I really get nervous before races. I one point I said to my husband, why do I do this???? He said "because you love it"...yeah he is right, even as slow as I am I do love it and I love competing, even if it is against myself most of the time. So anyway, played the National Anthem and away we went! The course was a little different this year, past years we went about 1/4 mile and then ran on a kind of trail for a couple of miles. This trail has never been well maintained, it is single file and does have some really low spots and holes that aren't readily seen when you are running, but I kind of like that part of the run myself. But today we stayed on the highway instead, not a lot of room on the shoulder to run, but they did have the orange cones, making a sort of running lane. Traffic at that time of the morning was not bad though. It is pretty scenic, some beautiful homes along lake Erie, the first mile went really fast for me. I was wearing my Garmin, but I decided to just use it today to help remind me of my Walk/run ratio. I have been doing the Walk/run for my past few halfs and it has worked for me. I did not want to know how fast Iwas going...I get too caught up in that and I think I think about it too much, so it was hard, but I did not look. I did however check at each mile to see what my pace was. I didn't let it get to me though, just looked. This stretch of highway was about 3 miles I think and then we entered the small town of Huron, running through the neighborhood, then out on a highway again.....I think it gets a little hilly here, but probably most people would not think that it is....not a lot of room again and more traffic. Got a little dicey when the lead runners were heading back and we were still running to the turn around. My son and grandson live in a subdivision along this highway and they were standing on their corner to cheer grandme on! This year I crossed the street and gave grandson and son a hug, never did that before, but seemed the thing to do today. Continued to the turn around, which I thought would never come, but I still felt pretty good. The way back is more downhill so I tried to kick up the pace a little......back into town, and my feet start cramping a little, they always do this and as long as I keep running they usually calm down. By now we are in mile 9 and going pretty well. The sun is up now and getting a little warm, but not bad. At this point I did pass 2 ladies that had been ahead of me the whole way. Out of the town and back out on the highway...mile 11 I started getting a twinge in my right calf and I keep saying, please don't cramp up now, please don't, I think I am going pretty well. Kept twinging and more cramps in the foot....mile 12 twinges are getting worse, but keep moving Ginny, keep moving.....10-20 feet from the finish my right calf grabbed me so bad I had to stop, nothing else I could do......I am alone, staring at the finish line, the photographer is there and I had grabbing my calf at a dead stop! My husband saw me and came to me, so I leaned on him, we are both rubbing that dang calf....it finally let up enough for me to cross the finish line.....but I was so disappointed. Really???? 10 feet in front of the finish? BUT I still had a personal best! I couldn't believe it....for whatever reason they had the sign that showed your time turned off, so I figured I must be way over 3 hours and they just turned it off...but Ken said you had a really good time...I said I did? I looked at my Garmin at it said 2:46. I know to you runners this is not that good of a time but it is the best Ihave ever done, so I was thrilled!! Ken said when he saw me approaching the finish he thought Wow she is doing good! So even with my calf I did well and I am just so happy! Bring on the next one in September!!!
Ginny
