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Wow, this one was something I got a lot of new experiences to lay on top the old. According to Mapmyrun, the area where I registered this morning is about 1.7 miles away from my front door and that gave me the opportunity to do something I've never done before.<br><br>
I ran, well jogged, to registration and the start line today. Now after last weekend's bad showing at my first 10K, I had some feeling that one problem was that I hadn't been rested, I had fatigue. So this week I cut back on my number of runs and miles to give my body a chance if it needed it to get rested. I did a run Wednesday morning that the data showed there was improvement and with that, I took Thursday and Friday off from any running too.<br><br>
It also seemed a good sign when checking my blood pressure last night, the machine measured my pulse to be 58 bpm, the lowest I've seen yet.<br><br>
The one potential fly in the ointment with the idea of doing a warm up run to get to the race was the weather. A front was coming and it had showers attached to it. So when I woke up this morning I checked weather underground and it looked like the bulk of showers had moved east, but there was one last slender line to the west of me. Looking at the animated map, I guessed it would come through about 7:30 AM or so, and I hoped it would clear out by 8 AM or so when I would hopefully take my run to the race.<br><br>
At 5 minutes to 8, I went, the showers having just recently ended and cool fresh breeze blowing. Along with more typical runner gear like shorts, singlet, running shoes, watch and heart rate monitor, in my pockets I carried an Ultramini glucometer, tube of test strips, lancet device, tubes of glucose tablets for extra carbs in case of emergency, and money for the entry fee. In my hand, I carried a Novolog Flexpen for an insulin source if warranted. I had to carry it because I didn't want it to jostle out of my pockets.<br><br>
I'm glad I did the warmup run. My legs felt stiff at first with only one run in the prior 6 days. I just ran easy to get the blood flowing and muscles loosened up. Around the 1 mile mark I mixed in a few brief striders where I would accelerate for 20 seconds and then go back down to an easy jog.<br><br>
It felt funny to me when I reached the parking lot where a couple of guys were directing parking and I asked which way to registration. I think maybe I was the only one who ran to the race today.<br><br>
I got all registered and paid up, then went back outside briefly to walk off the nerves I felt. When I went back in, a fellow with a bullhorn in his hands but not using it, asked me if I was running or walking. "Running," I said. He told me I had been given the wrong color bib, so I went back to the registration desk and exchanged my yellow bib of #247 for a red bib of #290.<br><br>
This time I noticed that they also had map of the course. Now I could finally see what roads I know from my life the course would be on. I saw it was going to be a mostly downhill first mile, a level stretch, and because it was an out-and-back, an uphill finish.<br><br>
I tried to envision me starting off the race at a good clip, but not so fast that I'd blow my legs out and have nothing left for the uphill climb at the end.<br><br>
At 8:30, I tested my blood sugar and it was 91 mg/dl. Based on previous experience, I injected 1 unit of Novolog to handle the glycogen my body would release to become glucose while running hard.<br><br>
Found a decent slot in the pack at the race start. I had some people pass me, I passed some others, and some of those who passed me I would later overtake. I felt good, my legs felt much fresher than the week prior and I tried to let the downhill do work for me.<br><br>
There was a person manning the mile 1 marker, calling out times. My watch and hers disagreed a bit, mine with a few seconds more. She called out 8:33 to me as I passed, I clicked it and it was 8:37 by mine. That's the fastest mile I've ever done, although I wonder some if she was a bit short of a full mile. Anyhow, it was a mostly level stretch now down this little road until the turnaround point just short of where the road terminated and intersected with another. I hit the turnaround barrel at 14:31, but that was slightly more than halfway as the finish was going to be short of the start line. According to mapmyrun, I have the turnaround barrel at 1.65 miles approximately.<br><br>
Now it was getting tough. Although mostly level, still all the downhill had been used up and the way back would be a climb back. I just tried to focus on keeping my stride going and hopefully a shot at breaking 29 minutes. I hit mile 2 marker at 17:57, so a 9:20 second mile if everything was accurate.<br><br>
That easy breezy downhill of early on began looming as the uphill in front of me as I took my left turn to begin the ascent. I told myself keep working it, don't give up. I could stand another 6 minutes of pain I told myself. My legs screamed at me on the way up the road back to the turn on to the school campus. I screamed back at them that I was the one making the decisions. I turned into the school campus which would have been mile 3 if I had been more aware but I was just focused on keeping my legs moving up up and up that hill. I finally got in sight of the finish and the clock. It had already ticked over 29 minutes. Damnit. Still kept it going, it was going to be a PR and I wanted to run hard the whole damned way.<br><br>
29:11 on my watch. A PR. But not under 29 minutes like I had hoped to go for.<br><br>
I can't be sure the mapmyrun chart that I worked out later is accurate, but I have the course at 3.15 miles.<br><br>
Still, I'm pretty happy. I had a bad race last week and ran a good one this week. And it was hard. That uphill to run for the last half-mile or so was a lot of will keeping the legs moving.<br><br>
Blood sugar was 146 mg/dl after the race. I ran it good and hard, I could tell when on the way home I alternated between walking and jogging.
I ran, well jogged, to registration and the start line today. Now after last weekend's bad showing at my first 10K, I had some feeling that one problem was that I hadn't been rested, I had fatigue. So this week I cut back on my number of runs and miles to give my body a chance if it needed it to get rested. I did a run Wednesday morning that the data showed there was improvement and with that, I took Thursday and Friday off from any running too.<br><br>
It also seemed a good sign when checking my blood pressure last night, the machine measured my pulse to be 58 bpm, the lowest I've seen yet.<br><br>
The one potential fly in the ointment with the idea of doing a warm up run to get to the race was the weather. A front was coming and it had showers attached to it. So when I woke up this morning I checked weather underground and it looked like the bulk of showers had moved east, but there was one last slender line to the west of me. Looking at the animated map, I guessed it would come through about 7:30 AM or so, and I hoped it would clear out by 8 AM or so when I would hopefully take my run to the race.<br><br>
At 5 minutes to 8, I went, the showers having just recently ended and cool fresh breeze blowing. Along with more typical runner gear like shorts, singlet, running shoes, watch and heart rate monitor, in my pockets I carried an Ultramini glucometer, tube of test strips, lancet device, tubes of glucose tablets for extra carbs in case of emergency, and money for the entry fee. In my hand, I carried a Novolog Flexpen for an insulin source if warranted. I had to carry it because I didn't want it to jostle out of my pockets.<br><br>
I'm glad I did the warmup run. My legs felt stiff at first with only one run in the prior 6 days. I just ran easy to get the blood flowing and muscles loosened up. Around the 1 mile mark I mixed in a few brief striders where I would accelerate for 20 seconds and then go back down to an easy jog.<br><br>
It felt funny to me when I reached the parking lot where a couple of guys were directing parking and I asked which way to registration. I think maybe I was the only one who ran to the race today.<br><br>
I got all registered and paid up, then went back outside briefly to walk off the nerves I felt. When I went back in, a fellow with a bullhorn in his hands but not using it, asked me if I was running or walking. "Running," I said. He told me I had been given the wrong color bib, so I went back to the registration desk and exchanged my yellow bib of #247 for a red bib of #290.<br><br>
This time I noticed that they also had map of the course. Now I could finally see what roads I know from my life the course would be on. I saw it was going to be a mostly downhill first mile, a level stretch, and because it was an out-and-back, an uphill finish.<br><br>
I tried to envision me starting off the race at a good clip, but not so fast that I'd blow my legs out and have nothing left for the uphill climb at the end.<br><br>
At 8:30, I tested my blood sugar and it was 91 mg/dl. Based on previous experience, I injected 1 unit of Novolog to handle the glycogen my body would release to become glucose while running hard.<br><br>
Found a decent slot in the pack at the race start. I had some people pass me, I passed some others, and some of those who passed me I would later overtake. I felt good, my legs felt much fresher than the week prior and I tried to let the downhill do work for me.<br><br>
There was a person manning the mile 1 marker, calling out times. My watch and hers disagreed a bit, mine with a few seconds more. She called out 8:33 to me as I passed, I clicked it and it was 8:37 by mine. That's the fastest mile I've ever done, although I wonder some if she was a bit short of a full mile. Anyhow, it was a mostly level stretch now down this little road until the turnaround point just short of where the road terminated and intersected with another. I hit the turnaround barrel at 14:31, but that was slightly more than halfway as the finish was going to be short of the start line. According to mapmyrun, I have the turnaround barrel at 1.65 miles approximately.<br><br>
Now it was getting tough. Although mostly level, still all the downhill had been used up and the way back would be a climb back. I just tried to focus on keeping my stride going and hopefully a shot at breaking 29 minutes. I hit mile 2 marker at 17:57, so a 9:20 second mile if everything was accurate.<br><br>
That easy breezy downhill of early on began looming as the uphill in front of me as I took my left turn to begin the ascent. I told myself keep working it, don't give up. I could stand another 6 minutes of pain I told myself. My legs screamed at me on the way up the road back to the turn on to the school campus. I screamed back at them that I was the one making the decisions. I turned into the school campus which would have been mile 3 if I had been more aware but I was just focused on keeping my legs moving up up and up that hill. I finally got in sight of the finish and the clock. It had already ticked over 29 minutes. Damnit. Still kept it going, it was going to be a PR and I wanted to run hard the whole damned way.<br><br>
29:11 on my watch. A PR. But not under 29 minutes like I had hoped to go for.<br><br>
I can't be sure the mapmyrun chart that I worked out later is accurate, but I have the course at 3.15 miles.<br><br>
Still, I'm pretty happy. I had a bad race last week and ran a good one this week. And it was hard. That uphill to run for the last half-mile or so was a lot of will keeping the legs moving.<br><br>
Blood sugar was 146 mg/dl after the race. I ran it good and hard, I could tell when on the way home I alternated between walking and jogging.
