The Aching Quad is a well-known and much talked about event in the running community around here. It is held in some weird holy light and revered as a great feat..... I, however, thought it was silly and not even that hard. Lesson #1: The Aching Quad is so named for a reason!!<br><br>
Here's the set-up:<br>
Friday 7:30 pm: 5K<br>
Saturday 7:00 am: 1 mile<br>
Saturday 8:30 am: 2 mile<br>
Saturday 7:00 pm: 5K<br><br>
Sounds easy, right? I mean, I run marathons...<br><br>
Friday morning I wake up with butterflies in my stomach. I hate 5K races and I hate them even more here in town. I am well known in town and in the running community here because I helped open the only specialty running store--- the closest one was over an hour away. So, I have this intense feeling like people assume that means I can run really well and they are watching me as someone they are aiming to beat. So, I always sike myself up and get way overwhelmed. Friday night, I set out with Mortimer and I am cruising out. About a 1/2 mile in, Mortimer looks at the Garmin and says, "Uh, Becca, we are doing a 6:15 pace..." Me: "It feels great!! But, ok we can slow a bit..." Mile 1: 6:45 Mile 2:7:15 and then Mort left me in the dust. It was sooooo hot (90*) and it rained just before the start so it was like running in a steam room! Horrible! The last mile was the most treacherous thing I have ever physically done, Ending time: 22:56-- Now, that is a PR for me but it was at great cost. I cried on the way home cause I really thought I could at least do a 22:30. I think I started to fast....ya think? Heartrate maxed out at 199 bpm.<br><br>
Saturday morning dawns and we are headed down to the lake for a 1 mile race. This is shear torture, let me tell you!! 6:34 mile but my hart rate monitor read me at 203 bpm. I thought my chest was exploding and death would surely ensue. If I never race a 1miler again, it will be too soon,<br><br>
8:30-- yes, 1 hour and 23 minutes later we start the 2 miler. I am leading my age group and have some cushion, so I tell Mortimer that I am not gonna bust my ass. In reality, I could not have if I had wanted to. We decide first mile at 7:30 pace and then we split at that point. Mile 1:7:23 Mile 2:7:23 I liked this run. It was the only time over the weekend that my heartrate was semi-reasonable. Max HR 194-- on the HILL where the 2 miler finished.<br><br>
Saturday night: Three miles has never seemed like such a huge task in my entire life. I decide that I am winning my age group still, so no way am I gonna risk injury. I have no self-respect and I do not care about beating myself. 1 mile in i think "Ha! Who am I fooling?? Beat myself! I am lucky to put one foot in front of the other." 24:30 I cruise through. That last mile was so hard. We had a pretty decent wind in our faces for this race and I truly exhausted every bit of glycogen in my body!<br><br>
The awards ceremony was at Hooter, 2 Amberbocks later my quad were feeling a bit better. I did not win the women's overall, but I cam in 3rd, I think. I did win my age group, though. And I expressed to everyone at my table that I had a ten miler to do Sunday morning. I am, afterall, in training for a marathon.....Hahahahahahahahaha. 3 miles this morning was everything I could squeeze out of my legs and I am desperately trying to not go to the bathroom cause just sitting on the toilet is excruciating! Maybe running a marathon isn't the end all and be all of running that I thought it was. I have NEVER felt like this after a marathon. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile">
Here's the set-up:<br>
Friday 7:30 pm: 5K<br>
Saturday 7:00 am: 1 mile<br>
Saturday 8:30 am: 2 mile<br>
Saturday 7:00 pm: 5K<br><br>
Sounds easy, right? I mean, I run marathons...<br><br>
Friday morning I wake up with butterflies in my stomach. I hate 5K races and I hate them even more here in town. I am well known in town and in the running community here because I helped open the only specialty running store--- the closest one was over an hour away. So, I have this intense feeling like people assume that means I can run really well and they are watching me as someone they are aiming to beat. So, I always sike myself up and get way overwhelmed. Friday night, I set out with Mortimer and I am cruising out. About a 1/2 mile in, Mortimer looks at the Garmin and says, "Uh, Becca, we are doing a 6:15 pace..." Me: "It feels great!! But, ok we can slow a bit..." Mile 1: 6:45 Mile 2:7:15 and then Mort left me in the dust. It was sooooo hot (90*) and it rained just before the start so it was like running in a steam room! Horrible! The last mile was the most treacherous thing I have ever physically done, Ending time: 22:56-- Now, that is a PR for me but it was at great cost. I cried on the way home cause I really thought I could at least do a 22:30. I think I started to fast....ya think? Heartrate maxed out at 199 bpm.<br><br>
Saturday morning dawns and we are headed down to the lake for a 1 mile race. This is shear torture, let me tell you!! 6:34 mile but my hart rate monitor read me at 203 bpm. I thought my chest was exploding and death would surely ensue. If I never race a 1miler again, it will be too soon,<br><br>
8:30-- yes, 1 hour and 23 minutes later we start the 2 miler. I am leading my age group and have some cushion, so I tell Mortimer that I am not gonna bust my ass. In reality, I could not have if I had wanted to. We decide first mile at 7:30 pace and then we split at that point. Mile 1:7:23 Mile 2:7:23 I liked this run. It was the only time over the weekend that my heartrate was semi-reasonable. Max HR 194-- on the HILL where the 2 miler finished.<br><br>
Saturday night: Three miles has never seemed like such a huge task in my entire life. I decide that I am winning my age group still, so no way am I gonna risk injury. I have no self-respect and I do not care about beating myself. 1 mile in i think "Ha! Who am I fooling?? Beat myself! I am lucky to put one foot in front of the other." 24:30 I cruise through. That last mile was so hard. We had a pretty decent wind in our faces for this race and I truly exhausted every bit of glycogen in my body!<br><br>
The awards ceremony was at Hooter, 2 Amberbocks later my quad were feeling a bit better. I did not win the women's overall, but I cam in 3rd, I think. I did win my age group, though. And I expressed to everyone at my table that I had a ten miler to do Sunday morning. I am, afterall, in training for a marathon.....Hahahahahahahahaha. 3 miles this morning was everything I could squeeze out of my legs and I am desperately trying to not go to the bathroom cause just sitting on the toilet is excruciating! Maybe running a marathon isn't the end all and be all of running that I thought it was. I have NEVER felt like this after a marathon. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile">
