Post Race Thoughts

I really did N.O.T.H.I.N.G. after the race yesterday, and it was wonderful! Sure there were chores to be done, tasks to do...but I gave myself the day and night OFF. Last night the hubs went to a neighbor's to watch the OSU game, my girls went off to their respective BFF's for a sleepover, and Chris and I just chilled quietly together.

So, some other sort of random race thoughts I'd like to get down....I am really feeling my hard effort in my body today! Wooh! It 'hurts good' as they say ha ha. Mike was asking me yesterday, what was the biggest aspect of the race that was unexpected for me (for as prepared as I thought I was....). Hmmm...good question!

I would have to say that I was not mentally prepared for how 'hard' it was going to be. Even having run the distance before, at an easier effort with a decent time....I am reminded that any time out on the road can go either way, race or otherwise. There are those awesome, light on your feet, I-could-go-all-day runs, and then there are those runs that are just HARD for any combination of factors. I think I was being a little hard on myself during and after the race because it was so 'hard' (the old 'perfectionist' me slipping back) and I really struggled to get things under control at some points. After thinking back to some of my other 'hard runs', those days where things just didn't 'mesh' right, even though I got the job done, it basically sucked....I realize that had yesterday been just my regularly scheduled run day around the 'hood...it probably would have been one of 'those' crappy runs. Race or no race...yesterday was just one of those days for me and that's the luck of the draw I guess! I still finished, and with a great, hard-earned time!

And then I have a 'proud mom' moment to share....apparently while my family was waiting around the finish line for me, Grace began to be concerned as all these people were coming over the line, and not me. "What if mom is last?' she asks Mike. (typical 9 year old concern ha ha). As Mike was formulating his careful, this-is-a-good-teaching-moment answer, Alison steps up.

"GRACE, even if mom IS last, WHO CARES! She's already ahead of every person standing HERE watching, or people still home in BED right now! (*gawd*)

Ahh...that's my girl! She GETS.IT. I'm so proud!

And then Mike tells me that he got a little teary-eyed when I left the start, and again when he saw me coming around the corner. He said he is so impressed and proud that I set this goal, and followed through and did it well. Again, this is The Big Picture I get to see after the adrenaline of the physical aspect of the race settles. Awesome! He also said he really felt like he was on the 'wrong side of the line' watching all these guys come over the finish, spent...falling to the ground under a tree...whoopin and high fivin'....his former athletic self was reminded of how good that feels, and he wants a piece of that now! That makes me happy.

So moving ahead...I've listed my remaining weeks of the One Hour Running program over to the right. Three runs per week, which includes an increasingly longer run each weekend. The purpose here is to continue to Build The Base, which will increase my endurance, and continue to drop some pounds. Cross training will be lunch hour walks , and a long walk on the weekend. So if I do the long run on Saturday, I will do the long walk on Sunday. Very simple, keeping it steady and not getting carried away yet with speed and crazy interval training etc. I'm STILL NEW! In fact, Bloggie Peep BeachRunner has a great analogy about investing in the long term, I encourage everyone to check out his recent post on the concept of base building.

And now, I'm off to read a 'First Race Report' for Bloggie Peep Bekkles, who completed her first mini-tri this weekend! I've got to give her big props here, because not only is Bek a wife, new mom, a doctor with crazy hours, recently moved to a new city...she somehow managed to prepare and complete a triathalon! How inspiring is that?

Happy Sunday all!