I finished...

This morning started off great... after an early bedtime last night (thanks, cold medicine!), my natural body clock woke me up at 6:45am. EARLY, I know. However, it's SO much easier to wake up at 6:45am naturally than with an alarm clock. I went with it and got up for the day.

Went through the typical pre-run routine... breakfast (english muffin with PB and banana), small cup of coffee, and small cup of water. Caught up on some DVR, did the dishes, and a few hours later, Rachel was on her way to meet me for our first 9-mile run.

I got to the lake feeling really good. Despite the cold I've been fighting the past couple of days, I was amped up to tackle 9 miles. Rachel even brought us some Gu to try out mid-run. (note: EW! I have a major sensory aversion to Gu!)

We took off... and for the first 3 miles I felt GOOD. Really good. But then the nausea set in. And despite multiple water stops, dehydration set in. And despite a relatively slow pace, my lungs were burning. (At about mile 3.5 I told Rachel to go ahead. She was looking good and I didn't want to hold her back.) And then after too much water, I started getting a stitch in my side... AND my right calf was hurting. EVERYTHING that never happens to me on a run was happening today. Without someone running with me, to push me through the pain, I started feeling completely defeated. I was on the verge of tears at one point. How could 8 miles last weekend have felt SO good and today feel SOOO bad?!

I stuck with it, though... using the run/walk method and eventually made it to my car at mile 9.1. Rachel had finished several minutes before me (way to go, Rach!) and I couldn't have been happier to see my car. My time and pace were horrendous BUT I finished.

I know that tackling 9 miles is something to be proud of, but I'm so freaking competitive with myself sometimes that I'm really upset about the quality of the run. My head was so FULL of negative self-talk today. Made me think back to Lauren's post about how not every run is a good run and that's okay. In the long run, this sub-par run will not ruin all of the hard work that I've put in up to this point.

Next weekend is the Warrior Dash on Saturday and another 9-miler on Sunday. Then 10 the following weekend. And then the Half. I KNOW I can pull myself back together for this...

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." - Fred Lebow

If nothing else, at least I have some pretty sweet shoe tan lines from today... :)