What a yuck day.
One week ago it was 80 degrees and beautiful. This morning, it was 40 degrees and raining, which is decidedly not beautiful.
I was not looking forward to this race, given the forecast. Still, i retained mild hopes that i could improve my time. After all, my PR best back in January occured in cold weather. So maybe i’d be able to push myself harder since i didn’t have to worry about being too hot?
When i got up, it was dark. I made breakfast and put on all my gear – long pants, 2 shirts, a jacket, gloves, hat, ipod, earbuds, gps watch. Knit one, perl two.
At the race site, i jogged for i think half a mile to try to warm up. It was cold. Raining pretty steadily. I was already soaked. I was in awe of the “real” runners who were out there in shorts.
Mile 1: An uphill start, but then mostly flat/downhill. I start too fast, as usual. I feel pretty good, though. I take off my jacket and tie it around my waist somewhere around .75. I’m no longer cold. My hands aren’t comfortable, though. Gloves on = too hot. Gloves off = too cold. 10:44.
Mile 2: Now we are paying for all the nice flat downhill sections in the first mile. There are quite a few uphill areas here. My legs are feeling kind of woozy, i don’t know how else to describe it. I get a little hyperchondrish and pull back. See, i gave blood Thursday, and nearly fainted in the shower Friday morning. It was pretty scary. So i start thinking in my head, oh no, what if my body isn’t recovered. And that stayed in my head the rest of the race. I slowed down whenever my legs got that woozy feeling. 11:50.
Mile 3.1: More rolling hills here. It is raining a bit harder, and I am completely soaked now. And tired. At some point, i totally immersed one foot in a huge puddle, so now i am running with one wet foot and one dry foot. The runner’s high has worn off and i know i’m not anywhere close to a good time. 12:29.
Total time, 35:03. All in all, it was a pretty miserable race. I’m glad i got out and did it, but i definitely don’t like running in the rain. I know i’m pathetic. If i hadn’t preregistered, i definitely would have skipped it.
The good news is that spring returns next week, and hopefully it’s here to stay. Soon, i’ll be complaining that it’s too hot to run. But i’m hoping for a couple of months of good running weather so i can prepare for my next two races, the Cary Road race (10k) and the Biltmore/Kiwanis Classic in Asheville (15k). Perhaps somewhere in there i will sprinkle in another 5k to see if my time improves.