Today was my first day back at the Running Room since my race two weeks ago. I know that I could have come back earlier, but I forced myself to have a rest. Actually, I’m not sure that “forced” is the right word, because it’s not like I didn’t enjoy my little bit of time away. God knows I could use the break. Being away makes me appreciate the sport all the more, right? Besides, with the Angus Glen Half Marathon coming on November 1 I figured that I should get some mileage in. Most of all, I wanted to do something to get my confidence back. It’s one thing to acknowledge that a race sucked due to conditions that weren’t due to ability. I think deep in my subconscious though I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had a good run. So, I went in wanting to do 21K. Yeah, I know…2 weeks of little to no activity then suddenly jumping in to do 21? It’s a lot! I’m not belittling the distance at all, but I figured that it I could manage one way or another. I’ve done it enough times to know my limits.
So, since there are no half marathon clinics going I thought that I’d be on my own. When I got there, indeed, I was the only one running 21. It’s not like I announced it, because I didn’t want anyone to come along. Everyone’s so much faster than me that I didn’t want to burden anyone, know what I mean? As we were filing out, I spotted two people from the half marathon clinic that just finished. It’s their final week before their big race this coming Sunday, so they were looking to do a shorter 10K tapering run. Knowing the route, I decided to tag along with them and split off at some point to do the rest of my mileage while they headed back. Great plan, really. Thing is, they’re naturally fast people! I actually made myself work a little bit harder to keep up with them. It wasn’t so bad, really. Since they were only doing 10K, they could put in the extra effort. In my case, I figured that one I’d let them go I could ease up a little bit. And once we split off that’s exactly what I did. My average pace dipped down, but I didn’t mind; I was just happy to be out there. I was feeling great throughout, but I admit to feeling a bit fatigued by 18-19K. On the really hilly parts I stopped for a moment or two on occasion to regroup. Overall, I finished the route in less time that my last race. I could say that it speaks volumes about how much I’ve improved. However, really it just outlines just how terrible that race really was. Oh well. In completing 21 kilometres, I accomplished what I had set out to do, and that was just the act of feeling better about myself. I can say that the mission was accomplished.
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