Fairfield Half Marathon....Epic Fail!

As I told you in a previous post, I signed up for the Fairfield Half Marathon for motivation. I incorporated yoga, pilates and speed work into my training. I felt more confident going into this Half. About a week out from race day I found out that Fairfield is a top rated race and it is hilly.  Not what I was expecting but I was ok with it. I was going to try to PR anyway. I even had a friend running the race so that made it even more fun. To add to the excitement there were world class runners participating in the race. They would be done before I was halfway through the course didn't matter. Just knowing I running the same course added a "cool" element to the day.

The week before I tapered my running and enjoyed sleeping in.  I stayed hydrated and watched what I ate so when race day came I was ready and itching to run. Danielle and I arrived early to get our bib, stretch and use the porta potties several times.  Hahaha.  Before we knew it was time to head to the start. 

About .25mi in Danielle was off like a shot. She's faster than me. The first 3 miles I was 9:25 to 9:48 pace. Much faster than in my last Half. Miles 4 to 7 were a struggle.  The hills were killer and I was trying not to mentally give up.  My pace slowed to between 10:10 - 11:09. It was a struggle. I finally got tired of hearing my MotoACTV telling me a pace that was not acceptable. So I kicked my butt into gear, turned on my music and got my pace back into the mid-9's for the next 2 miles. During mile 10 fatigue set in but when I heard my pace was above 10 I got pi**ed and sped up.  I was feeling good, singing, and happy in the fact I was in the home stretch.  I ran another .75mi when this happened.

Yup, I face planted! We were running against traffic while a fire truck was coming from behind us with the siren blaring. We all moved over to left as far as possible and I was so close to the runner in front of me I couldn't keep track of the road. There was a raised storm drain and I tripped over it.....2.35 miles from the finish. I waited for medical personal to come check me out so that I could get up and finish.  Yeah, that wasn't gonna happen. They thought I needed stitches and I got a bump on the side of my head. When all was said and done I could have finished. I didn't need stitches and I had squirted so much water on my face that all the dirt was out of my wounds.

Disappointed? That's an understatement. Angry, more determined, more motivated? Yeah, that's about right. In about 3 weeks I am going to run that course. Not for the tshirt.  Not for the medal. Not for a PR.  Not for anything else but for me.  I started out that day with a goal and it may not have happened as I had planned but I will make it happen.

I am already on the mend. After only 2 days I look so much better. The human body is so amazing.

I am proud of the race I ran up until that point. I ran it smart and strong. Had I finished I would have PR'd on a course so much more difficult than my first. Knowing that will get me through until I can run the course again and until next June when I will run it again. You heard me Kenyans.  You've been warned!

The moral of the story? Things don't always work out the way we plan and they can get pretty ugly but it doesn't mean they can't.  We all have it in ourselves to achieve the goals we want but it is up to us to make it happen.

Happy Running!