Bayshore in Review

Ok, so...I did it!

I'll tell you: it was my worst time, but not the worst time...get it??

This is my third Half Marathon, and each time I've gotten slower.  My initial reaction is to be bummed out, but I also would be remiss if I didn't admit my training had gotten less each time as well.  Lesson = You really do get out of it when you put into it!

I think I mentioned this before, but my sister encouraged me to participate in this race to "not let MS win."  *shake my head* I'll admit, it's pretty cliche', but it did factor into my decision-making.  I didn't want my pride and fear of not having a "fast" time to get in the way of embracing my opportunity to at least be in it this year.  Morbid or not, the reality is there's a potential I may not be able to one day.  I probably wouldn't go so dark so soon, but waking up with blindness in my left eye totally scared me and I'm left with bits of residual fear on a daily basis.  I open my eyes s-l-o-w-l-y praying the light will come in...  Anyway.  I'm glad I did this race, regardless of the clock.  I had a great time! *grin*  Lesson = Take advantage of the opportunity and just do it.

This was the largest Half in which I've participated, so the sheer numbers were awesome! I enjoyed being part of something so big, and not one person made me feel like I didn't belong.  Even though a race implies competition, I've always found runners to be the most supportive of their competitors in their field.  It felt special to be part of such a group!  Despite the large field, I thought race execution was seamless.  Half participants were bussed to the Start Line, and even though there was a small wait in line (likely because I got there late against their advice), it went quickly.  There were plenty of bathroom facilities before, during, and after the race, which I think I can speak for everyone when I say, "thank you!" HAHA! The spectators were great! It seemed like watching the race was as much an event for spectators as the racers! Us back-of-the-pack-ers (BOTP) were pretty easily identifiable, but the crowd offered words of support, encouragement, and praise for our efforts.  I do have to admit there was one section of spectators more than half way through that apparently couldn't see the BOTP passing by right in front of them.  I heard a dad say to his young kids, "Oh, get your whistles.  Here come more marathoners."  HA! I may or may not have audibly scoffed at him, but later just laughed.  Whatever.  I'm not a marathoner, nor am I fast.  So what.  I was IN it, not WATCHING it.  *snarky grin*

You seriously can't be the view.  Staring at the bay the whole time compels you to want to keep putting one foot in front of the other to see where the view goes.  Sadly, I didn't get a pic of it, because that would have expended energy I could not waste. LOL! Silly, but kinda true.  When people tell you to do this race for the views (not to mention BQ if you're going for that!), do it.  They weren't lying.  

Coming through the gait onto the track at the end was kind of surreal.  The only time I was on such tracks was with the Marching Band, and while I certainly count that as athletic, "real" athletes would probably disagree.  Running it through the Finish Line, in front of the stands full of people, including my husband and daughter, was simply incredible.  Full disclosure:  I kind of wanted to die at Mile 11.  I think I was cramping every where and insanely tired.  I saw Dan & Vi who were the best injection of energy there, and convinced me to keep going.  I walked a lot of those last 2 miles...but once I got on that track I felt like I flew! I managed a sprint across the Finish Line! WHAAAAT?!

You can hear my name around 2:45:50 and I cross with a purple tank top at around 2:45:53!

This was the first race in which I participated that I could see a video of the finish!  This is super cool to me!  

The "after party" was the best, too.  PLENTY of refueling items, drink, Moomer's ice cream...space to sprawl out and avoid dying! HAHA!  Seriously, it was fantastic.  Thank you, TCTC!

This was my reward! GORGEOUS!  

Bayshore or Bust

Ok, I'm just going to do it.  I committed to this race in December, hoping I'd have a solid 5 months of training, eating right, getting my body "right" again after a brief (ok, 9-12 month long) hiatus.  As you know, life happens, I'm not always the best at rebounding from it, and here I am, not really much further along than I was in December...

After much vacillation, I'm just going to try my best.  My PR will be nowhere in site, but having accomplished one of Michigan's best races offered, is pretty important to me, too.  I'm getting more and more excited as the date comes closer and I receive updated correspondence from the TCTC Bayshore Marathon organizers.  The process, pictures of the views, not to mention Race Day forecast looks pretty perfect! My sister who lives there is pretty excited to have us up again, even though she has to work all weekend.  She's an ER nurse at Munson Hospital, so I joked she might end up seeing me anyway! HA! Seriously, not planning on it... I won't be running the whole thing like the first Half, but am believing to be pretty solid at a run/walk approach.  I know it's a pretty competitive race, but I'm not competing against anyone else this time, just me.  And maybe obscure things that have tried to take me down at some point over the last 6 months... I plan on beating that, too.  *snarky grin*

A positive coming out of my rapid, focused "training" these last 6 weeks was a renewed vigor for why I wanted to do this stuff in the first place.  Pushing myself daily (or whatever, you know, close enough), making the commitment to do SOMEthing each day and actually doing it has been a wonderful side effect for me.  I lost that somewhere along the way and it feels like it's mine again.  I'm slow to be back where I "was," but I feel in a better groove again.  Maybe I never will be, but I won't be sedentary either, so I'm holding on to that.  DD checks in with me daily and continues to do her part in maintaining her own efforts in our quest to be at the least, fit moms, and tire out playing with our kids.  Knowing, even virtually, someone is trying to do the same thing is a great motivator and provides accountability.  My baby sister has also re-harnessed her desire to eat better and get more active.  In fact, she's the one that sent me the reminder that our Detroit Women's Half Marathon & 5K is in 4 months already, so she's on it! Ann is working on her own efforts with her own sort of approach, and Midge recently met a goal she set back in December, so I know so many I care about around me are sharing my sentiments about trying to be healthier, more fit, for a myriad of our reasons, and I'm not alone.

So, I went with friends to the Cheesecake Factory in Novi this weekend.  I know, right??  The slice I chose boasts (I found out later, of course) one of the highest content in calories at 1530.  Yes, for one slice.  It took me 4 days to eat it all, so I broke it up and ran 2-4 miles each of those days to account for it.  I'm hoping for no gain this week, but a pretty solid NSV would be that I actually tried to work off my consumption this time, instead of just dismissing it as a loss (or, more accurately a gain, but you get it).  Aside from this and a handful of other purposeful indulgences, I've been eating pretty clean for 4 weeks now.  I can't say a lot about it yet, but I can say that my digestive system is starting to work more efficiently, and supposedly it's supposed to minimizes flare-ups or relapses, say some.  We'll see.  I even have "clean" supplements/gels/etc. for my long runs now! HA!

Assuming I survive Bayshore, I'll give a full report shortly after.  *high five*

Sucking doesn't always have to...well, suck

HAHAHAHA!!!  

Get it??

Sooooo painfully true.  I wouldn't say I was having trouble with motivation lately, but I AM having trouble with just getting the work in.  Mind you, I say this because I have taken 3 days off in a row and the guilt is KILLING me! So weird! Like, I'm standing "working out" up! I have plenty of excuses, some even justifiable.  The fact is, life gets in the way and I need to be more flexible in accommodating it.

I had a fantastic week in the "results" arena last week, both on the scale and in non-scale victories.  I think that's why I'm so desperate to ensure I hold on to those!  Aside from only one delicious, huge, delicious chimichanga, I've still been pretty solid with my clean eating.  I'm holding on to that.  I've had my gym bag packed and in my car every day this week, so it wasn't planning I was lacking.  Like I said, just life in the way.  I'm excited to be back at it again, oddly.

As a sidebar:  I'm not sleeping again.  I mean, the paralyzing fatigue is still present most of the day, but when I crawl into bed after a long day, I cannot find a fitful sleep all night...for nights on end.  Actually, I sleep well after 5:00 a.m. when Dan gets out of bed.  I do actually have a theory: I feel better when he is up and around the house, like he's aware and protecting it.  When we're all in bed and sleeping over night, it feels more...vulnerable.  Probably PTSD from having had an uninvited visitor come during the over-night hours, if I had to guess.  Pa-thet-ic.  I know.  No one's more irritated this than I, I assure you.  And do you think it's mere coincidence that "suspicious behavior" at my house was observed last night after posting my come-back on Monday? I didn't think so either...

I digress.  Just a facet of life being in the way... I recognize it now as not being *in* the way, but rather *the* way.  This *is* life.  I'll figure out a (positive!) way to navigate through it.  The minutes are going to tick by either way, and I'd rather know I exerted what ever control I had over it.  I suggest you try and do the same.  :)

Every step you take...I will be watching you

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