Weekly Rundown- I Can Explain…
Well, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is, I DNF’d my race. I know- that’s VERY bad news. The good news is, I didn’t die of hypothermia (like I thought I might) or have to have my foot chopped off (like I thought I might.) Read on for details… but first, I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Rundown. Let’s start with the beginning of the week… Monday This was a gym day- I walked one mile on the treadmill, then did upper body- bench press, reverse fly, abs, low back. I read somewhere that women shouldn’t taper strength too early, because they need the testosterone. While I didn’t do any lower body this week, I tried to make this workout hard. Did it make any difference? Probably not, but it felt good. Tuesday On this day, the forecast was still showing very warm weather for race day. Even though it was in the 60s I wore my long sleeve shirt (trying to make myself as hot as possible) and carried my double hydration vest, just to get the feel of it (all my long runs have been so cool, I only needed my single bottle vest.) 3 mile run, followed by dead bugs. Wednesday This was an exciting day- Darlene was in town, so we met at Yamato Scrub for a long walk! This is the sandy trail I did all my long runs on when training for my 50K last year, and it’s so pretty. It was fun to show it to Darlene! We walked for two hours, which was longer than I planned, but we were gabbing away and the time went quickly. So fun to have a blogger meetup! Thursday Last run before the race! I walked a mile, then ran 2. Done! I got through the training without hurting myself! Friday Day off! During the time I usually exercise in the morning, I packed. And then after work I drove up to my hotel in Titusville! Saturday I”ll go into much greater detail in Tuesday’s race recap (because even though I DNF’d I still have LOTS TO SAY) but the short version is, I DNF’d due to a combination of poor clothing choices and some bad luck. I was so focused on not being hot, that I failed to realize 60 degrees can be cold IF IT’S RAINING STEADILY. I had to move pretty quickly to hold some heat in, and then around mile 15 I twisted my ankle and fell hard. At that point I had to keep going for 8 more miles to make it to the next aid station- there was no other choice. But now I couldn’t move fast, so by the time I got to the mile 23 aid station I was literally shaking and my teeth were chattering. The runners ahead of me had warned them I was coming, and one of the aid station volunteers already had his truck running with the heat blasting, and he ushered me right in. I told him right away that I was a DNF. As I sat there trying to warm up (and contemplating my life choices) I could hear them warning runners starting off on the next loop, “Be careful! It’s VERY muddy and slippery out there!” and there was no question in my mind I had made the right choice. I mean, I’m obviously disappointed about how this race turned out, but going on would have been dangerous, and I stand by that decision. Or at least, I would if I could actually stand. It just wasn’t my day. But that’s life- you have to take the good with the bad. There will be plenty more races! Sunday Oh boy, this will be fun. First I have to drive home- luckily it’s my left ankle. Then there will be more icing and resting. Fun times ahead! Have you ever DNF’d a race? – I think this was my first one! Ever sprained your ankle? – I sprained the other one years ago, and didn’t really enjoy the experience.