Been away for awhile

So I've been away from my blog for awhile and I've missed it. After last weekend's excitement I've just been trying to find some relaxation this week. I failed miserably. Work has been really busy and stressful and it seems I can't get to bed before 10 P.M. no matter how hard I try. Yes, it's true, Willie is NOT a night owl. If I'm not in bed by 9 on a school night I just never seem to be at my best. 

I ran my normal schedule, Tuesday easy run and Thursday tempo run. I did both with My Hero's boyfriend. He is such a nice guy and he is just beginning to run. Tuesday we did about 5 miles around Lake Hefner at a nice easy pace. I was really tired and had to walk a little but that is to be expected when I run in the evening after work. Thursday we did a tempo run around Mitch park which is a nice little park with some trails on rolling hills near my house. He had never done a tempo run before so I struggled to pick a pace that was good for both he and I. It was a good run but afterwards he said that he was actually running his 5K race pace so it was a little fast. I was afraid I broke him. I hate it when you get a new toy and you break it soon after you bring it home! It's just like me to get a new friend and ruin it soon after. Actually he's fine, I saw him today and he is still speaking to me so this is a good sign.

Today I ran the Sooner State Games 1/2 marathon. I was playing hooky from the Landrunners club series races because they were all at the Gusher Gallop 5K. This means I am loosing some series points but it's worth it. I HATE 5K's! They are way to short and I just plain suck at them. I just don't seem to have what it takes for a short race. I have worked hard to establish pace running and that just doesn't work at a 5K. I am just getting into my good pace when the race is ending! I HAVE A NEED FOR SPEED, because I don't have any! 

So I skipped the series race and ran the 1/2 marathon instead. There weren't many people at the race probably because everyone was at the 5K. I hadn't run a 1/2 since Tulsa last year when I ran a 1:40 so I didn't know what to expect today. My Hero was there so I decided to pace her for the early portion of the race and see where that left me. My normal race strategy is to go out easy and pick it up as the race progresses. Well today I changed that. I went out WAY to hard and paid a price for it later. I ran the first couple miles at 7:15 pace and eventually slowed to a consistent pace of about 7:23. I didn't really struggle until about 6 miles where I took a GU pack which I thought would bring me back to life and get me home. It didn't. I forgot to buy my E-Gel yesterday so I had to make a mad dash to a chain store last night to get some gel. They didn't have E-Gel! Ugghh! I bought some no-caffeine GU and hoped it would work out. It didn't. I took that GU pack and felt no different. That left me to struggle through the last 6 miles on my own. At the turn-around, though, I noticed that I was running 3rd overall for the men (My Hero was ahead of me but she was the first women)!!!! Holy crap, I thought, this isn't right! So I tried to keep my pace up but could only manage some 7:30's on the way back. At mile 9 I heard footsteps. This was not good. I was really struggling and now I had someone racing me for my first ever overall award chance. There was nothing I could do, I wimped out and he passed me. If I had anything left in me that took it all out and I crashed hard. The last couple miles I was light-headed and barely managing to hold an 8:00 pace. Luckily that pace was enough to hold onto  4th for the men, 5th overall. I ran a 1:38:55 which is a PR for me but I was not happy with the race. I ran stupidly. I did learn a lesson however, no more fast starts for Willie. 

I didn't get an overall medal but I did win my age group. I actually won 2 age groups! The race organizers transposed my age on the official results so I had to explain to them that I was not in my fifties when they gave out awards. It took more convincing than I care to admit! Do I really look that old? What the crap?? So anyway, they eventually found the error and gave me my age group medal. Later, however, one of my friends, who is in 50 year old division came running over to me saying they still had me down as winning the 50 year old division. He had actually won it and they wouldn't give him his medal. I had to once again go explain that I was NOT IN MY 50'S FOR GOODNESS SAKES! Very depressing...

Next week is the Andy Payne marathon. I'm concerned. The race today was really hard on me and I don't know if I will be able to rest enough to be ready for a marathon in a week. We'll just have to see how this week goes.

Thanks for listening