I survived!!!!!
Well, looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't think I would survive this race. It was partly because I had done a 10 mile training run at the beginning of April and afterwards I stuck to mostly 1 mile runs for the next few weeks. I felt bored and burned out, and therefore in my mind, I "wasn't ready". I love running so much and love having a goal to work towards, but sometimes, knowing that I "HAVE" to go out and do a run can be a bit of a drag sometimes, especially if it is something that is done so often during the week. I did an 8k (around 5 miles) trail race back in October with Anthony, who ended up doing the 5k, but that has been about it since the 2014 Chicago Marathon. I think that I had psyched myself out so much before this race because I haven't ran a distance race since 2014.
Anthony and I at Timber Pointe for the Run The Woods 5k and 8k- Anthony got 2nd in his age division and I took 1st.
Because of my worrying/anxiety/spazzing out about the whole thing, I sent a text to Anthony right before leaving for packet pickup saying "I don't think I can do this". I was seriously considering just calling it a day and sleeping in the next morning. But our friend Devin was running as well, and calmed me down right before we left. Having her there truly made me feel better, and I went to the expo/packet pickup sucking it up and knowing that I had to stick with it.
Expo/Packet Pickup: Located in the ARC at the U of I campus. Went very smoothly, and there were so many great vendors at the expo as well as wonderful volunteers. After walking around the expo, Anthony and I drove around the campus to see all of the fraternity/sorority houses.
Race day: Anthony and I woke up bright and early at 4:50 to get ready to leave. We wanted to take as much time as we needed since we had the drive to make. I had my pre-race steel cut oatmeal breakfast and Anthony got six donuts from Dunkin'... LOL. We then filled up my car and were on our way!
Besides for slight traffic, parking went smoothly and we headed out to the starting line. The whole day was rainy and gross, and it was actually one of the things I was really nervous for with this race. I had never ran a distance race in the rain before, so I was nervous it would mess with me. Luckily, it didn't. Besides just getting totally soaked like Splash Mountain, the rain didn't bother me as much as time went on, I was so focused on finishing I didn't actually notice it. I ran with Devin and her mom for the first four or so miles, then we naturally separated with different paces. Just before mile two, however, I dropped my phone and it fell into a puddle with hundreds of runners stampeding around it. I had to run back into the sea of runners, grab my phone, made sure it still worked, and then ran back to Devin and her mom. WHEW.
Besides that, the rest of the run went very smooth. I usually stop a lot to stretch/catch my breath during training runs, and this time I didn't stop at all. By mile six, I had found my groove and was in the mindset to finish this thing. The individual miles seemed to stretch on and go by fast at the same time. We ran through charming Urbana neighborhoods, streets lined with shops, and the U of I campus. I was so surprised I didn't stop, and my legs felt like heavy bricks by mile 11. My pace slowed, but I knew I would be able to finish. I saw Anthony standing with Devin's boyfriend at mile 10, I was able to give him a quick kiss and look at the sign he made for me: "Grace runs and I eat donuts".
The race finished in the U of I football stadium, which was super awesome. I pulled out my phone to film myself running across the finish line for Snapchat, which was awesome because now I can go back and savor the memory as much as I want to. After finishing the run, it hit me how COLD and RAINY and GROSS it was, and I needed to get warmed up! I didn't prepare as well as I thought, and I didn't bring any dry clothes for after the race. Luckily, Devin had some dry clothes for me to wear, so shout out to Devin because she seriously saved my life.
After changing/stretching/shivering, we went to get food at The Original Pancake House in Urbana. It was a super busy day, but the food was excellent. Anthony got a meat lovers omelet, Devin got a veggie omelet, Devin's boyfriend Ethan got a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, and I got Eggs Benedict. Everything was so yummy with great portion sizes (the omelets were huge). We all left full and happy, but still a little cold.
Devin and I after breakfast!
Overall, I have learned to never doubt myself, because I exceeded my expectations on race day. I am so proud of myself that I crossed the finish line! Now, it is time for foam rolling and lots of stretching! Special thank you to Devin for giving me dry clothes and running with me, and Anthony for waking up with me so early, going to packet pickup with me, and supporting me through this whole thing. I am so incredibly grateful! Overall, wonderful spectators and volunteers, such kind people and a wonderfully executed race. Congratulations to everyone that finished!
P.S., I have had many friends tell me that running a distance race is something they have always wanted to do, but don't know where to get started. Let me tell you that anyone can do these runs, it all comes down to training properly and having the right mindset! Maybe I will write a future blog post about running advice, how I started, and how to train properly for distance races!
Have a great Monday, everyone!
Grace
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