10K Dismay? No Way! She Came, She Saw, She Conquered (Well, sort of....)

Okay, here it is, friends - the race recap you've been waiting for... Ha Ha!  It's been a few days to reflect and focus on the good stuff.  :)  So here goes:

 

The Plan:
Know where the essentials are:
Porta potties and starting line (learned during last 5K!) - checked these out during packet pick-up.

 

Have an eating plan (employed for the week leading up to 'game day'):
This meant 'no cake' on Saturday for nephew's b-day: bummer  :(
Morning of?  Decaf coffee (3 sips), water, oatmeal, mini bagels/PB on hand....

 

Have a running plan - Determine pace for each mile. Try to do negative splits. (Start Slow. Finish Strong.)  
mile 1:  13 min
mile 2:  12 min
miles 3 - 5:  11 min
mile 6.2:  10 min
Admittedly conservative, but totally do-able.  Would put me in my 70 - 75 min PR goal.  If I completed in less time, all the better!  :)

 

Grab the essentials:
water bottle w/ a little G2 added? check.
Luna Moons?  check.
ipod and race day music list? check.
roadID? check.
bib? check.
chapstick? check.
hat? check. (chose bright pink so Hubby could find me at finish)
and even a little bodyglide, just in case....

 

Heed the advice:
A 10K is tough... be ready
Take water - not enough on hand last yr for this race

 

Know the facts:
Hottest October on record for Orlando

 

Bonus:  Had shirt customized for race day (Thanks, Mother Falcon, local t-shirt printing shop.... they make shirts while you wait. Score!)

 

Race day started at 3:30 am (couldn't sleep) with 3 sips of coffee, all the usual meds, a little oatmeal, and water.  Dressed and ready, we were out the door at 5:00, and arrived on Disney property to find LOTS of people already there.... wow!  As we parked and headed to the bus that would transport us to the starting area, I noticed lots of runners just like me - all shapes and sizes, some looking experienced and many looking like this was a fairly new experience for them, too.

 

The humidity was kicking (94%!) when we arrived at the starting area a few minutes later, and after surveying the port-potty situation (still not too bad), we decided to take a few laps to warm up and stretch a little.  Hubby insisted on carrying the mini-backpack w/ extra essentials, along w/ extra food and the camera.  Poor guy!  It was like having my own paparrazi, as he took photo after photo.  "We're documenting" is what we'd say when people looked at us funny.  Obnoxious?  Borderline, I suppose, but hey, this was a BIG deal to me!  :)

 

 

After a few laps, as we watched the porta-potty population grow, we decided to jump in line... good thing!  Took 30 minutes to work our way to the front. And for what? Wow!!!  Eau du morning....I'm just sayin'.....

 

 

Next, we headed to the starting area.  Further, further, further toward the back: that's me! 11:01 - 13:00 minutes!  Yep, those runners looked a lot like me... turtles en force.

 

 

As you may know, Disney does nothing small, and the start of the race was no exception.  Fireworks kicked off the race, and before I knew it, my feet were moving...albeit, slowly, but forward we went.  The sun was coming up in the east, and the coolness of the dark was welcome reprieve from what we would soon experience.

 

Mile 1 was right on target: 12:58 to be exact, really a fast walk. Good. Now pick it up a little and make the second goal: yep - got that one, too: a little under 12:00.  Interestingly, as we ran the first two miles, there were these weird patches of cool air (dead people/ghosts??) that we'd run through (did you guys that also ran that day feel those??).  There weren't many, maybe 2 or 3, but they felt so nice, like when you run past an open storefront and the A/C rushes out.  (We long for that, here in Florida!)

 

Mile 3 was to be my turning point: to employ J. Galloway's run/walk method, and back off a little for a 1-minute walk to recover a little energy, and then use my speedwork training.  This sounded good on paper and worked for mile 3.  (Yes, the speedwork training did pay off that day - at least for a little while.) But then it happened.  The sun came up and the heat intensified immediately (we were over 83 at 75 degrees at 7:30 am) w/ that 94% humidity issue. It was like running 6.2 miles in a very warm shower!  Along with water stations pushed too far apart, things began to go downhill quickly....

 

Runners were stopping for water - not just drifting by and grabbing a cup or two, but stopping and gulping. It was clear that the heat/humidity were taking their toll on lots of people that day.  I pressed on, feeling tired, sluggish, and w/ a few little teeny chest pains (not too unusual for me, so I kept moving forward).  My pace was now officially off my plan.  Miles 3 - 5 = 13:00+ each, with lots of walking going on.  This annoyed the crap out of me.  I wanted to run this race, not walk the darn thing!!!

 

Whether we walked or ran (there were lots of folks walking by this time - in all shapes & sizes - even some gazelles), we would slip and slide off of one another if we bumped into each other... in fact, there was no bumping - it was all sliding.  Gross!!!

 

By this time (mile 5), I was starting to realize that I really did not have enough long runs under my belt to have a sufficient foundation for the full 6.2.  I had become comfortable with  3 1/2 miles or so, and had run a few Sundays at 4 - 6 miles, thinking, "Oh, an extra mile or so isn't a big deal."  Well, when you're a newbie runner and don't have that endurance developed yet, you can bet your butt it becomes a BIG deal real fast.  Experienced running friends, I'm guessing you'd agree with this???  Newbie running friends, don't kid yourself:

 

Establish your base mileage+ and run it several times before race day.  

 

 

I made it through mile 6, now running through the backlots of Disney, making our way through EPCOT, and heading for the parking lot/finish line.  Many walked. Many ran very slowly.  Everyone (not yet finished) appeared exhausted. All I could think was:  "My shirt says, 'Start Slow. Finish Strong.' It should read: Start Slow. Continue Slow.  Finish." 

 

I came around a corner and there was an older woman to my left. Okay, she was a bit older than older. Hunched over, 85 if she was day, and walking, but at that moment, she resumed her trot, and I thought, "Doggone it. If she can do this, so can I!"  She was an inspiration.  Together (though she didn't know I was back there), we rounded the last corner, and there it was: the finish line.  Totally exhausted, I summoned all remaining energy and took off in a sprint for the last 50 feet or so, and crossed the finish line at 1:21:06, a solid 10 - 15 minutes off my planned time, but I did it.  I finished my 10K.  Yay!  (Guaranteed PR for my first 10K, right?? LOL)

 

 

The next few minutes were a blur, as Hubby came toward me and I couldn't hear him.  Apparently, my ipod was still going strong (stronger than me, anyway!).. I didn't even notice it, as my world began to close in around me very quickly.  I was given a medal, which I (apparentlyl) put around my neck and Hubby (apparently) took pictures - I didn't remember any of this later (notice how stupid I look in this picture!) - and then I began to hyperventilate.  As Hubby calmed me down and handed me a GIANT bottle of Disani water (were they kidding?), I started to go from disoriented to flat-out passing out.  This was not good!

 

The next 15 minutes included: me trying to sit down in the middle of the pavement and telling Hubby I didn't feel right and was going to pass out, everything going 'white' around me, not a single flipping security person being able to tell us where the medical tent was or offering to radio for help, finding a cool place under trees for me to lie down & just kind of drifting off as Hubby (apparently) tracked down a (cute & young) EMT who observed while I checked my BG level (elevated after running - no problem), asked me a million questions,  and checked  my BP (way too low), with instructions to stay still for a while.  We did.

 

A few minutes more and we were heading toward the car: "Are you okay?"  "Yes. I'm fine. Just have a little headache coming on."  (little did I know where THAT was going!)  After much insistence on my part, we went to breakfast and then headed home for the usual post-race nap (yes!).  Two hours later, I woke up to what felt like a thousand knives being put into my scalp.  Migraine headache, brought on by a mild heat stroke (diagnosed the next day, in the doc's office)... Now, if you've never had a migraine - here it is in a nutshell:  horrific pain in your head, hurts to open your eyes/breathe/move, extreme nausea brought on by the pain, and then if you're really lucky and get the deluxe package: vomiting (which just makes your head pound more)... this went on for the next 12 hours. OMG!!!!!!!!

 

Dear Lord, take me now.  I will never run again. I will never run again.  I will never run again.  That's how I felt... so let down after what started out as an awesome day that turned into such a disappointment and then ended with so much physical pain I could have just died right there on the spot.  Sore knees would have been a blessing!

 

Monday had me in my doc's office, and get this:  she ran the race, too!  (I didn't even know she was a runner.)  So the minute I told her where I had been Sunday, she said, "Oh my gosh! That heat and humidity were unbearable."  Turns out, everyone who was there that day said the same thing....

 

And that my friends is my Race Day Recap.   I came. I saw. I conquered.  (sort of....)

 

Lessons Learned (and Lessons to Share):

Establish your base mileage

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

If you take meds, check w/ your doc @ appropriate dosing, especially before long runs/races (mine is now cut in half before LRs and races)

Understand the limitations that weather places on your body - whether extreme heat or cold

Recognize signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and act accordingly
Migraines can be the result of extreme fatigue/exertion: take appropriate precautions
Look at the back of your race bib to see if it has a place for emergency info.. turns out, mine did and we didn't fill it out - didn't even see this space until 3 days after the race(!) - not on ALL bibs

 

My thankful Three

Today, I am thankful for:

• Time to heal my disappointment
• The ability to bounce back and say, "Hey! I finished the darn thing!"
• The love and kindness of my family and friends....

Tomorrow I'm venturing back out on to the street - first time since the race... I am ready!

 

Happy running, friends....

 

Robin