why i don’t race in rain

In September of 2008, I stood at the starting line of the Lewis + Clark Half Marathon in St. Charles. This would be my 3rd half marathon and I had trained hard the entire summer hoping to PR and finally get below 1:50. This would be my first race since my first marathon in April and I was ready to rock this half.

I had anxiously been checking the weather all week. Rain was in the forecast for the entire weekend, but Saturday remained beautiful and I was hoping the rain would hold off just a bit longer.

Boy, was I wrong. Did I mention I was standing at the starting line in a torrential downpour?

Remember Hurricane Ike that went through Galveston, Texas in September 2008? Well, you think that living in St. Louis you would never have to deal with a hurricane. A tornado, maybe… but a hurricane? Never.

Unfortunately, after Ike made landfall in Texas on September 13, 2008, it swung it’s way up into the Midwest, bringing its hurricane winds and rain along with it the next day, Sunday, September 14, 2008.

[Image Source]

The morning of the Lewis + Clark Marathon and Half Marathon.

To this day, I still ask myself why I toed the starting line that morning. It’s not like it started raining after the race had started. Nope… I woke up to that rain and still chose to brave it out there. The rain pierced my face like needles and the wind gusts made it hard to stay on my feet. Plus, very few spectators chose to stand out in this weather, making it even more difficult to stay motivated to keep pushing toward the finish line.

I had been looking forward to seeing some coworkers who would be at mile 8 working the medical tent. However, when I reached that point, they weren’t there, making it even more disheartening to keep going. When you expect people to be cheering you on at a certain point and they aren’t there makes it tough.

I still had 5 more miles to go and it was getting difficult. I couldn’t feel my face anymore, I was soaked to the core, and freezing. I figured I ran this far already, I might as well finish.

Little did I know that part of the course was flooded, branches were down on the Katy Trail, and the conditions just didn’t seem to be getting any better. As I came up to Mile 10, I saw the finish line up ahead. What was going on? I still had 3 more miles left…

In order to keep everyone “safe”, the race directors decided to reroute everyone, marathoners included, to end the race with only 10 miles under their belt.

Although I was happy to be done with the horrendous race, I was still disappointed not to have the chance to PR since I somehow, despite the conditions, was still on goal pace. I finished the 10 miler in 1:50, and it’s still the only 10 miler I have ever run. It took me HOURS to get warm again, but it taught me that I will never RACE in rain again.

Which brings me to this morning and waking up to this:

Remember that 3K I was planning on doing a few weeks ago? Yup, sticking to my guns on not racing in rain (especially when I didn’t pre-register and wasn’t going to be getting a shirt anyway). So, instead I spent 60 minutes on the treadmill and staying dry.

Anyone have a race I can run next week? Only if it doesn’t rain or snow though!

girls on the run st. louis 5K

After I finished the Chicago Marathon, I knew I needed another goal to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of marathon recovery.  [Typical recovery from 26.2 miles is said to be equivalent to 1 day for every mile run.]  I gave myself 5 weeks to recover:  1 week right after the marathon with very little, light running, and then 4 weeks of progressive training, with each week getting a little harder.  [Check out Hal Higdon’s Marathon Recovery to view what I used to recover from Chicago.] 

This meant I needed wanted  a race to do at the end of those 5 weeks.  My original plan was to run the Run to the Lights 5K in Branson, MO, which was a 10 PM race running the streets of Silver Dollar City on the opening weekend of their Christmas festival.  The Hubs and I have been dying to do this race, but by the time I went to sign up, it was already full.  Boo.

So, I was in search of a new race, and luckily, I already had one in mind for the weekend of November 13:  the Girls on the Run St. Louis 5K!  Girls on the Run is an after-school running group for 3rd through 8th grade girls where they meet up not only to run, but to learn things about self-esteem, responsibility, and overall well-being.  Some of my 5th grade girls are part of this fabulous organization, so I wanted to show them my support as they ran their 5K.

I picked up my race packet the night before, and actually had to take my D-tag from Chicago off my shoe. :o(  But, the shirt + water bottle make up for that!

 

Fortunately, the race didn’t start until 9 AM this morning, so I had plenty of time to sleep in and head down to Forest Park for the race.  I ate a banana + peanut butter [I can’t decide if I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s Valencia PB… it’s a little too savory tasting for me – I like my PB SWEET!] before leaving so I would have plenty of energy for the race.

Since I am still technically recovering from Chicago [believe me, I feel 100x better than I did 5 weeks ago], I didn’t want to go all out for this race.  When it comes to racing, I have an all or nothing mindset.  “Why would I enter a race if I didn’t have a chance to PR or win?”  I usually enter small races because I know I can finish well in them, but with 5,000 people running this one, winning wasn’t going to be happening.  So, instead, I wanted to go out, have a good time, and race comfortably… push myself, but not KILL myself.

I moved my way up to the front of the pack, just behind the elite runners – anyone planning to run under 20 minutes, and although I’ve just barely broken 20 minutes before, I knew it wasn’t going to happen today.

When the gun went off, I settled in to a comfortable pace – something I knew I could keep for 3.1 miles.  I ran my first mile at a 7:10 pace, way faster than what I felt like, but I was happy.  I passed a couple people and finally caught up to a sweet little girl decked out in all pink at about the half way point.  We ended up running the rest of the way together, as I gave her some encouragement along the way.

All of a sudden, it wasn’t about time or medaling anymore.  I ran the last half of the race with a huge smile on my face!  It felt amazing to be pushing and encouraging this girl I didn’t know.  At the 2 mile, this tiny little girl and her dad flew past us.  I encouraged my girl to keep up with her, but she stayed along side me, right on their heels the rest of the race.

Once I saw the finish, I told her to pick it up and go.  We sprinted the last 0.1 in together and I gave her a pat on the back.  I didn’t even know her name, but I still felt… I don’t know… empowered?  I guess.  It just felt good to be helping her along the way, and she thanked me for pushing her.  It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment, even though I didn’t PR [I ran a 22:28, which I am so happy with] and missed placing in my age group [I was 4th].

Overall, it was an awesome race!  I LOVED the signs along the way… “You are strong!”, “You are responsible!”, and my favorite, “You don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep!”  Ha!  I will definitely be doing this race again, and hopefully dragging some people to run it with me to support this amazing organization!

Sidenote:  You can support Girls on the Run by donating your time as a coach or money to go toward the school of your choice.  Or become a Solemate!  Raise money for GOTR as you train for your next race – I plan on becoming a Sole Mate for the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon in April – plus, you get a discounted entry fee!