Yep, I lost my running mojo.
As you may already know, I hurt my right ankle while I was in Nassau. At just 2 weeks out from Rock ‘N’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon, I was limping for 3 days and didn’t run for 5. When I did get back on the treadmill, I took it easy (by easy I mean over 10 minute mile pace) and it still didn’t feel right, so I decided to take the last 5 days off before race day. I’m glad I did, but that means I only ran 3 days in the 14 days before the race. I’ve been running for so long and had never been injured like this before, I didn’t realize how it would impact me. Let’s just say the struggle started when the race started.
I’ll take it back to Saturday’s race expo day. The Dallas Running Club (DRC) had a booth set up at the expo. The DRC is a group of runners who run and workout together, but on race day, they help people meet their goals. My goal was to run 13.1 miles in 1:40 (1 hour 40 minutes). At the rate of my training before the injury, it was totally doable! After my ankle injury? A little aggressive, but still possible. The DRC informed me there would be someone holding a “1:40” sign the entire race and that if I followed them, I’d reach my goal. Easy, right?!
My race day alarm was set for 6:00 am and I slept until 6:40. I did my best not to panic, but I panicked! No matter what sport or hobby you do, you probably have some sort of ritual you follow to ensure a good performance. I had NO time for rituals. Everything before the race felt so rushed, but I made it to my corral on time and that’s all that mattered.
I found the 1:40 sign and I followed closely. The pace was much faster than I’m used to and I could never catch my breath or inhale deeply. I was very uncomfortable, but I managed to stay right by the sign for the first 6 miles. At mile 6 there was one of those loopy highway ramps that was extremely steep and I allowed there to be some distance from the 1:40 sign. The hard part was over and I tried to catch up, but shortly after the ramp there was another brutal hill. The 1:40 sign was even further away at this point and I knew there was no catching up. I was literally watching my dream run away from me and disappear into the distance. It was so hard to watch! Alas, after feeling sorry for myself throughout miles 6 through 9, I picked up my pace a little and did my very best for the last part of the run.
Even though I did this exact race one year ago (my very first half marathon ever), the course felt unfamiliar to me and I was just frustrated. My music was wasn’t loud enough. My Spotify playlist that I love wasn’t cutting it. The humidity was annoying. It’s exhausting being a negative Nancy, ya’ll. No wonder I’m so positive all the time!
Finally, I crossed the finish line and completed the distance in 1:43:40!!! It wasn’t the 1:40 I wanted, but I did beat my personal record and I guess that’s all I could’ve asked for. I didn’t have anyone waiting at the finish line this time around, so I took some time to collect myself. The weather was a beautiful 65 degrees and perfect for reflecting on the chaotic morning I’d just had. I regret being so frustrated and hard on myself throughout the race. Even with all the unexpected days off I had, I am SO proud of myself for just crossing the finish line! There are much bigger problems in the world and more pressing issues in my life, that my time on a race shouldn’t have bothered me so much and it’s something I’ll keep in mind the next time I start feeling down.
Though it was a rough start to my first half marathon of the year, I’m happy to have ended on a positive note. One half marathon down this year, two to go. As always, I’m looking forward to my next race day! Thanks for reading! 🙂
XO, Vivian