A little over two weeks ago, I ran my 6th half marathon at the 10th Annual Madison Mini Marathon (see picture below). I ran the race three years ago, setting a PR by one minute. Much has changed in three years, however, so I did not expect to set a PR this year. In fact, I had 20 miles on my marathon training plan, so I had to make sure I had some room left in my tank for another 6-7 miles (with warm-up). Furthermore, I have been working on having a more low-key mindset about my races, as setting specific time or place goals has robbed me of my joy and led me to self-destructive behaviors in the past.
The morning did not begin well, as we left the house about ten minutes later than I had hoped to leave. I began to stress over finding enough time to meet up with some Oiselle ladies prior to dropping of my bag at gear check and then hitting the bathrooms before the start.
In my frazzled state, I left my fuel belt, my phone, and my headphones in my bag, so I did not have any nutrition or music for the race. Furthermore, I also had to abandon the bathroom break, as I looked at my watch and realized I had four minutes to get to the starting line. Alas, I felt pretty relaxed and confident for the first few miles. I passed the 10K mark around 44 minutes, on pace for a great time. As the humidity began to wear me down, the very thing I feared would happen, did. My quads starting to rebel against me and I began to experience muscle cramps. I ended up slowing down and taking some walk breaks, as well a stop for half a banana at mile 10. The last 7 miles were much slower, around 56 minutes. Muscle cramps have plagued me in nearly every endurance race I have done since the summer of 2015 (with the exception of Grandma’s Marathon in 2015). I believe this is for two reasons:
- Dehydration and low electrolytes- I typically carry water with me, often with Nuun tabs during long races or training runs, but when I forget to do it or don’t bring enough (which can be heard to gauge), I suffer. I think I tend to lose more sodium when I sweat than most people. Hammer Endurolyte pills and Salt Stick chews are my new go-to solutions for these issues.
- Reduced hip extension- As this article in Competitor Magazine points out, our hips and our glutes are the driving force in running, so poor hip extension can put undue stress on our calves and quads when our muscles begin to fatigue and our form falls apart in races that span multiple hours. I plan to begin incorporating hip bridges, donkey kicks, and single leg dead lifts into my training regime.
The overarching issue in all of this, though, is the lies I tell myself when my competitive drive (which is usually an asset) begins to shade into self-denigrating thoughts like, ” I should have been able to run well regardless of what I had with me. Other people didn’t wear a fuel belt and they did just fine,” or “I shouldn’t have gone into the med tent because it really wasn’t that hot outside.” Even worse, “If I miss the rest of my miles today, I will feel like a failure.” When we begin to play the Should Game, things tend to get ugly (read this for more on shoulding ourselves).
The reality is that finishing my IV fluids (I did not) and getting more rest would not have been a bad idea given that we were traveling down to Illinois for a family gathering that afternoon. And yet, I ran another 6.5 miles so that I could drown out the voices in my head that were trying to convince me that perhaps my performance was due to my weight, not the numerous extenuating circumstances. Friends, we all have lies we tell ourselves or hear from others that can be so easy to believe.
What matters is not how many times we repeat these lies or listen to the lies, but how often we believe them. What do you choose to believe? I believe the Truth. This song by Lauren Daigle has lifted my spirits many times in recent weeks. I hear this song and my soul says, “Now that’s more like it.”
Redefined Runner 