Not another "bad race" report

Hooray!  And thank god. 

Finally a race that I don't have to write about how I gutted out a bad day.  Today I ran the Black Cat 20 Miler in Salem, MA.  It was basically an opportunity to do a long run somewhere new with support along the course.  And go out for brunch afterwards with my friend Carolyn.

The plan was to use the first 4 miles to warm up and then hit the remaining 16 at my goal marathon pace.  The weather was awesome for a long run, hovering around 40, little wind and overcast.  Chilly standing to start, but fine once I was moving.  My goal marathon pace is 8:23...I know, not specific at all...and I have been getting pretty confident and comfortable at that pace on my longer runs.  Twenty miles would be my longest run since the Boston Marathon, but didn't seem impossible.

One thing I hadn't realized is my obsession with the clock.  On training runs, I will turn off my watch when I stop for water or take a bathroom break.  Not today.  So, I perfected the cup fold allowing me to run and drink while not spilling too much water on myself or choking.  I also convinced myself to hold "it" for one more mile, and eventually I just finished the race without stopping (or wetting myself, just to be clear).

I also hadn't realized all the "lessons" I've learned from those bad races, actually come in handy, even on a relatively good day.  Yes, the physical training helped, but the mental game training may have proved to be even more important.  Twenty miles is a long run no matter how you slice it, but if I can make it seem less intimidating when I'm at mile 3, I'm definitely helping myself out.  I didn't care who I passed or who passed me.  I didn't feel envious of the 10 Mile racers finishing as I crossed my half way point.  OK, maybe I was a a little jealous, but I didn't want to quit.  I never doubted I could run this race today. 

Don't get me wrong, I still have work to do.  Mile 16-20 were challenging.  My pace dropped more than I would have liked it to.  And I still struggle with my race nutrition - what to eat (that won't make me want to puke) and when to eat it.  But I saw progress today, and finally I can appreciate what I was supposed to take away from those previous rocky races.