Candy Mountain Half Marathon
When I signed up for this race, I forgot that my family would come to visit us in Ohio and I would be traveling for two weeks prior to the race. At that time, I thought it was ONLY a half marathon (no big deal) but did not take into account the stress and the chance that I might get sick.
I was on vacation in CA with my family for 2 weeks. During the trip, I did not have time to exercise and finally caught a terrible cold before we flew back to Ohio. Family vacation was fun but it's also exhausting as I needed to plan, organize, and basically do everything to make sure everyone was happy.
2 days after my family went back I ran the Candy Mountain Half Marathon. Luckily, I knew the course and the race director really well. The race was also only 10 minutes from my house so I felt like another "Saturday long run". I started the race with no expectation on time. The only goal was to finish the race and maybe have fun. I was still coughing but the fever and ache were gone. I'd never felt so weak before the race like this before.
I stayed at the back of the pack and thought about walking the 2nd half of the race. My heart rate went up really fast the first mile into the race indicating that I was not in a good shape. I was still weak. Luckily, I ran the first few miles with A. and had fun talking with her. So, time just flew by. I walked majority of the 2nd half and ran/walked with G. the last 3 miles. We both complained about how hot it was and that we were not trained to do this race. I was glad I got to know G. more than just a Facebook friend.
We finished the race together and that was my PW (personal worst) for a half marathon. Well, first, it was a TRAIL half marathon, and, second, the trails were technical and muddy. Also, I did not care about my time. One thing I learned, though, was that I did not do well in heat and should avoid summer ultra races and stick to triathlons in the summer. lol
The race was fun and laid back, and I got to see my running friends. So, I considered this race a success despite my lack of training.
I was on vacation in CA with my family for 2 weeks. During the trip, I did not have time to exercise and finally caught a terrible cold before we flew back to Ohio. Family vacation was fun but it's also exhausting as I needed to plan, organize, and basically do everything to make sure everyone was happy.
2 days after my family went back I ran the Candy Mountain Half Marathon. Luckily, I knew the course and the race director really well. The race was also only 10 minutes from my house so I felt like another "Saturday long run". I started the race with no expectation on time. The only goal was to finish the race and maybe have fun. I was still coughing but the fever and ache were gone. I'd never felt so weak before the race like this before.
I stayed at the back of the pack and thought about walking the 2nd half of the race. My heart rate went up really fast the first mile into the race indicating that I was not in a good shape. I was still weak. Luckily, I ran the first few miles with A. and had fun talking with her. So, time just flew by. I walked majority of the 2nd half and ran/walked with G. the last 3 miles. We both complained about how hot it was and that we were not trained to do this race. I was glad I got to know G. more than just a Facebook friend.
We finished the race together and that was my PW (personal worst) for a half marathon. Well, first, it was a TRAIL half marathon, and, second, the trails were technical and muddy. Also, I did not care about my time. One thing I learned, though, was that I did not do well in heat and should avoid summer ultra races and stick to triathlons in the summer. lol
The race was fun and laid back, and I got to see my running friends. So, I considered this race a success despite my lack of training.
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