As I sit in my airplane at 100,000+ feet, I’m filled with a myriad of emotions. I am a bit sad that the weekend is over and my time with the fantastic social media ladies of the #ATL has ended until we next meet, likely at Blogher or Blogalicious. I am excited to see my babies, whom I have missed. I’m looking forward to getting home and finishing up some straggling work before I take the summer off from consulting, and I am at peace with the world after one of THE most relaxing weekends I have had in a very long time.
When I won The Blogrollers contest for a weekend “Race & Relax Weekend” trip to Atlanta, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I was looking forward to a little time away from the daily grind and was just plain thrilled to have a reason to train a 5k. I’m typically focusing on longer endurance runs and never pay much attention to how fast I run. Let’s just get this straight, I run far and loooong, major emphasis on the “long”. Simply put, I’m a slow runner. I pretty much run straight 10 min miles no matter the distance so it has been fun to put more emphasis on speed work and I feel strong for it, so I’ll likely keep working at getting to be a “less slow” runner.
The Race
We were a crew of about 20, all with different goals and intentions for the race. Some of us were out for the run, some for the walk, and others were there for the fun. As we gathered at the start line, there was no mistaking who the social media mavens were …
Hey ladies!!! That was the start!
I was setting up my music and Nike+ so I could track my time, and suddenly a wave of runners started moving … YIKES we missed the gun. I bolted forward and just started running. I was a mess, and in the words of my lady friend @broksocialite, “we don’t DO mess”. Well, I was a mess of fumbling iphone and wires and I should have been focused and preparing at the start line. Oooops! It took me a good 14 mile or so to get myself situated and into a running groove.
Can I just say that Atlanta is humid? HU- MID! Not just the little glisten/glow kind of humid. It was SWEAT your balls of humid. I assumed the heat would be a challenge to me but I also wrongly assumed that because I train at altitude, I’d be able to breath much easier and move along at a faster pace. Wrong, and a lesson learned – the humidity made the air thick and I huffed and puffed my way along the course struggling on the intake. I knew going in that the hills would likely slow me down a bit .. and they did. I opted not to stop and wait in line at the one and only water stop. (Just a little FYI on race water tables “best practices”, stand IN FRONT of the table and pass the water to runners as they run by!) This was a decision I definitely regretted later when I would have given almost anything for a drop of water. I’m quite certain I must have sweat several gallons of water in that short distance, as I was blinded by the sweat dripping from my forehead. My eyes stung and in my mind’s ear, I was panting like a hyena giving birth. Or at least what I imagine a hyena giving birth would sound like. I just kept thinking, “You can do anything for 3 miles” and “Suck air IN, Suck air IN”. It’s funny, I felt so strong despite wanting to die. I was going to push along no matter what!
Never Make Assumptions
My cocky assumption that I’d have an easy time breathing during this race was silly, had I given it much thought or even looked into it at all, I would have realized that the thick humid air would pose a challenge and likely cancel out any benefit I had gained from training at altitude. I’ll chalk this one up to a lack of experience but I can tell you that I won’t ever go into another race being sure of what conditions to expect.
Strange Happenings
Our bodies change as they age and if you’ve ever birthed a child you will likely see significant proof of those children, that increases with each pregnancy and birth. I’ve had three children. My body is evidence but I practice yoga in order to combat some of the core strength weakness that I might otherwise struggle with. No matter what I do, the trauma that certain parts of my body have weathered in pushing three gorgeous little blessings can not be undone. I do believe that practicing yoga is just about the only thing holding my hips together right now!
The Finish
The finish line was right around a corner at the bottom of a hill. Had I known that the finish line were there I might have picked up my pace earlier, but PHEW it was nice to see that “Finish” sign! I thought I’d pass out as I walked it off catching my breath. (Another race note: Making runners walk 3 blocks to get water when they’ve sweat so much you can smell them a mile away?? NOT advised – Place it off to the side if you have to but WATER should be in close proximity lest would like to have a BaneringBlonde yack in the middle of your pretty street!
For more about the race, and to read about the “RELAX” portion of the weekend join my on BanteringBlonde…
I took the week to get myself back in the running frame of mind. I am a fair weather runner so winter tends to keep me in the yoga studio with a jaunt on the tread mill here and there. My training schedule includes 3 runs a week right now. Since I typically practice yoga 3-5 times a week normally I’ll used those classes to cross-train and strength build. In my opinion anyone who participates in yoga is getting quite a bit of strength training just by lifting their own body weight.
