Sunday, August 5, 2012

Fail......Fail......Fail.........

So I was supposed to run the YuKanRun.Com Cape Ann Half Marathon this morning......and if you look at the Daily Mile thingie off to the right, you can see that I ran 8 and change this morning....and not 13.1

Naturally, there's a story.......and in spite of the title for this entry, I think it's got a happy ending.

As I'm in training for the ING Hartford Marathon, these "races" are really more like training runs...a different way to do the weekly long run.  So my mindset isn't to "race" them, but rather to use them as guideposts along the way through my training schedule.  Still, there's naturally something that happens when you pin a bib onto your chest.  When I ran my last half (down in Rhode Island), I had every intention of trying to shoot for a PR, but ended up posting my slowest half marathon time ever.  Chalked it up as a learning experience and a good training run.  As I was getting ready for this half, I was having no such illusions......I was looking forward to a good run and a fun day running by the ocean.

And then I overslept......

As this race was starting in Rockport (roughly 90 minutes from here), to make the 9:15 start time with room to spare, I wanted to leave around 7AM.  Knowing myself like I do, I need PLENTY of lead time to get out of the house in the morning, so I set my alarm for 5:30 (just like a school day!)......or so I thought.

When I rolled over and looked at the clock, it taunted me......6:45AM

Really, Bill.........Really?   The alarm never rang, and now I had roughly 15 minutes to get some coffee in my system, hit the head, eat some oatmeal, get into my race gear, and get out the door and hit the road.

Not bloody likely......particularly after I sat down to watch some of the Olympic Women's Marathon while having the aforementioned coffee and oatmeal.  Now that I was suitably motivated, I headed out on my futile mission........time:  7:30AM

So I was going to get there at 9AM......for a 9:15 start.......oh yeah, I forgot to mention that after 7:45AM, you had to park a mile away and take a shuttle to the start area.

And this guy always likes to get to races well ahead of time........

I got about 15 minutes out and I realized that there was really no reason to keep going......I wasn't going to get there on time and even if it was a chip-timed race, I'd still be starting after everyone else.......NO THANKS!  I called my wife, and let her know that I was coming back home.

This isn't the first time I haven't run a race I paid for, and it probably won't be the last, but it's the first time it's happened that wasn't due to sickness or injury.  This time, it was due to apathy.....

So after coming back and watching the conclusion of the women's marathon, I headed out to get my run in.......bound and determined to run at least 13.1 miles.  The only problem......at 9:30, it was already 80 degrees and humid, with the temps bound to go higher.  I had been pre-hydrating in advance of the half-marathon I didn't run, so I thought I'd be good to go in spite of the heat.  I brought my handheld bottle filled with Gatorade, and set off with great intentions.  Very quickly, I knew it was going to be a difficult run.  Not sure if it was so much physical as it was mental.......after not making it to the start of the half, I think I was just out of it mentally......so as soon as the run got hard (and the route I was on starts with a gentle, but relentless .7 mile hill), I was already giving up.   The heat/humidity made it that much more difficult, and I was quickly drenched.  After about 5 miles, I began to realize that 13.1 miles under these conditions was going to be beyond my capabilities........and when I reached my driveway after 8.14 miles, I was done.....in pretty much every way possible.  It was 85 degrees, but according to the Weather Channel app on my phone, it felt like 89.....

So where's the happy ending?

I learned that there are worse things than missing a race......that life goes on, and that there will be other races on other days.  I've got another half coming up in September, and I'm pretty sure I won't be missing that one, but if I were to miss it, big deal!

Even though I failed to run the half marathon I was "supposed" to run today, it's not an unrecoverable error.......I'll get out tomorrow morning, and even though I'm not scheduled to run, I'm going to get the remaining 5 miles I was supposed to run today, and all will be right with the world.

See you all out there on the road!

22 comments:

  1. Oh no! I have dreams that of that happening to me. I love your attitude though. You can make it up tomorrow! Do you need a new alarm clock or do you need to quit hitting the snooze button?

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    1. I think I set the time correctly, but didn't then actually turn the buzzer part on.....DUH! FAIL!!!

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  2. Eeek! I can't believe you're so zen after all those disasters. I need to work on my attitude toward things I think....

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    1. no choice but to move forward.....quitting is NOT AN OPTION! :>)

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  3. If it makes you feel any better, I was supposed to run the half, but because I am *behind* in training for MCM opted for the 5k... (so I paid $45 for a $19 race...) And to boot, it was GROSS hot!!! Even my super duper runner friends were off target pace by 15-20 minutes. It's ALL good :) Something neat though? It started and finished at Rockport High School, where Dan Fleming was principal for quite some time - that was really cool :):):)

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    1. wished I could have made it, but life sometimes has other plans! Maybe next year.....that Dan Fleming connection is pretty cool!

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  4. I love this story!!! That would totally happen to me and completely throw me off as well!! I think these things happen for good reason...and you will find your 5 miler tomorrow a pleasurable and rewarding one I'm sure!!

    i always blame my other half for alarm clock problems...any chance of that happening?? ;)

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    1. My wife is my biggest fan.....could never blame her for my inability to make an alarm clock work! I think there were higher powers intervening! LOL

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  5. I too have had dreams about this happening to me!!! That sucks Bill. But like you said, there will be other races. At least you ran today. I skipped mine :)

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    1. still can't believe it happened, Jose, but it's really kinda funny....in a "can't believe it happened to me" kind of way! LOL

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  6. I had my best 1/2 marathon at last year's YuKanRun Half, so had considered running it again this year. But with my new training schedule, it was just easier to stick to my plan and run my usual routes.

    I too hung around to watch the women's Olympic marathon!! I had 10 on my calendar, so I did suffer in the humidity as well and was so thankful that I had no further to go.

    8 miles is nothing to sneeze at, so nice job recovering for the day. Besides, hate to waste good pre-hydration, right???

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    1. I've always enjoyed running in the Rockport/Gloucester area (did the Lone Gull 10K 4 times, and would be doing it again this year if I wasn't running the Surftown Half down in Rhode Island), but it clearly wasn't in the cards for me......and no, the pre-hydration didn't go to waste, even if it really didn't help! Onwards!

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  7. These things happen my friend...and probably for a reason (even if you never know what that reason might have been). I tend to set more than one alarm on race days just to avoid that type of thing...even though I usually manage to wake up just before the alarm goes off. Onward....

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    1. that's the way I'm looking at it.....I just wasn't meant to run that race that day.....c'est la vie! Never had to go with the double alarm though....not since college! LOL

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  8. You just lived, and survived, my worst nightmare. I have spent my entire life terrified of sleeping in and missing something. You make a good point though, that its just another race. granted, the wasted money is a bummer, but not the worst thing in the world. Good for you for still getting out there and putting some miles in!

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    1. hey Sara.....yeah, the money's a sunk cost and it's not as if we here in Fine Manor have money to burn! Besides, it makes for a good story and it's something a LOT of people can relate to. Hopefully, it won't happen again....but probably will! LOL

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  9. Oh my I always set 2 alarms.

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  10. That hasn't happened to me yet.....probably bound to happen someday though.
    No big deal... the important thing is that you ARE RUNNING.

    Get the training in and ONWARD!

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  11. I did this a couple of years ago for a half marathon; it was 42 degrees and pouring rain, as in you're soaked 30 seconds in to being outside. I knew I would be miserable, I knew it wasn't healthy, and I knew the asphalt would be slippery for this accident prone runner. I bowed out and had runner's depression for a whole day, then went about my week as though I was in training again. I only have a teensy ounce of regret still, but wisdom said NO. Good job getting out there! And Hartford? It's practically my home town (Grew up 5 minutes out), hear it's a great race.

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    1. That regret was there, but only for a little while.....and then it just becomes a funny story to tell! I've heard lots of good things about the Hartford Marathon, so I'm really looking forward to it!

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  12. Bill I can't seem to figure out the reply option on my comments! Great work! The picture is from a friends rooftop along the Hudson close enough!

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