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A study in sports psychology

About a week ago I stopped trying to talk myself out of running yesterday's half-marathon and started looking forward to it. It's amazing what a little positive thinking can produce. I ran the race, I had a great time, I worked really hard, and I got a result I am thrilled with. And today my butt is so sore I can hardly walk.

Saturday night, still worrying about the weather, I decided to put a plastic bag over my cast and just run the damn race, rain or no rain. I slept well that night. And awoke to the sound of rain rattling against our bedroom window. I bundled up, packed dry clothes for after the race, and headed down the hill to the start.

The rain was in showers, so it was mostly clear with brief intervals of dumping. Once the race started I pulled the bag off the cast to let it vent. I spent the entire race taking the bag off and putting it back on during the showers. It was a stupid way to expend energy, but it worked. The cast got no wetter than it typically does during a good sweaty spin class.

This race has a long, exposed stretch along the Great Highway, which is where we got the worst of the weather. Right before the 10-mile marker the course does a U-turn and we headed straight into ugly headwinds and blowing rain. Running 2.5 of the last 3 miles into this wind was brutal and demoralizing. But my friend Liz and I had decided we wanted to finish under 2 hours, and we pushed each other.

Half a mile from the finish, the course turns back into Golden Gate Park, and the ever-increasing headwind became a glorious tailwind. But this last stretch of road is a cruel, cruel uphill. We sprinted. We kicked. We passed dozens of other runners. And we crossed the line in 1:59:43, hitting our sub-2-hour goal with seconds to spare. I don't think I would have done it without Liz there to race me to the finish line.

Ten minutes later, as we stripped off our soaking wet shirts and put on dry layers, the sky cleared and the wind blew itself out. We stood in the cold sunshine laughing and shaking our heads at the weather.

My time was not my best at this race (it's actually my second-slowest of the five times I've run it). But I feel like it was one of my best efforts ever. I worked hard and suffered a lot -- honestly, I am not in great shape and I paid for it. That suffering is good practice for what will come on April 13, especially since I don't have any more races planned between now and then.

February 4, 2008 12:23 PM