Monday, June 12, 2006

Easy Does It.

NOT.

I ran the final Easy Does It Five-Miler last Saturday. The folks over at Hazelden's Youth and Family Services have been putting on this lovely race for 25 years. For a variety of reasons, they decided that this year would be their last year to hold the event.

I've participated in this race for the last three or four years. The course is nice -- a little hilly, which is challenging, through neighborhoods and next to a lake. It's an "out and back", which is always nice for us back-of-the-packers as we can cheer on the leaders as they whiz by us on their way back to the finish.

In year's past, this race was always my last taper event right before Grandma's Marathon. I'd hit the start line all ready and raring to go... trained and "efficient". Not this year.

Since I did not get in to either of the Grandma's events, my running has taken a backseat to swimming. I've been spending much more time and effort trying to become more efficient in the water so that .9 swim portion of LifeTime Fitness triathlon doesn't do me in.

I ran the race on Saturday with my great friend Mary B. She is running Grandma's Marathon and has been training for weeks. It really showed in her performance Saturday. She took off ahead of me in the first 600 feet and I didn't see her again until she came back for me on the course after she had finisher her very own 49:00 minute race.

I struggled. The air was heavy, so my asthma was troublesome. I felt slow and cumbersome, like I was running through molasses. I wasn't physically achy, but mentally was not really able to get it together.

I was sure that I was really really behind the eight-ball time-wise, so when I saw the finisher chute I was surprised to see that I was coming in in less than an hour. Still and all, with my finishing time of 55:42, I was about 3:04 slower than last year.

I got in my 20-mile training bike ride yesterday. Another day where I felt like I was not moving at all. There was a lot of wind which was challenging and I did slog through the workout in less than 2 hours. My legs felt like rubber -- from the bike ride and probably the 9-holes of golf that we played that morning. That is when the doubts started creeping in.

I'm not sure how ready I am for this Olympic-distance triathlon. I've got 5 weeks to finish up training and prepare but my sluggish performances last weekend got me in a bit of a panic.

I'm trying to relax just a little bit -- Twin Cities Marathon training starts tonight, so that will help with my running; I've got plenty of training dates for biking and swimming to help shore up those two legs; I've got some time. I just have to remember:

Easy Does It.

1 comment:

Dori said...

Just goes to show, "It ain't over 'til you cross the finish line." Even though it was a few minutes slower than last year, I think you did great! And yes, Mary B. is in excellent shape. She's also fifteen years younger than you, and that counts for something. That's why they have a Master's category.

I didn't know you were running that race, or I would have gone to support you. My husband was working and I didn't run with the club because I ran on Sunday instead.

I'm glad you ran that race, but don't be discouraged. As you said, you've been focusing on your swimming. And the Liftime Fitness Triathlon is more important than the EZ Does It, because of its level of difficulty.