First of all, I know what an 8K is.
I have done one before.
It is approximately 4.97 miles.
I KNOW that.
So make no mistake: I knew I was running 4.97 miles today.
I even told my husband this before the race.
However, while running the race, my brain fried and wandered into LA-LA land. So instead of KNOWING I was running 4.97 miles, I decided that I was running 3.97 miles.
Yes. I confused myself and expected to be close to done after my three mile alert went off. I thought I was running just past a 5K.
So when I heard my four mile alert go off on my watch, I was wondering why I didn't hear people cheering, see the finish, nothing.
And then it hit me. I KNOW IT'S CLOSER TO 5 MILES!!! SHIT!!!
And it hit me like a wall. I was deflated. I have one more mile to go? Really? What the hell was I thinking? What happened to my brain?
I don't know what happened but the end result is it happened. And I was shocked to the core. And I was sad and frustrated that I had one more mile to go. I lost it mentally. I wanted to tuck my tail in between my legs and go home.
But I bucked up and went forward. I really wanted to see Karen or Frank, friends I started at the line with, to find motivation to keep going.
And before my big mistake, I had an OK race. I was doing a pretty OK pace. Not what I wanted to do but I was managing. At the three mile split, I was in the zone. I felt great. My legs felt great. But at that time, I thought I only had less than a mile to go.
I saw Coach B & her hubby right at the turn to the finish, which I thought would never come soon enough. That last mile seemed to go on forever. Where is the fricking end???
I smiled at my coach sheepishly as they cheered me on. She's awesome.
And I heard Tim and saw Mi-Mi holding a sign she made for me cheering me on. It was all worth it when I saw them. I was still frustrated with my race but not as bad as I thought when I found out I another mile to go.
When I tried to explain what happened, there was confusion as most thought I thought that an 8K was 3.97 miles. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. I know/knew how long I was running today. I just fucked it all up in my head once I started running.
Nonetheless, I still PR'd the race for that length. I hadn't run an 8K since 2004 and improved by 2:12.
Still a great race and PR! That was a tough course especially going in blind. oh and do you want to buy some viagra?
ReplyDeleteYes, I have a better reaction after the race is done. It wasn't a big deal except at the point that I figured out my error. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd haha on the viagra...but it's cialis that I'm looking for...