As I pinned my Pittsburgh Half Marathon bib on my Runner’s Roost singlet on Saturday night as I was tossing together my race day essentials I had a tingle of remorse. I was supposed to be proudly rocking a Pittsburgh Marathon bib that flaunted my name while stashing road race snacks in my SPIBelt. Instead, I had backed down to the half marathon at the race expo. I kept telling myself it was the right choice…I was grossly under-trained for a full marathon + I had big plans that a race day injury would really kick in the face. Plus, I knew running 13 miles with Lynne would be more fun than running 26 miles alone. I refused to feel guilty for playing it smart!
Finding Fun in Misery [Steamboat Marathon]
Okay, this is getting a little bit ridiculous. It’s been nearly three weeks since I ran the Steamboat Marathon and, while I have a few failed attempts saved, I am yet to actually write about the race. In my defense I haven’t had time to write about anything but what’s really holding me back about this race recap is the gigantic gap between the important parts I want to share and coherent writing.
The race was important to me for a few reasons - it was a road race I had a few time goals for, my mom + friends + Jeremy spent the weekend in Steamboat for this race and because, at the end of the day, I learned how to have fun even when I was hating life. But for some reason I cannot figure out how to put the experience into words — not necessarily because it was so profound but because my brain is so exhausted with EMT training/medical jargon the thought of trying to process the experience into words freaks me out.
Twenty Freaking Seconds [Colfax Half Marathon]
I’m about the recap my version of the 2015 Colfax Half Marathon approximately four [very long…] weeks after the fact. As a rather impromptu race it wasn’t necessarily a huge day for me but I learned a lot, got one heck of a confidence boost in my ability and finish just 20 freaking seconds shy of my half marathon PR so I really want to write about it, if only as a reminder of what I learned. In theory I would have been smart enough to take these lessons and use them during the Steamboat Marathon but…I’m not quite that smart!
