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Between PR is PR and #$%^ that was a LONG way from Goal

Two weeks before the Detroit Free Press Marathon I was feeling GREAT about my race.  I had decided that a small PR (anything under 5:46) was a C- day, that a B day would be keeping my average pace under 13:00, and that my A goal of 5:30 was reachable...there may have even been an unspoken A+ goal.  I was in good shape and ready to go racing.

Taper Week 1
Monday - I left work and was headed to my last pre-race training session with my personal trainer.  I was on I-65 between downtown and Zionsville when a small truck in the lane next to me lost control of his vehicle due to mechanical failure and hit my car, pushing it into another car.  Fortunately I was ok, but the stress of dealing with the car being totaled and the insurance company took it's toll.

Wednesday - Friday - I was the co-chair for the OKI regional planning conference in Indianapolis.  Good days, but long days.  Also, I couldn't find the title to my car to send to the insurance company so I won a bonus trip to the BMV on Friday night.

Sunday - Went to Louisville to volunteer on the Ironman course and see Doug, Heather, Dennis, and others compete.  Fun...but I didn't get home until 10:30 PM because of horrible traffic getting out of Louisville.

...

Taper Week 2

Wednesday - I drive up to Michigan City in the rain for an evening meeting.  While I am stopped for a quick dinner I get word that my friend Erika was killed by a box truck while riding her bike.  I kept it together through my meeting, but with many calls, texts, and messages...I lost it on the phone with my mom.  Spent most of the evening crying on the phone.

Thursday - Woke up with the kind of headache you only have when you've cried too much.  Had to drive a few hours for a meeting in Butler, Indiana.  Had the meeting and drove to Indy.  Stopped in Huntington to run.  Went to watch friends and David run Ripple Effect in the evening and then hung out with the Phoenix crew.

Saturday - Good trip up to Detroit.  Quick trip to the expo, then we checked into the hotel in Livonia.  Had dinner with Dawn and Kristy and their kids.  Trena was good to humor me and let us have dinner with my high school friends.  Early to bed.

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Race

Sunday - We suck it up and pay too much to park so that it's less stressful.  Get to gear check and the potties.  Get into corrals.  It's warmer than it needs to be, but not raining.  I lose my "throw away" shirt before the race even starts.  But I kept my arm warmers even though I didn't really need them.  Fun run to Canada.  Always love the stretch along the river in Windsor.  I didn't freak out in the tunnel, despite someone having a medical emergency.

Make it to halfway and I'm still having fun and running well.  There are a few pretty lonely miles, but hey - it's not raining and I'm running well...Indian Village will come soon enough.  House shopping in Indian Village and enjoying the people partying with lawn kegs...and the "wall" around mile 17-18.  It started raining somewhere in there too.  It was fine.  Gave a shout out to the Girl Scouts and kept moving along.  And then it all changed...

I had a side stitch.  The kind I haven't had in more than 4 years.  The kind I thought I had done everything to avoid.  I needed to walk.  I walked and changed my breathing and stretched my arms up...It was pouring rain and windy on Woodward and as we headed onto Belle Isle.  The guys greeting us were funny, but I wasn't having much fun.  All of Belle Isle felt pretty bad and was very slow with a lot of walking...and a lot of rain.  I was running near Waldo and a penguin.  A Free Press reporter chatted with them.  Coming on to the river walk I started feeling a little better and taking shorter walk breaks.  I wanted to salvage as much time as I could.  Coming around the final corner I pushed hard to the finish.

It was a C day - a 3 minute PR - 5:42:57.  So a PR is a PR and I should be happy.  But it was 15 minutes slower than what I thought I could do.  5:30 will need to be a goal for another race.

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