Update

This is me, updating my blog. Blah, blah, blah.

Boston Marathon AGAIN!

I can't believe another year has rolled around since the 2011 Boston Marathon and that in just 8 days I'm running it again!! Wow. I'm nervous about how the race will be this time around. My training hasn't quite been up to par with last year's. Most of my long runs were done in the dark, on frozen sidewalks and even in blowing snow. I got the distances done, but the speed was lacking. Last year, I did awesome tempo runs on the treadmill. I don't love the treadmill, but I felt faster and stronger after using it. I haven't done any speed work AT ALL this year. I've done a lot of mountains, snowshoe running and long, slow miles, but I think the lack of tempo runs and speed work are going to hurt me in 8 days. I'm not even sure I'm going to run as fast as I did last year. I'll actually be surprised if I do. I felt strong and happy with where I was for the Mid Winter Classic, but I don't feel ready for that kind of speed now. And the road just hurts! I've run a few races since my last post, but not too many. The Granite State Snowshoe Series had to cancel most of its races due to lack of snow, but the Series Championship at Great Glen Trails was held despite the poor conditions. Chris Dunn, Timothy Lindsey, my acidotic RACING teammates, and I went out to mark the course the day before and realized right away the original course was not going to happen.  The snow was too scarce, so we had to stick to two loops of the Nordic Meister's course to make it a 10K. Race day ended up being beautiful and warm. Just before the race, I opted for short sleeves and a running skirt. People thought I was crazy. I thought they were crazy for wearing all of that gear. Turned out I was still too hot, so it was a good choice. I didn't have much competition at the race so I ended up finishing first female in 48:00 flat.

Granite State Snowshoe Series Championship Race 2012
photo by Scott Mason

The following weekend was the Winter Wild race at Bretton Woods. I realized at this race just how much work I need to do to get back to where I was in the Fall with my mountain running. I was slow. I've been mountain running all winter, but I haven't been pushing myself. I've just been maintaining, and I could feel it in this race. The woman who had been winning most of the Winter Wild series races surged ahead of me right off the bat. I managed to stay right behind her the entire way up, but I could not catch her. I'm a good downhill runner, so I thought I might be able to catch her on the downhill, but she just flew down the mountain. However, I had the advantage. She never knew I was right behind her. She never once did a look-back, so within 10 yards of the finish line, I surged past her for the win. I caught her totally by surprise, and by that point, she couldn't get her feet going in time to maintain the win. I actually felt bad about passing her right at the finish. It sucks to be passed then. And in all reality, she ran faster than me the entire race. She did the get the first-woman-to-the-summit award which she so deserved so I didn't feel so bad after that.

Just barely taking the win for first female at Winter Wild Bretton Woods
photo by Gianina Lindsey

So for racing that's it. In 8 days, I'll see where I am at the marathon level. I do have 2 50Ks and 2 more marathons on my race schedule for this year. My friend, Kendra, and I are trying to win a free team entry into the Transrockies Run in August. That's like the running experience of a lifetime, but it's also 120 miles over 6 days at high elevation, so that, too, would be a challenge.
I guess my next post will be my Boston report. I hope it's a good one!

Time has passed

Wow. Time has passed since my last blog entry. I'd had plans to write about Mountain Epic and the French Fry 5K, but a week after the French Fry on Oct 22, 2011, my sweet dog, Coy, died suddenly. It was (and still is) a devastating loss for me. I cried every day for over 2 months. And, just writing this is bringing the tears back. This has just been a huge punch in the gut for me since I loved her so much. She was getting older, and she was getting more lame, but I still felt she had another year or two left. She was just the most beautiful being in the world. And I miss her every single day, still.

Coy, 2 days before she died, doing what she loved the most, hiking.

Through it all, though, I kept running. The day after she died, I ran up and down Middle Mountain crying the whole way. Running and John have been the glue holding me together. I know some people might say, "She was just a dog," but she was more than that to me. She was such a huge part of my life for the past 10 years. She thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. She was so much more than "just a dog". So this has been a blow and has left me not wanting to write. I finally feel like I can, but the tears are streaming.
As sad as I was (am), I've had to keep on living for myself and for John. I can't sit around and mope. That's just not me. So I'm still going. I do have the other 2 dogs, Spot and Chill, to take care of, as well.
So I guess this leaves me here today, a day when I ran a really good race.
This morning's race was actually a road race (Gasp!). I like to do road races every now and then. It's good for the speed. Plus, today's Cape Elizabeth Mid Winter Classic 10-miler was a good test to see how I'm doing in my training for Boston. I found that I'm doing quite well, thank you. I knew I had the distance down, but it was the speed I worried about. From start to finish, though, I was able to keep pretty much even splits to finish with a 1:07:26 and 4th female overall. Finishing 4th was totally unexpected. I was just hoping to finish in the top 10, but right at the start, I pulled out ahead of all but two women and just held there until around mile 4 when I was passed by another woman. I managed to keep her in sight the rest of the way, though, and only finished about 45 seconds behind her. The whole way, I kept expecting to be passed by more women, but it just didn't happen. The next woman behind me was over a minute back at the finish. So, needless to say, I was pretty happy with my race. Of course, I can barely walk now, due to the sciatic nerve pain, but I finally made an appointment today with the chiropractor who was there at the race. I so can't afford it financially, but I also can't afford to be this sort of pain any longer. It's been a year and a half. Enough is enough. Time for some help.
Since my last blog post, the racing has been a bit quiet due to winter, but I was able to pull off two first female finishes at the Mountain Epic 12-miler and the French Fry 5K, both in October.

French Fry 5k Photo by Roger Marcoux

On Thanksgiving, I managed to pull off a 5K PR at the Thanks-for-Giving 5K in Cohasset, Ma with a 19:17 and 3rd female overall. That was my first road race since May, so I was pretty surprised to hit a PR on a hilly course. Sadly, there were no pictures from that race, nor the Mountain Epic. I seemed to be the only person in the entire race without a picture. There was one, but I was way off in the distance. I was pretty bummed about that, but then Roger Marcoux managed to get whole bunch of good pictures at the French Fry 5k to make up for it.
December saw a break from races, but I didn't really mind. In January, I ran my first and second snowshoe races ever. Hebron Hills in Maine was my first race. It was SO cold, but once we got going I warmed up fast. It was a really small race of only about 10 people so I didn't have anyone to actually race against and used it more as a practice race to test out my snowshoes. I did have to stop twice to make adjustments on my snowshoes and I tripped myself up 3 times on the first loop, so I was glad to not really be racing for this one. I did finish first female, but it was only out of 2 women, so it didn't really count. Beautiful course and nice people made this race a great first!
The following week was the Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble 4 miler. This winter has not been great for snow, but conditions were picture perfect on race day, and this time, I came out to race. And wow, what a true ass-kicker. I went out hard at the get-go, and so did 2 other women. One blasted on past me, and I never caught her. The other, I passed just at the top of the first hill. I ran hard. It was the hardest I had ever run on snowshoes since this was only my second snowshoe race ever. I actually felt like I was going to puke the entire last mile. It's amazing how hard it really pushes your body. I absolutely loved it.

Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble photo by Gianina Lindsay

I managed to pull off second female with a 36:04 finish time... in 4 miles. Goes to show how much slower snowshoe running is, and you feel like you're giving 110%.

Sadly, the snow has been scarce for most of New Hampshire so the rest of the Granite State Snowshoe Series has either been canceled or postponed and there hasn't been another race since Whitaker Woods. I was planning to do the one next weekend in Merrimack, NH, but the way it's looking, that one will probably be canceled, too. I'm fortunate to live where I live, though, and we've had enough snow that I'm still out at least twice a week for a snowshoe run. I'm not really training hard, but I do feel like I'm getting better. Hopefully, I'll be able to do another snowshoe race this month before the Series Championship at Great Glen Trails next month, but I guess that's up to Mother Nature.

On another note, I began training for Boston (is it that time again?!) the first week of January, and despite the cold and slippery sidewalk, I've been doing well. I'd much prefer to be training on the trail like last year, but I just don't have the time to run at that slower pace and get the miles in. So I'm stuck on the road/sidewalk. Last week's run did have to be cut short by 2 miles since I ran out of time. The sidewalk was so slippery that I was running about a minute slower per mile and had to head home before I finished. The week before that I ran 15 miles in the heavy snow on a really slippery sidewalk late evening. It was a fantastic run. Slower than I wanted, but every step slid a bit so I just ran as fast as I could. My other runs have be in near 0 degree temps.
So I can't say it's been easy. I honestly don't enjoy marathon training, especially on the road, but I'm hoping to get to the point where I can maintain my distance level after Boston without having to retrain all over again. Last year killed me with that SOLO course. I lost all my distance training during that course and just didn't have the time, nor the stamina, to get it back. It was fine, though. I stuck to shorter distances the rest of the year, but I'm hoping this year will be different. I already signed up for Pineland Farms 50K and the Mount Desert Island Marathon, so I have to keep this going. And if all goes well, I'm hoping to do the Stonecat Trail Marathon in Massachusetts and then the Duncan Ridge Trail 50K in Georgia near my parents' house; both of those are in November and that would finish off my races for 2012. 

So that's on my agenda. That and a million other races including There's a Black Fly in My Eye, Mt. Washington (if I get in), Cranmore, Loon, the Bradbury Series and whatever else lands my way. I'm hoping to hold it together this year while still working two jobs and taking care of John. It's not easy. I barely have a bit of alone time, but if I can do what I'm doing through the winter, I should be able to pull it off. But... we'll see.

Bagging the Marathon

So, about 2 days after my last blog entry, I decided to email the race director of the Nipmuck Trail Marathon to have him take me off the list for the race. I was pleasantly surprised when he emailed me back saying he was refunding my entry fee. Say, what?! Wow. That would never happen in a big road marathon. Gotta love trail racing. I actually wasn't as bummed about it as I thought I'd be. It's just not in the cards for me this year. I have a different plan for next year, so I'll just stick with shorter distances for now and just do what I can.
With the $50 refund from Nipmuck, I was able to put that to the Mountain Epic 12-mile race coming up on Oct. 9th, which I'm psyched about. I think it's going to be really tough, but I love tough. I may ask why I keep doing this to myself during the race, but afterwards, all the pain is forgotten and all that's left is the love for the run I just did.
September has been a good month for me with races. We moved out of my in-laws' vacation house in Center Conway, and, miraculously, the horrible illness that had been plaguing me for over a month was gone within 2 days. Makes me wonder about the house and possible mold, but anyway. The timing was perfect because I had 3 races within 9 days, and I wanted to feel good. So, finally feeling better, I started off with the Millen Mile at Kennett High School that I reluctantly agreed to. My last 1-mile race took place at the Athens Twilight Criterium $1000 Mile Challenge in 1996 where I proceeded to embarrass myself in front of thousands of people by coming in last. So when Tim Livingston asked me to do the Millen Mile, the feeling of horror swept over me while remembering my last 1-mile race. But, alas, I agreed to do it, knowing that I'm at least faster than I was then, and that the crowd might be only 100 people as opposed to 1000s.
True-to-form, I didn't train for the Millen Mile. My last speed work was in August of 2010 for no other reason than that I hate it. Ha ha. I hadn't even actually run just a mile by itself since the dreaded 1996 race, so I had no idea what I was capable of with this. I arrived very nervous, more nervous than I've been for most regular races. My armpits were sweating and I had the nervous shivers. After a warm-up with some of the other runners, the race finally got underway. I went out fast, as I always do, and surprised myself on being able to maintain a lead for the women right off the bat. I moved quickly for the first lap, but as I got into the second lap, I felt myself slow a little bit, but the woman behind me must have, too, since she stayed pretty much the same distance behind me the whole way. I saved a little for the 4th lap, fearing the second woman would blow past me right at the finish line, and finished 1st woman in a decent time of 5:46. Not outstanding. And it didn't even put me near the caliber of the first male, Kevin Tilton, and it probably would have still put me last at the Athens Twilight Criterium, but hey, I'm in Conway, so all is good. I was presented with an awesome glass bowl as a prize, and I love it as my new fruit bowl.

Finishing the Millen Mile

Two days later, feeling healthy, in fact great, this time around, I headed over to the Bradbury Bruiser 12-mile race back in Pownal, Maine. This course was different than the Mountain Breaker since it followed the mountain bike trails. Fortunately, I have experience with this type of course (Little River Trail Runs, Philosopher's Way), so I was excited and felt like I knew what I was getting into. I went out fast and stayed fast for pretty much the first 10 miles. The trail wasn't too hilly or technical, compared to what I'm used to, so I was able to keep a good speed. It reminded me of a cross between the Little River Trail Run and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail race, both of which I've run in North Carolina. I'd heard the talk of the last two-miles of this course and was a bit nervous about it, but I knew it was something like Little River, so I tried not to save too much, knowing I wasn't going to be able to keep the speed up.  Those last two miles definitely did not disappoint, and the talk was all true. It was like Little River x10. The trail was so windy, that I never knew where I was and it took me awhile to figure out if the people I was seeing were in front of me or behind me. At times, I ran right off the trail only to realize I was running into the woods with no trail underfoot. The biggest event for me was that I had my first trail running fall since 1998. Yes, that's right, I hadn't fallen trail running since my huge wipeout on the Appalachian Trail in NC in October of 1998. I've had more near-misses than I can count, and I don't hold back. I consider myself a pretty skilled technical trail runner, especially downhill, but this one finally did me in. All I know is that I tripped over something that sent me lurching forward in what felt like slow-motion sliding across the ground right into a tree with my left shoulder (yeah, my neck still hurts). The funny part is that as I was falling I knew I wasn't going to be hurt. Right after I fell, I was waiting for the, "Are you ok?" from a fellow runner, but apparently no one saw me fall. I  wasn't hurt so I jumped right back on my feet and kept going. I pulled into the finish line in 1:42:18 as first female. And I was even laughing at the brutality of the last 2 miles. It was just pure fun, really.

Trail Love from the Bradbury Bruiser

A week later, instead of my original plan to do the Pisgah Mountain 50K, I slept in, had coffee and meandered 10 minutes down the road to Echo Lake State Park for a second go at the Kismet Cliff Run. Last year, I just happened to be in town for this race. I'd come up for a short visit from Fort Bragg, NC where the hills aren't really hills. So the Kismet Cliff Run beat me to a pulp. It was really tough for me. I had no way of training for it where I lived, but I was still happy enough with my run. This year, I had the advantage of a lot of mountain running under my belt and two training runs on the course over the past 3 weeks. Although I felt like the course was still brutal during my training runs, I was actually able to run most of it, as opposed to last year when I walked almost all of the uphills. I still was unsure how I'd do this year. After the start, I went out somewhat fast, but I felt like I took the first mile a little slower than last year. My main goal was getting ahead of the two women who had gone out ahead of me. I passed them within the first half mile, but one woman held on strong behind me all the way up the first climb. Surprisingly, I ran almost the entire way up the first climb up Cathedral Ledge, even passing a guy I remembered from last year who beat me by 2 minutes. I noticed the 2nd woman still pretty close behind me so I pushed hard on the first climb and was hoping my downhill technical skills would push me even farther ahead. It worked, although she was still within view after I started my climb up White Horse Ledge. But with very little walking, I managed to pull far into the lead and knew I had it made. I get passed by a lot of men on technical downhills, but rarely by women. I just had to push through and run up to White Horse. I think there were a few spots I walked some steps, but I just kept running. Finally on the other side, I flew down the hills. This race is a short 5 miles so once you're up and over White Horse, the rest is a walk in the park. Three guys passed me on the downhill, but I managed to stay right behind the third guy all the way through the finish. When I was saw the clock as I crossed the finish line, I was floored. 51:39. Over 5 minutes faster than last year!!! And a new women's course record. Wow. I was so happy. Now it has me thinking how much better I will do at next year's Continental Divide Trail Race in North Carolina. I ran it in 1:01:?? last year with no good hill training. The course would be like a walk in the park to me now. I wouldn't be surprised if I beat my 2010 time by 6 minutes or so, but that's over a year away, so I'll have to stop thinking about that until next summer.

Start of Kismet Cliff Run. I'm #11 in the white top.

So, I guess you could say September has been a good month for me for racing and falling. I took my first fall in almost 13 years and then proceeded to take my second fall yesterday morning running down Middle Mountain. I have to say that one took me by surprise and actually hurt. I had to take few seconds to shake it off and catch my breath, and yes, now my neck hurts worse. Ha ha. That was a bad call on my part, by running right through the edge of a blowdown without the ability to see my footing. Yeah, real smart. I tripped over a root about half a foot high. But anyway, next up is the Mountain Epic in October, followed by the easy French Fry 5K and then, GASP, a road race, the White Mountain Milers Half Marathon. Hmm, should I get some road training in? Maybe not. Didn't need it for Boston, but maybe one or two. :)

Middle Mountain in the Green Hills Preserve. I had to climb up the tree a bit to get this shot.

WORKING, running

So, since my last blog update, I've reentered the work force. Yikes! After over 5 years as a stay-at-home mom, it was a little scary, but it's been all good. I'm enjoying finally making money, and it's been working out great for Bryan and I to get time with John. It's definitely cut down on "family" time as a whole, since Bryan and I have to work opposite schedules, but I'm happy with it.
The only downside has been fitting in my runs. I'm getting it done, but it's been a struggle. Sometimes, I'm just not able to run due to our work/school schedules, but I'm trying. I'm a little nervous about the Nipmuck Trail Marathon that I have coming up in a month. I am definitely not ready. I haven't run over 15 miles yet. This past weekend was supposed to be an 18-miler, but Bryan's new job and Hurricane Irene disrupted that. So, this coming weekend, I'm going to have to manage a 20-miler somehow. I'm actually even considering bagging this marathon. The entry fee wasn't so much that I'd lose a lot of money, so I'm seriously considering it. I know I could go out there and finish the race, though, so I'm torn. It just wouldn't be a very good performance. We'll see.
I've had to cut my races down a bit, but I'm still getting them in as I can. In June and July, I ran two mountain races, the Cranmore Hill Climb and the Loon Mountain Run. The Cranmore Hill Climb was also the USATF Mountain Running Championships, so all the fast people were there. My training had been a little lackluster, due to sitting in my Wilderness EMT class 8-12 hours a day for a month, but I eeked out just enough mountain training to be in shape for the race.

Cranmore Hill Climb 2011

I was pretty happy with a 16th place finish and a decent time. I feel I can definitely do better next year and plan to actually train for mountain racing. My goal for next year is to do the whole New England Mountain Running Series.
A week after Cranmore, the Loon Mountain Race was held in Lincoln, NH. I made a last minute decision the night before to do this one, and I'm so glad I did. It was really tough, but I loved it. The weather was perfect and the course was torture, two of my favorite things about races. LOL. The race started at the bottom of Loon Mtn and made its way 5.7 miles up to one of the summits. I was really happy with my run here managed a 5th place female finish. While most people chose to take the lift back down, I chose to run back down, and it was amazing. I finally got to see the view!!

Loon Mtn Race 2011

Running back down Loon after the race

After Loon, I took a break from regular races and just stuck to our local weekly trail 5K at Whitaker Woods in North Conway. It was a 9-week race series, of which I ran 5. Unfortunately, I had to run 6 in order to count for a series win, but it didn't matter. I got to run two of the series runs with John for the kids one-mile, and I would much rather have done that than do the race for myself. In the 5 that I did run, I finished first female in all of them, so I'm happy with that. I think my fastest time was 20:40. I really enjoyed the series and plan to do it again next year.
That racing series left me happy not to do any other races for most of July, but by the beginning of August I was getting antsy so I signed up for the Bradbury Mountain Breaker 9-mile trail race in Pownal, Maine. I came to this race after working 11 days straight, on 5 hours of sleep and very sick. My lungs were so congested that I could barely breathe. So needless to say, this race was a struggle. At one point after the second loop, I considered dropping out. I was wheezing from the lung congestion. But I decided to just back off a little on my speed instead for a couple of miles. There was a decent flatter section that I planned to pick the speed back up around the 8th mile so I just went with it. Fortunately, the fast first loop kept me ahead of all the other women, so my slower pace didn't have any repercussions  except for a not so great finish time. I managed to still pull off 1st female by over 3 minutes. I was happy with that and glad I decided to finish the race. I already signed up for the next race in the series, the Bradbury Bruiser, and I'm hoping to come out healthier. The crazy thing is, is that 3 weeks since the Mountain Breaker, I'm STILL congested, lungs and sinuses, and coughing up a storm. This cold has been one of the worst I've had in a long time. So I hope I'll be all clear in 2 weeks.

Bradbury Mountain Breaker 2011

So anyway, I have quite a few races planned for September and October. If I decide to skip Nipmuck, I'll find a shorter, more local race to do instead. Heck, I might even sign up for the New Hampshire Marathon. It's only 1.5 hours away from here, and I'd be in somewhat decent shape for it. We'll see. Hopefully, I'll update my blog more often again.

Two Local Races and a Relay

Get a Running Start women's 5-mile race

In late April and early May, I managed to run a race every weekend. Two were local here in New Hampshire, the Spring into Spring 5K and the 14th Annual Get a Running Start 5 Mile Race for Women. The other was the Cape Relay, and what a blast that was.
I managed to finish first female in the 5K with a time equal to my PR 19:28. I felt great and just ran hard. 5Ks are easy, so it's almost like doing a 3 mile sprint. The 5 mile race was a women's only race held here at Cranmore. I'd never run a women's only race, so it was cool to be first in the race the whole time. I shot right out of the start and held the lead the whole, finishing in 32:32, way better than I expected. I was going so hard, I thought for sure I was going to puke in the middle of mile 4. I was so close. The best part about winning this race was that I won $100!!! My first real monetary award. Sweet!! And I'll take it.
In June, after finishing my WEMT course at SOLO, I ran in the There's a Black Fly in my Eye 10-mile trail race at Great Glen Trails. It was so fun, and I finished 2nd female overall. I felt great in this one, especially after sitting on my ass for nearly a month. It was good to get back out there for a longer distance trail race.

There's a Black Fly in my Eye

TARC Spring Classic 50K-DNF

Yes, my first Did-Not-Finish (DNF). BUT I came out planning not to finish, so it was all good. My left foot had been aching pretty badly after the Boston Marathon, and, um, this 50k was 5 days later. Big mistake just signing up for the thing. I'll remember that next year and just sign up for the half marathon.
I was really worried about my foot, and almost didn't come out at all, but I really wanted to see how it felt. I wasn't even certain I was going to make it two loops (half marathon); I thought I might even only make it one loop. But somewhere deep inside, I thought maybe, just maybe I'll make the 50K distance.
The race began under cloudy skies with rain in the forecast, but we were fortunate to have only light misting for most of the way. It was kind of strange for me to be at a trail race and not know anybody. I had gotten used to the trail runners down in North Carolina where I always had someone to hang out with, but as per the usual when we move, I have to start all over again. I did talk to one woman in the porta potty line who was pretty cool and ran with another woman most of the way who was also cool, so that made things better.
I started off the race sticking to a 50K pace. It was a little bit of a slow start since I started off in the back (which I never do). I thought that would be a good idea since we were starting with the half marathoners and marathoners, but it wasn't. The pace was still a little slow. I think I finally got out of the crowds around mile 3.5. This was a beautiful trail in Jericho Woods in Weston, Ma. It felt so good to be back out on the trails after running Boston. As much as I loved Boston, I longed for another trail race. It had been over 2 months since my last trail race, so it was well overdue. The trail was a bit hard to follow, but I managed to catch all the turn-offs, unlike others. One woman, and I'm pretty sure a big group in front of her, all went the wrong way in front of me. I yelled and yelled, but she didn't hear me and kept going. I felt bad, but what can you do?
Since I thought I just might still run the 50K, I took it easy and ran comfortably. It felt good, and my foot felt good, so I had hope. I finished up the first loop (6.55 miles) still feeling great. I stuck to my easy pace, and then about 1/4 of the way through this second loop, I really started to feel the foot. I kept going easy for another mile, and then that was it. I knew I was going to stop at the half marathon (end of this loop), so I picked up the pace. I started running hard. It felt good to finally be going at a faster pace. I started catching up with people and passing them, and then caught up with the woman and others who had gone the wrong way. HUH? They should have been behind me since they went the wrong way, right? Wrong. Turns out a lot of people missed that turn and it brought them back to the starting point about 3 miles too soon, so they were all back ahead of me again. Oh well, I decided to pass them and shortly thereafter finished up my second loop (half marathon) in 1:58:00. That's a little slow for me for a trail half, but it didn't matter. Not only was my foot aching at this point, but I could really feel the fatigue in my legs from running Boston. So I felt good about the decision to stop. I had really wanted to do another 50K, but this just wasn't the day to do that. I have no regrets about stopping. I felt great. And within about 5 minutes of finishing, the downpour came. I was happy to be dry and in my car on the way back instead of running in the cold rain. I don't mind the rain really, but if I don't have to run in it, that's cool with me. :)
So hopefully, I'll make it back to this one next year, but I will sign up for the half marathon instead, so that I actually get counted in the results, instead of a DNF. I actually thought I was going to be switched to the half marathon results, so I was bummed when I wasn't and was given a DNF, but what can you do. Next year.
Oh, and the funny part. Later that day, I noticed my foot was actually hurting less than before the race. Weird. That continued throughout the week, and by the following Sunday, the pain was gone. I don't think it's 100% healed, but it feels pretty good.