Bloomsday 17 Race Recap

Hi Friends!!

I am still recovering from my sinus infection. Woke up yesterday with body chills, a fever and so much head pressure. It’s as if the sinus infection has gotten worse, not better over the course of the last few days. It definitely wasn’t fun race morning, but I would say it is worse now.

This morning I felt a little better, but still not 100%. It’s hard to find time for rest with two little ones, especially when they are sick and teething. I have zero energy. I have found time to do a quick recap of my recent race on Sunday. Bloomsday is a popular road race, and one of the largest races in the USA. This years numbers were a little lower than usual with only 38,500+ finishers.

I was awarded the opportunity to start with the elite females. This is always nice, because the road is clear and not packed with runners, there’s fast women to motivate and push me, and we start 15 minutes before regular start time. However, it’s also very intimidating, and on this particular Sunday, I was not motivated for the race at all. With my lack of sleep over the course of the week, my sinus infection and barely being able to breathe, a teething son who was up all night the night of the race, and some unexpected news from a friend, honestly running a race was the last thing I wanted to do.

I was tempted to just run it, but knew I wouldn’t be able to because of my start with the elites, I didn’t want to come in dead last and have the men catch me, so I sucked it up buttercup. I had zero sleep the night before and emotionally and spiritually, I wasn’t invested in the race. There was no fight in me. I lined up with the elite women, towards the front and we took off.

The lead women, the Kenyans and Ethiopians, didn’t push the pace and the pack stayed together for the first two miles. I was literally running with the elite of elites for 2 miles, so close I could reach out and touch them. I was thinking to myself “Am I going really fast, or are they going really slow.” My watch wasn’t reading right and kept clearing every mile, I noticed this at mile 3, when I went to check my time. Frustrating!! I couldn’t see total time.

Mile 1: 5:58    Mile 2: 5:43    Mile 3: 6:05

The first few miles are hit with some long climbs, a little descent and then another little climb, before a nice downhill and then the famous Doomsday Hill. I was feeling okay just barely able to breathe, but still pushing it. The pack broke up after mile 2, and started to thin out. I kept my sights on some women and kept reeling in some girls. My strength is hills. I always pass on the hills and I’m passed on downhills. I tried to push it on the downhills too this time around.

Once we got to the bottom of Doomsday, I knew the real race had begun. The elite women were now about .5 mile ahead of me, and slowly lengthening the gap. I pushed it up Doomsday, passing a few women and surging at the top so my legs were build up lactic acid. At this point, I was feeling tired and weak, and thinking “Why am I doing this.” The sun was getting warm too.

Mile 4:  5:53     Mile 5: 6:13

You hit mile 5 at the top of Doomsday and then it’s 2.5 miles of long, boring stretch to the finish, with a gentle incline and a little downhill push to the finish. This is the worst part of the race. A few girls and I kept passing each other back and forth. There was a group of gals in front of me that I wanted to catch, but I gave up. I just kept grinding, but my heart finished the race before my body did.

I could feel women coming up behind me and hear them. I didn’t care though. I saw Marc and the kids before turning onto the Monroe Street Bridge to the finish. I waved, but I wasn’t cheerful.

Oh Hey Family!!

A few women and I battled it out to the finish, but I hate to admit that I just let them have it. I let up. I would have really like to receive prize money for top Washington Females, but it wasn’t in the cards. I was close, but not this year.

I look white as a ghost!! hahahaha

Mile 6: 6:14   Mile 7: 6:05  last .52: 2:59

New PR of 45:10, average pace of 6:03, 32nd out of 22,824 females, and 3rd of 405 27 years.

Bloomsday you did it again, you broke me, built me, challenged me and humbled me. I was 40 seconds off my goal time, darn it, but I did do better than I expected too.

Until Next Year!!