Sunburst Half Marathon - 6-2-2012

Sunburst Half Marathon - 6-2-2012 - Details

After 30 weeks of training and a couple weeks of tapering to the event, I completed the 2012 Sunburst Half Marathon on June 2nd.  I had set a few goals for my performance in this event and it looks like I didn't accomplish any of them.  My 1st goal was to finish uninjured and with a smile on my face.

As you can see in the photo of me crossing the finish line, I was not smiling. My legs and feet were quite sore.  It felt like I had my shoes tied to tight and in fact I even stopped to loosen my right shoe during mile #9. By the end of the day I had sore feet, hips and the outside of both knees.

My second and third goals were to break 2 hours and then if possible, break 9 MPM pace which would have been a time around 1:56. My official time was 2:03:23 so I didn't accomplish either of those.

I started the race with Shoeless Sonny of Carmel, IN who was getting plenty of attention in his Barefoot Ted's Do It Yourself  Huarache running sandals. We ran the 1st mile or so together and then he dropped back to a more comfortable pace.  I kept going and was right on my target pace of 8:50 MPM through 8 miles.  By this time my feet were really hurting and as I said above, I stopped in mile #9 to loosen my right shoe.

In mile 11 I veered off course to one of the conveniently placed portables to relieve my bladder.  It was a fairly quick pit stop and I was soon back on the road heading toward the golden dome. At about 12.5 miles, while running through the new Eddy Street Commons near the ND campus, I felt a big hand land on my right shoulder and heard Sonny ask how it was going. I muttered something about sore feet and since I could tell he was feeling good, I urged him to keep going. I hung in there and crossed the 50 yard line of the Notre Dame football field about a minute after Sonny.

We met for an early morning run in Carmel a few days later and Sonny mentioned that I seemed a little subdued as we walked around the ND campus after the event on Saturday the 2nd. He wondered if I was discouraged because I didn't hit the time goal I had set for myself. I explained I was just subdued because my legs were sore.

It was at about 3.5 miles into this run that I felt the pain return to the outside of my left knee. Then, before the finish at 4 miles it was back in my left foot. Later that day my left foot was visibly swollen. So, in addition to not having a smile on my face at the finish, it appears I have some kind of an injury to my left foot to contend with. 

So, for the really crazy part. As I said, I didn't accomplish my goals for this event, but I have to tell you, I consider it a huge success.  For me, this event was not just on June 2nd, 2012. For me this event started back in October of 2011 when I made plans to complete the half marathon and printed out a SmartCoach training program on RunnersWorld.com.  

The goal of completing the half marathon on June 2nd gave me a reason to get out and get the training done for 30 weeks, many days getting my run in before work. It gave me a reason to carefully watch my food intake for 30 weeks so I could go to the starting line almost 25 pounds lighter that the previous half marathon in November 2010. Finally, it gave me a reason to get my weight workouts in as often  as possible to build muscle and minimize muscle loss resulting from declining body weight.

So right now, I know I need to rehab my left foot. Hopefully it is not to serious. I know I won't be running for a while but hope that I can get clearance to bike to work 1 day a week. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning.  I am also looking into the possibility of lap swimming 1 or 2 days a week. 

As we head into a long hot summer, I know it is to early to make plans for 2013 but one has to wonder...............