Got kicked by a 20k

Last weekend I ran in a local race, the Lake Monona 20k.  I had wanted to run this in the past, but I had just never signed up for this race.  This is a 20k that circles one of Madison lakes, Lake Monona.  I have been on this "path" many many times, but on my bike, not on my feet.  Speaking of my bike, remember that the weekend before, I had experienced a whirlwind experience, driving to New York, touring New York, biking 58 miles and then driving back to Madison all over the span of 4 days.  Because of this bike trip, I hadn't spent much time (recently) running any distance.  I ran 13.1 miles with Jamie on April 23rd - but between then and May 7th I ran 6 times for a total of 15 miles.  I figured, heck I could pull out 12.4 miles with less training than I would prefer.  Well I did the run - I finished the 12.4 miles but it wasn't pretty.  The first 6 miles were OK - I was keeping a good pace, but somewhere during mile 7 I lost my drive - the engine simply didn't want to move forward.  I walked and then ran and then walked . . . more times than I would like to admit.  Based on my gamin results, it looks like I actually walked 10 times during the last 6 miles.  I never walked for long - but yikes - I have NEVER walked much during a race.  And I hope that I never walk that much ever ever again.  Total time 2:08.  While I realize that isn't that bad - I would have really like to run faster.  Well heck - if I hadn't walked soooo much!


It has taken me the week to think about this race and turn it into a positive experience.  So what did I learn?  I learned that no matter how many years I have been running I need to respect the distance.  I will say the next statement cautiously!  As an older runner - I need to make sure that I am ready for a race.  While I know that everyone needs to be prepared for a race - hitting distances beyond 8 miles is hard for me - 11 12 and 13 miles do not come easy for me.  I can not take it casually.


So I am ready to go and ready to recommit myself to running mid distance runs.  I love the half marathon distance and need to be prepared to run.  


Below is my pirated copy of my finish line photo from the 20k.    

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