The half marathon that wasn’t

I had a half marathon on Sunday. I woke up at 4:30 a.m., got ready and left the house with my dog and boyfriend.

A bit concerning: the wind and rain and the possibility of lightning (thunderstorms were forecasted).

We drove to the race site (about a 20-minute drive). I was hoping the rain and wind would stop by the time we got there. It did not.

I sat in the car, watching people struggle even walking in the strong winds and dodging rain. It did not look fun. At all.

I kept watching. I debated whether or not this would be enjoyable. I decided it wouldn’t be. So, we drove home. But, not before stopping once or twice for me to think about it some more.

Many other runners dealt with the conditions. And, it even stopped raining early in the race (so I hear). The winds continued, but people said it was still a really enjoyable race.

I’m regretting not running the race now. I don’t have the sweet medal in my hands, and I should (but I’m a wimp).

I got the sweet shirt, but I’m going to feel like a fraud wearing it. 

Day 31 (Oct. 18)

Ah, the Tuesday run that wasn’t.

I’m not really sure what happened. I was feeling a little blah-grumpy-annoyed (for no reason), my stomach was a little iffy, and I had it in my head that there were going to be heavy thunderstorms (the weather people told me this – I didn’t just make it up). After the last heavy thunderstorm incident, I’m a little hesitant about driving to my running group meeting location (without a boat). So, I guess all of these factors played into me not going to run.

Of course, when I left work, there were no thunderstorms in sight. There was a sprinkle here or there, but no significant rain (lying weather people!). And, no lightning to be seen (thank goodness – I hate that stuff). So, the weather wasn’t really a factor. It was just my attitude. And, that irritates me.

I know I would have felt better had I gone to run. I always do. I just couldn’t get myself there. Man, I was unhappy with myself for not going. I still am, actually.

I'm even more unhappy at myself for not making up the run (55 minutes with four, five-minute intervals). I guess this is my first skip of running group. But, knowing how I felt for skipping it will definitely make me never do it again.

Day 20 (Sept. 22)

A thunderstorm rolled into the area about 4:30 p.m. I thought it was the typical Florida afternoon storm, and I thought the rain would clear long before our training group's 6:30 p.m. run. I thought wrong.


When I left work about 5:50 p.m., it was still raining. After walking to my car and trying my best to avoid the rivers and lakes that formed in what used to be streets and parking lots, I started toward our group meeting place. I figured the rain could clear. If not, our coach has indoor lesson plans. This is when things started going downhill.


Traffic was a nightmare (as it usually is when it rains). I finally got to my exit, and traffic was backed up on the exit ramp almost to the interstate. I figured there must be a wreck at the bottom of the ramp. I figured wrong.


While waiting on the ramp, I noticed a raging river. Problem: no river is usually there. I noticed this raging river flowing along the ramp and wondered where it was going. I found my answer at the bottom of the ramp: the road I needed to take to get to our training group.


After watching other cars drive into the deep water, I thought I'd give it a shot. I didn't really have any other options ... unless I wanted to wait for the water to go down. I'm not patient, so this wasn't going to work for me. Thank goodness I have an SUV, so I made it through. Problem #2: the next intersection was the same ... maybe worse. At this point, I made the decision to just go home. But, I still had to get through the water. After turning left through more deep water (off of the flooded road), I thought my troubles were over. I was wrong yet again.


The road I was now on was clear for a bit ... then I hit more water. This was definitely the deepest water I encountered. Cars were stalled. Some were just waiting it out. Eek. Since I knew I wasn't waiting, I had to make the decision to go through this deep water or turn around and go through the other two sections of water that I went through to get here. As mentioned, since I'm not patient, I really didn't feel like going back into the traffic mess I just managed to free myself from. I waited and watched other cars try to make it through. Most cars failed. But, trucks, SUVs and vans seem to be able to make it. Having a smaller SUV, I was still nervous, but I gave it a shot. It's a strange feeling driving through deep water and a bit unnerving to look around you and just see water. But, thankfully, I made it. And, thankfully, the rest of my trip did not involve flooded roadways.


When I finally made it home, I decided to run (must have been the adrenaline from the flooded roads adventure). But, since it was still sprinkling and lightning some, I decided to hit the treadmill.


I haven't used a treadmill in my training, and now I remember why.


I did find an Ashton-free "Two and a Half Men" on TV in the condo gym (I use this term very loosely), so that rocked. (Side note: I love Charlie Sheen and all his craziness. I watched the first episode of "Two and a Half Men" starring Ashton Kutcher, and I thought it sucked. Ashton seemed so dull and unfunny. Maybe I'm biased, though.)


Other than the superb viewing option, I liked nothing else about this experience.


I needed to do a 10-minute warm up, 15 minutes hard and a 20-minute recovery/cool down/normal pace run. The 10-minute warm up felt like it lasted hours. Even with Charlie, it was still boring. Ugh. I started in on my 15-minute hard interval, and it went really smoothly.


Until this:



The pesky safety key. I understand its use and realize this could be a good thing. Could. Not in my case.


Despite the air conditioned room and a fan, I sweat. A lot. I think I sweat more inside than I do outside. One of the many times I was wiping sweat off of my forehead, I hit the string to the dreaded safety key. And, I went from running at my fast pace to a dead stop. Argh! I was just getting in a groove, too. I started running again, but I lost all my data on the treadmill, and I had to estimate how much time I had remaining in my interval.


The rest of the run went smoothly. Until I hit the blasted safety key again. Argh. But, I got the run in. Despite being extremely boring (and that dang safety key), it went well.


I felt the sweatiest I've ever been when I finished, so I took a picture to document it. Hmm. Massive amounts of sweat don't really come across in photos. I think I look pleasantly dewy here. Not drenched in sweat like I was.

Also, you can see the crappiness of the gym in this photo. That is all of the equipment (aside from one treadmill that was beside me). And, this gym feels like a kitchen with the linoleum and cabinets, but at least I have it. I guess I shouldn't complain. I tried to get the TV with Charlie in the picture, but I missed it. Darn.

Day 19 (Sept. 20)

Oh, the dreaded three-minute speed intervals!

We started out with a 10-minute warm up. Easy enough. That, I can handle. Then, the workout really begins. We had to do four, three-minute hard intervals with three-minute recovery jogs in between each.

I managed to do all four of the hard intervals (struggling mightily during that dreaded fourth one). After the fourth interval, I walked the three minutes instead of jogging. I needed more recovery than a jog allows. But, after walking those three minutes, I ran the remaining time for a total of 45 minutes.

Typical of most every Florida afternoon, there were thunderstorms in the area. It wasn't raining where we train, but there were dark clouds and rain in the distance ... and lightning! Lightning is a great fear of mine. Yikes! I scream like a girl and run if it gets too close. I was on the verge of screaming and sprinting inside, but after two strikes (that honestly probably weren't that close), it stopped. Whew. I'm glad I didn't have to blow people away with my speed. I'm at my fastest when lightning is near.