Disclaimer: I received
a free entry to the Newport Rhode Race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn
more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to
review find and write race reviews!
 |
| Not my medal. |
My first DNF. Yep,
you read that right.
Did Not (effing)
Finish.
I went to Newport optimistic.
I was really looking forward to going with my
dad and seeing my coworker
Eric in his BQ attempt.
Training since Miami had been going
well.
I ran some solid long runs and got
back to speed work and strength training.
The goal was never to race Newport but to use it as a training run with
some tempo miles at half marathon goal pace.
Then a dull ache started creeping up on me in training. It was never enough to make me stop running
and by the end of the run I usually forgot all about it. That dull ache lasted about two weeks before
turning to sharp pain on a easy run day. The sharp pain
had me stop immediately and start bugging my PT coworkers for
advice. At first we were thinking
bursitis but decided on tendinitis.
Either way the recommendation was to cease the activities that cause pain. I rested.
I stretched. I iced. I took ibuprofen. For a week it hurt so bad I couldn’t even sleep.
Race week it was feeling better. I wasn’t very confident but I had hopes that
I could still get in some good miles at the race. I had told myself if it hurt, I would
stop. I asked Eric what I should do and
he confirmed—stop if it hurts. He’s a
PT.
So what was the worst part about race day? My 4am wake up call!
Dad picked me up at about 4:50am and we were off to
Newport. I’m not going to lie—sitting in
the car was really aggravating my hip/glute.
My whole leg became numb and I was so happy to get out of the car… before
sitting again on the shuttle bus to the start.
Luckily, it wasn’t a long ride.
And there was a cute pup on our bus.
We grabbed our numbers and met up with Eric. He was running the marathon, which started a
half hour before the half. He needed to
run a 3:15 to qualify for Boston. He was either going to play it safe to get the BQ or try to break 3
hours. He ran Boston two years ago in
pain then went in for abdominal surgery a few days later so he’s had his eye on
qualifying again and actually running well.
Even though it was
50 degrees, it felt cold. The race
started at the beach and the course lined the coast with a ton of water
views—so we knew it could potentially be windy, which it was. Walking and standing around before the race
definitely helped loosen things up so I was feeling pretty good when the gun
went off.
The course started with a wind in your face uphill climb. I put my head down and tucked in with some
taller runners and cruised up. I had
started right at the front so there were only a small number of girls around
me. I went through the first mile in
7:36. It felt very easy and smooth. I could see the lead girl not far away and
the second place girl was only a few strides ahead of me.
About a mile and a half in I noticed that dull ache.
The rolling hills of Newport were a challenge
and with every uphill and downhill that ache ached a little more.
My watch beeped 7:08 for mile 2 and 7:08 again
for mile 3.
Right where I want to be in
Buffalo.
In terms of cardiovascular
fitness, I felt great.
Those comfortable
7:08s gave me confidence.
I knew I had a
long way to the finish line but I was relaxed and comfortable.
My mind on the other hand was all over the place.
I was running with the second place girl
thinking about pushing through the pain and seeing if I could maintain this
pace to a good finish and PR.
At the
same time I was looking for the next water station or medical support
crew.
I remembered a blog post I wrote
last week about
“Is it worth it?” I knew
what I needed to do.
My watch read 6:52
for mile 4 and 0.13 miles later I came to a quick halt when I saw an aid station.
The volunteers at the mile 4 aid station were awesome. I later found out they were from the Rhode
Island Galloway group. I asked if there
was a shortcut back to the start line and they immediately called for a ride
and offered me food, blankets and a warm place to wait. I was all for the ride but declined the other
offers because I wanted to see if my dad would run by while I was waiting!
My dad set up GPS tracking with his RoadId app so I knew
when he was getting close. He was in the
zone listening to his music and almost missed me jumping up and down yelling
his name. I later found out something
happened to his “Houston Marathon Running Playlist” and it was playing the same
three Bruce Springsteen songs on repeat.
He said it was horrible!
I actually picked a good spot to stop because a few minutes
later he circled back on the other side of the road. I was able to tell him I was ok and to keep
running. Right after he passed my ride
showed up. The driver was Susan—who I found
out later in the ride is co-owner of Rhode Races and the one in charge of
Social Media for the company. It was fun
to meet her and chat about running and racing in Rhode Island.
4.13 miles – 29:41
Average pace – 7:11
Susan dropped me off near the finish. I grabbed my bag from bag check, threw on my
sweats and headed up the hill along the course to the Cliff Walk entrance. If you’ve never been to Newport, the Cliff
Walk is awesome and you get to see all the famous mansions. I found a bench to sit on and hung out for about
an hour watching the runners go by, admiring the pretty daffodils and listening
to the waves.
When I knew my dad was getting close to finishing, I went
back down the hill to all the action. I
got a slice of pizza and found a spot right next to the finish line to
wait. It seemed like my dad’s tracking
was slowing down so I started to get worried that he was not having a good
day. He finished but it wasn’t
pretty. He was having stomach issues and
hurt himself when he took a misstep in a pothole around mile 9 but he
finished—and it was his 10th half marathon finish!
Not long after my dad finished, Eric came blazing in and
crossed the line in 3:02:58. He was
pumped. It was awesome to watch and he
looked great.
Did you run the Newport Rhode Race? Head on over to
BibRave.com and post your race review!
Up next:
Piggy Trot
Osterville, MA
May 21, 2017
Buffalo Half Marathon
Buffalo, NY
May 28, 2017
Use code 2017-BibRave-JS for $5 off registration!
Until then, I’m going to get in the pool and try to kick
this injury.
