I have not raced anything shorter than a marathon since May so this was my first time attempting to be speedy in a while. I have done some uptempo runs but was unsure how I would fare on race day. Since my 100 miler in July it's been an uphill battle trying to get back on track with my fitness - in part because I've been suffering from an autoimmune disorder since then, which is the same as what I experienced during my last Ironman training cycle. Some days I feel fine and other days I can hardly get out of bed let alone run. I think I am on the mend now and this race was proof to me that I am getting stronger and that I can still push myself physically. I am really looking forward to next season once I have a chance to properly rest and recover.
9 miles can seem both short and long I suppose depending on who you ask. I thought of it as short - maybe too short in the sense that I went out too fast with my first few miles at 5K pace. This made for a tougher 10K to finish it up. My fastest mile was 6:45, slowest was 8:05 for a time of 1:08 and change, which averaged out to a 7:39 pace. Honestly, I was pretty happy with this time for me right now. I figured I had a shot at placing in my AG being 9th female but I was 5th in my AG (30-39). I would have won the 40-49 AG. Since I will be 40 next summer I think I will fare better at some of these more competitive races - or at least I hope so!
The real silver lining in this race for me is that I now have more confidence going into the Northern Ohio Marathon on October 1. I hope to BQ there and with an extra 5 minutes in my qualifying time (since I age up for the 2019 race) I think I can get it done despite a little fatigue late in the season. While I haven't raced as much, I've done 3 - marathons, 2 - 50ks, a 100 miler and few shorter races like this one to date so I feel more tired than I have in previous seasons. After Northern Ohio I am signed up for a couple of Trail 50Ks but honestly whether I try to race, just participate or sit them out will depend on how I feel physically and mentally about pushing myself any harder this year. I have to be realistic about how much I can do and stay healthy enough to do well and more importantly to take care of my health. No matter what, I plan to recover and rebuild and go for a big marathon PR in the spring to start things off.
