Salem Lake 2011 30K: What Just Happened??

I have been staring at my laptop for 10 minutes, trying to figure out how to tell this story. Is it a story of defeat? A story of triumph? Yes and yes. I guess the best way to tell it is to just dive in.

Yesterday I, along with many friends, participated in the Salem Lake 30K trail run. I only signed up for the race Wednesday night with the goal to redeem myself from last year's horrid run. I wanted to run a better race this year and PR (set a new personal record). 

Did I succeed? I have no idea how to answer that.

Here's what happened.

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Smug Marrieds: Big Deal

I'm leaving in a few minutes for the Salem Lake 30K race in Winston-Salem. It's been pouring rain here for days and the majority of this run is on a wide dirt trail. Last night at dinner, I mentioned to Blair that I was a little worried about slipping and falling. His reponse:

"If you fall you land in mud. Big deal. Get up and keep running." 

Kind of a conversation killer. 

Wish me luck!

Cheers,

Dena

I Will Never, Never Learn...

What was it I said in my last running post? Something about how going out too fast in my legs at the Blue Ridge Relay did me in and I had learned my lesson and would never, ever go out fast again?

I am such a liar. 

Ran the Salem Lake 30K this morning. 18.6 miles of mild trail and greenway. The day was warm, but the course provided a lot of shade, so temperature wasn't too much of an issue. What WAS an issue was the 8:24 pace at which I ran the first 6-7 miles. Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

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Running Update

Across the nation, runners planning to run fall marathons are gearing up to start their training programs. The Greenway where I run each weekend is flooded on Saturday mornings with runners of all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels. The parking lot at the tennis court where the Greenway begins resembles a massive tail-gaiting party as runners hang out in groups and wave to friends and share sips of Gatorade from plastic cups. 

The most common question heard on the Greenway at this time of year is, "What are you training for?" My answer at the moment is a glorious, "Nothing." 

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Rethinking Boston...

I don't think I'm going to run the Boston Marathon in April. I've been going over and over it in my mind. As excited as I am to have qualified for Boston, I just cannot muster any enthusiasm at the moment for the race itself. I looked at a calendar and training for Boston would begin on December 27th. The thought of diving back in to full-blown training two months from now is enough to move me to tears. I don't think I could make myself do an interval workout, even if you held a gun to my head. I didn't realize how tightly wound I was until my marathon was over. Now, I just want to relax for awhile. 

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