Saturday 7/19 - Seacoast Seven

Today I ran the Seacoast Seven Miler with Trev in Gloucester, MA. We made the decision earlier this week that we were going to race this weekend, and this was pretty much the closest one, at a little over an hour away.

First off, I should say that I thoroughly enjoyed the race, had an awesome time, and when I was done felt great as well as accomplished. Though it's far from the farthest I've ever run, it is one of the longest races I have ever completed, and I feel good about it.

I'm not particularly happy about my time of 56:30 (or something close to that). Those who know me know that, as much as I've enjoyed this recent foray into running, I'm not fast. I never really have been. That being said, in the parking lot Trev asked me what my goal was, and after thinking about it for a bit, I came up with 54:00. Suffice to say I didn't hit it.

Here are the reasons that this happened, in order of significance:

1) I'm not in good enough shape.
2) It was hot and humid (mid 90's, sunny, high humidity)
3) The course was extremely hilly.
4) I'm not in good enough shape.
5) I got 4.5 hours of sleep last night after eating a huge burger and drinking a beer at 11:00 PM.
6) I ran the first mile WAY too fast (6:55). Take a look at that pace and my final time. You do the math. Passing the first mile marker and hearing my first split was a true "oh shit" moment.
7) I'm not in good enough shape.

The thing I liked best about this race, and racing in general, is that it has left me feeling fulfilled for the day. I went out, drove somewhere new, and challenged myself. You can't ask for much more out of a Saturday morning.

This week I'm heading to PA for another workshop. Hopefully I'll have access to a computer to continue to blog regularly. Onward with the training.

p.s. The fact that in 3 months I have to run the same distance I ran this morning more than 3.5 times in a row is terrifying and exciting.