Adventures in Clean Eating

Even though I stayed up a little too late last night, I woke up with a ton of nervous energy at 5:30 this morning.  I wasn’t sure what to eat before the race, since I knew that I needed something substantial to run that distance, but I didn’t want stomach issues and I didn’t want to have to wake up super early for extra digestion time.  After asking some opinions of other bloggers yesterday, I decided on one piece of Ezekial toast, peanut butter, and a banana, topped with cinnamon.

I also got a quick shower before I left.  I never used to shower before a race, but I read in Runner’s World recently that it’s helpful.  It’s actually a really good idea.  It wakes you up, plus the hot water loosens up your muscles a bit, which are probably tight from lying down all night.  I didn’t wash my hair or anything, since I knew I’d be getting icky later.  Just a quickie

The metro was super crowded today (for once I was happy we live so far from the city because we got to sit together on the train ride over).  We got to the race site 45 minutes before start and headed straight to the bathroom line and waited… and waited… before I knew it it had been half an hour and we were still so far away!  I started to get really stressed.  All of the race literature said that no one would be allowed to cross the start after 8 am.  I was supposed to start with the second wave, but that wasn’t happening.  After I finally got to use the porta-potty, I raced away from Pete to start.  Thank goodness I got there when I did, since as I crossed the line the announcer said that in 90 seconds, no one else would be allowed to start.

There were so many people around me, most of whom were slower than I am.  I weaved a ton, and ran on the grass a lot, trying to keep up my pace.  When I crossed the 2 mile mark I looked at my watch and saw that I had actually run 2.1 miles at that point.  Realizing how much extra work my weaving was causing, I knew I needed to cool it.  I wasn’t doing myself any favors by being all over the course like that.  I tried to stick to the outside and weave less, aiming for a 8:30-9:00 min pace, but knowing that probably wouldn’t happen.

As I ran, I moped… I had missed a really important event for a charity I volunteer for to run this race, so I wanted it to mean something.  I was angry that I couldn’t start with my corral, both because it messed up my pace, and because I had earned my spot in the second wave, but it didn’t even matter.  It was a hard race.  I spent a large amount of it being really angry, at the organizers for not having more porta potties, at other runners for not following aid station etiquette or not letting me pass them easily, at myself, for not being more prepared… and also for being a real b*tch all morning.  Pete was so kind to come and support me, even though it meant getting up really early and waiting around that whole race until I finished, but I took all of my frustration out on him.

As I crossed the finish line, I gave myself an attitude check.  First of all, it’s awesome that I’m even trying to run a 10 mile race quickly.  A year ago, I wouldn’t have even been able to finish it, much less run it fast!  But more so, IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER!  Why am I getting so upset about this?  Yes, it’s good to have goals and push myself, but what kind of consequences come having a slow race time?  Nothing.  There are so many more important things to worry about.  Running has given me so much, but it’s still just a hobby.  I need to get my priorities straight.

Stats, according to Garmin:

• Distance: 10.31 mi (I told you I weaved a lot…)
• Elapsed Time: 1:32:46
• Avg Pace: 8:59/mi

I’ll post my official time once stats are posted.

Edited to Add: My official race time, according to the Cherry Blossom web site, was 1:32:42. Placing 2854 out of 8813 and in my age group division, 380 out of 967.

Once we were finally home (slow process, since planning to “meet at the finish” in a race with 30,000 runners is really not specific enough) and showered, I took Pete out to lunch to apologize for my nonsense.  We decided to check out Elevation Burger in Falls Church.  From the moment we walked in, I was super excited about this place!  All over the walls was information about their top quality ingredients.

They also use only grass-fed and free-range beef and cook their fries in olive oil!

I ordered the elevation burger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, carmelized onions, and elevation sauce, plus split an order of fries with Pete.

Good God was this good.  It’s amazing what a difference quality ingredients make!  Despite all of their intentions, I’m under no disillusions that this meal is healthy.  However, all I have to worry about is the calories here.  There are no trans-fats and no hormones or pesticides!  And after running ten miles this morning, I’m not too concerned about calories today.  Elevation Burger is opening chains all over the country, so look for one near you!  It’s definitely a better option than McDonalds!