Running the Hypothermic Half

Two years ago I swore would never ever … like ever … run another hypothermic half marathon.  I had just ran with a friend in -30C or something with crazy winds. I was miserable the entire time. It was only when I had a steaming hot cup of coffee in my hands that I was able to embrace the experience. 

Still I refused to sign up for another “hypothermic” race until this year. 

As you know I was on the injury reserve list in 2015. Without being able to run, I went a little batty in most areas of my life. I signed up for the half in Edmonton in a moment of weakness. I am not fully at 100% and I am under trained. With this in mind, I went into the race knowing it would be a “let’s see how my body holds up”  and “It’s not worth it to push hard because I will end up hurting myself”

So on Sunday I found myself at the start line with Ashley and Kori. None of us had high expectations for this race. It’s so early in the season that you are always a little under trained. We wanted to finish without setting ourselves up for injury.

We warmed up with a little zumba before navigating the course. I just wanted to get running. We signed up for the sleepy head 10 a.m. start. Generally I like earlier starts but this was fine with me. 

Fast forward 21.1K, we finished! All in all it was a perfect morning for a run. The course was icy at times but nothing like the actual finish line. That was messy. I would not be surprised if someone fell crossing the line. There’s a downhill to the finish which was a complete sheet of ice. Not cool.

We ran at an easy pace for a better part of the race. I felt pretty good for most of the race. I don’t think I could have pushed it anymore if I tried. I knew I had the endurance but I was pretty sure my right hip/leg would have failed any test of speed. But I am super happy that I was able to run the entire distance without walking or stopping at the corner of the road to curl up in a ball and cry. (My time was 2:13, if you have to know. I am totally fine with this time because it was a training run with a medal. Usually I average between 1:48 and 1:55)

Success. 

Today my right hip is feeling a little out of whack. I ran an easy 8K to shake the cobwebs out followed by yoga. I am feeling good where I am now with my training. It’s going to be a slow road back to recovery but I am smart enough to know when to push it and when to take a step back.

Happy Monday!