Today was the big 10K in Iowa City. Things have been a little “off” since the failed 20 mile run last Sunday. the theory was to quickly get another successful run under our belt and leave the failure safely behind us.
Things started out ok, The Sun rise was pretty, The Deer Frolicked in the fields as we approached the starting point. There was a bit of confusion as to the exact location of the start. Cheryl thought they were going to start on the west end, I thought on the east end. 
Without a compass, we were simply guessing….until I asked a race official. They “clarified” that Cheryl was right…
we start on the other side of the dam….What they did not say is that they walk over the dam, then turn around and run back over it! This simple confusion forced us to drive around in circles on the west side of the dam looking for the “start line”!!! 
This began to irritate me and eventually we drove BACK to the east end and parked the car and waited. Luckily, people began to show up and we could follow the herd to the correct place.
The start was good. I got some good shots of Cheryl decked out in her running gear. 
She decided to go with the race shirt provided, believing it to be a “tech” shirt like her normal running equipment. How wrong she was….
I raced back to the car when the last runner was over the dam and drove to the finish line. It was not as difficult as I had imagined. I found parking for the Subie and trotted off to the official finish area. It only took about 31 minutes for the first runner to show up! I barely had time to find a good camera location.
Others filtered towards the finish line. I was expecting Cheryl around 48 minutes. She had wanted to try for another Personal best this morning.
I finally found her coming, slightly behind schedule, but still a fair pace. I ask her how she is doing…..Thumbs Down!
Apparently, the race shirt failed in it’s cooling and moisture wicking capability. Cheryl looked like someone had poured a bucket of water on her! As a result, she ran her first three miles under 8 minutes ( Fastest 7:46 mile) But then the heat melted her down and she had to walk. 
She thought about stripping off the shirt, but her bib and Garmin were permanently attached to the shirt. She would have had to waste more time attempting to take it off than just leaving it on and cooling down.
The results: She was on pace to get a new PR but lost it and watched helplessly as children and women with baby strollers trotted by her. Frustration is probably not a strong enough word.
Ah well, Everyone, even the pro’s, have bad race days. So this one was not as good as Last week…Big deal. But Cheryl likes to give everything she does her absolute best and when she can’t she is disappointed……Even with 2ND PLACE AGE GROUP! 
That is right, She still manage to pull off a second place for her age group. Even with the walk, and the “crappy “ time…..looking back she thinks she could have gotten first if things had gone better. I know what it is like to overheat while running. 
It is like being in a sauna with a locked door. Suffocating! So I think she should cut herself some slack and forgive the “awful” performance. ( I need to remind her that there was a time not too long ago when 10 minute miles were not only acceptable, but celebrated!)
So, To cheer herself up, we decided to go for a short run at the Kiwash Trail near Keota. So far the path looks good. We shall see if we get to run there tomorrow.
On a side note. CELEBRITY IOWA! Believe it or not, Jeff Bridges ran with us today! Cheryl should have posed for a picture with him. But she was “skeptical” that he might not be the real Jeff Bridges. What do you think?
More Pics
No comments:
Post a Comment