Triple Lakes Trail Race Recap

You may be thinking, how in the world is she blogging when she is supposed to be running a half marathon?

Yes, I'm super-woman.  But no I'm not running the race.

I could cry.  I have been struggling with this decision all morning.  Since my alarm went off at 5 am.  And each time I think about my choice I still wonder if I made the right decision.  I am in general not a great decision-maker.  In fact, I force Forbes to make most of my decisions for me.  Do I want the vanilla or chocolate?  Do I want the black or brown?  Do I want to drive or do you?  It is a constant question in our house of what I want to do, and the answer is usually a joint effort by the two of us. 

As difficult as making a decision is for me, it is even more difficult for me to stand by that decision.  So this morning as I watched many runners cross the finish line I cringed that I wouldn't be there with them.  Many factors went into my choice today.  For instance, the simple fact that I have taken more pain killers in the last 3 days than I have in the entirety of my life.  Also, as great as I felt yesterday during my run, I felt extremely awful all night.  And tonight I can't feel awful.  I need to bring my A-game.  It isn't just another relaxing evening, but a really fun wedding so I cannot afford to feel like crap again! 

It was a tough decision not to run today.  I feel it was the best choice, but that hasn't stopped me from having regrets!

To try to keep today on a positive note, let's change the subject.  Did you hear me mention above how awesome my run was yesterday?  If you recall, I participated in the Triple Lakes Trail Race with 5 of my best friends.  This was our 4th year attending the race and this year we put together two marathon relay teams. 

We headed up to Greensboro on Friday night and grabbed a pre-race dinner at Mellow Mushroom.

Yummy carbs!

Mellow Mushroom has gluten free crust (not pictured) and vegan cheese!  It was the perfect solution for the many dietary needs of our group!

I was the first leg of my team, Tough Cookies, running 8 miles.  I started the morning with my usual liter of water and then a hot cup of tea. 

I was running on low energy because I didn't sleep well at all Friday night.  In fact, I was up from about 1am to 3am with terrible fever chills.  I couldn't get warm and sat in a scalding hot shower for nearly an hour.  I had Forbes on the phone while I cried miserably to him.  I should be thankful for my amazing run on Saturday and less worried about not running today given the circumstances. 

Despite my terrible night, I woke up Saturday refreshed.  Popped some more pain relievers and ate a quick bowl of oatmeal with mashed banana and almond butter (un-pictured). 

Angie was running the first leg of the relay for her team, Run Like The Winded, so we made a plan to stick together during our runs and headed out to Bur-Mill Park to get started.

I was nervous beginning the race.  I didn't get much running in this week because of being sick.  Knowing Angie would be beside me the whole way made me feel so much better. 

To my surprise, we started running and I felt great!  The whole run felt great in fact.  Five miles came so quickly and Angie dropped off at her checkpoint and I picked up Amy for the last 3 miles of my leg.  By the time Amy jumped in with me, I was in a rhythm and the last 3 miles blew by!  We came out of the woods and I passed my baton off to Krista and just like that I was done.

I eagerly took down my post race-fuel:

I felt a runner's high like I had never known before!  I texted Forbes and tried to relay how awesome my race was.  I was floating on Cloud 9.  After the awful night and less than stellar training I was elated that I had such a wonderful run.  My excitement began to stir for Sunday's race and I was just ready to cheer on my other teammates to the finish. 

After a few hours, we watched Susan and Ashley cross the finish line and made our way back to the car to head home.  At that time, my medicine began to wear off and as we got in the car I could feel the weight of the day begin to press in on me.  I felt slightly better throughout the day only when I took medicine, but ultimately was pretty worthless. 

I am happy I raced.  I am so happy I did so well.  But knowing the toll it took on me, I am also happy I didn't race today (Sunday), with so many other plans for tonight.  Decisions are tough, but I believe I made the right one!

This weekend was supposed to be about being with the girls and having a great time, and I'm just happy I made it though Triple Lakes Trail Race!  Ramblin' Rose will just have to wait till next year...but now I have a fire under me to run that race...so next year I'll be there!