Believe to Achieve

Decided yesterday to run this when Kelli told me I needed to run a half next week.  I work so I decided to do one this week instead of week after (though  I am tempted to run the Cottonwood half as 1:30 pacer, as I was offered).  After not even being 45 hours since my 8 x 800s and my aging body I was not quite prepared to run 13.1 on a flat course with some brief ups and downs and only a net down of 100 feet if that.  Got to race via bus (finish is 1.5 miles from my house :D)  Two porta potties as this race is small.  Just looked at results only 90 runners :D.  I was the last one in the line for the potty cause I ran 3.6 mile warm up during which I was like not feeling the adrenaline. Ha ha.  My pace was slow.  I tried to pick it up twice at end to goal pace of 7:00 per mile (1:32).  Well,  that goal pace lasted five miles then I just got weak minded and it was muggy and I have bad memories from this trail...can't figure it out completely but LONG LONG ago  I used to run this trail when it was all dirt and it was HARD.  Some of my first 18 milers were run on it after my long time off of marathoning---7 years.  I used to feel like the trail was all mine....and now CROWDED.  Even during race...runners going against us along with packs of bikers.  I just couldn't stay tough and actually feel like my ferritin (iron stores) have plummeted to single digits.  Going to get it checked this week.  This happened just before SGM 2012.  I ran a 3:18 with a ferritin of 5!!!!!!  ha ha.  That was hard...it was like I had no oxygen to my legs or nerves etc....all over body pains the entire way.  I am feeling that again and when after five miles I can't hold pace it makes me think of that year.  I know I just ran 800s and I am 45 but it is worth a shot to find out.  I can't take oral iron...makes me very ill and tried several kinds.  Best is the liquid iron by floradix.  Anyway....I was in potty line when race started and flew out of the potty...burning needlessly some energy to get to the front..I was 40 secs behind.  I caught up and was on pace for a 7:00 exactly the first mile, then a 6:57, another 7 and a 7:02 and another 6:59.  But that was it.  My brain hurt and then my music wouldn't advance and I was forced to listen to slow songs that I don't particularly care for.  I had to laugh.  At mile ate I actually stood in front of the aide station talking to the two volunteers like I was not in a race.  I was contemplating running down to my house..only 2.5 miles away.  So these two miles were 7:46 and 7:38.  Somehow I pulled my head out for the last three miles...finishing running uphill for 0.6 miles and then down into the grassy finish line thru the park...nice downhill, short but wow if you were too tired you could easily biff it on the grass.  No one did.  There was a 70 year old woman who ran a 2:27!!!! HELLO!!!  seriously?  That is so AWESOME!!!  Basically if I hadn't given up at mile 8 and 9 I would have run my goal of 1:32.  Oh well what do you do???  AP 7:09.  First woman overall.  Passed first place girl at mile 4. She came in almost two min behind me.  Ran back and forth with a 17 year old.   I caught him but then he sprinted ahead.  I chipped him by over 30 secs thanks to my potty time at the start.   The top guy ran a 1:22 and second was 1:25.  I was 7 th overall, men and women.  Went boating after race for four hours with our neighbors.  Turned out to be perfect boating weather.  Family went out to Chubby's for dinner for Troy's birthday.  First time there. We were stuffed!!!