This was my third time running the Avenue of the Vines half marathon. I was apprehensive going into the race. I had been babying my left achilles and calf because they were both a little sore and twitchy. However, it was my right calf that threw the race for me right around the end of mile 9 :-(
My plan for today was to run 8:30 miles for the first half and then kick it up to 8:17 for the second half. This would give me a finish time of 1:50 give or take a few seconds. Unfortunately, this didn't work out. In fact, this race was so disappointing, that I don't even feel like writing a normal race report.
All I can tell you is it started off great. My planned 8:30 pace turned into an 8:22 average and I was feeling strong. Since I was running faster than I had planned, I wasn't going to speed up until mile 10. Mile 9 ruined that plan.
At the end of mile 9, my right leg cramped and I tried to walk it out. My pace dropped to 8:46. Things got worse from there. I walked/jogged the rest of the race. Mike and James found me coming down Woodbridge Rd with tears in my eyes. I can't believe how much this cramp hurt and how long it held on! Perhaps completing the race wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I couldn't imagine stopping.
My goal now is to rehab my leg in time for the Tri for Real #1 on June 1. My only goal is to beat my time last year (and not cramp up).
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