When things don't go as planned

In January, I decided that my half marathon goal this year was not only to PR, but to hit 2:15.    I spent this spring training and had a goal race--Wallis Sands.  In the month leading up to the goal race, I ended up doing 2 other half marathons.

This was both a good idea, and not.  The first half I ran was awful.  I wasn't ready for the distance and the hills were too much.  Two weeks later, I signed up for another half.  I raced well and felt strong through mile 10.  At that point, I knew that even if I slowed to a very comfortable pace, I would still PR easily.  I did hit a PR and was incredibly confident that I would be able to run very well at my goal half.

Fast forward 2 weeks...

Wallis Sands promised to be a lot of fun with an easy course and tons of good friends.  Sadly, from the very first step, I felt "off".  I just couldn't get into a groove.  I couldn't breathe. I felt miserable and hated every step.  I got into my own head and it got worse and worse.  I ended the race with a time last year I would have been proud of.  But, given the expectations I had for the day, I was nearly in tears.

After several weeks, I still don't really know what went wrong.  But, I'm moving forward with this thought:  I PR'd this spring.  I had fun with friends.  I am not injured and will have another opportunity to race again.  Mental toughness is just as important as physical conditioning and that's what I'm going to be focusing on as my training shifts towards fall racing season.