Nothing like a frustrating race....

To make you feel like you have two options: pack it in and become a 'jogger' or buckle down and get serious about training.

I am sure I know which one I will choose, despite knowing which one I wish I could choose some days!

So, no, Bloomsday did not go according to plans.  I really felt more confident about it, going in, knowing that I have trained on that course so many times and really felt like I was doing better at it recently!  But alas, it didn't come together yesterday.

I did the elite start again this year, and although I enjoyed the experience last year for the most part, it was not fun this year.  I ended up last of the elite runners, and ran pretty much the entire race on my own, even being passed by the male winner despite my 15 minute head start!!  It was humbling and miserable.  I really wanted to quit, and actually considered it, but I am glad that I didn't.  Having done that last year and knowing that it feels pretty crap afterward, regardless of how painful the race is, should no longer be an option for me unless I am injured too much to finish.  I need to get that idea out of my head.  So I trudged on, with no one around me, and just tried to will myself ot the finish.

I really don't know where everything went wrong, which is frustrating!  I didn't start out too fast, despite the pace of the group, and I thought some of them would come back to me - they never did.  I think I would have fared much better had I done the regular second seed start, since I would have had people around me and that would have helped keep me going, knowing that I want to beat person X or keep up with person Y.  I hope so at least.   This type of race took away all the possible competitive drive in me, since the people in front were too far out front, and any ladies that passed me did so at pace steep enough for me to not be able to keep up.  My legs felt weak from the start.  Ugh, it just wasn't fun.

I think I really haven't been training as hard as I should be, and I need to buck up and just get it done, and turn it up a bit.  I just am not getting better, and that is my guess as to the problem.  I haven't heard from DC in ages, which is frustrating too, so I need to get in touch there.

Either way, the good thing about Bloomsday is that there is always next year!  Those hills will still be there, and I can give it another shot of conquering it!  Onward and upward.