This week's stats:
- 55 Miles with 0 days off
- 2 Lift Sessions with Lyndsay @ Evolution Trainers with Pete
- 10M with mini tempo with Jenna
- Bay to Breakers 12KM Race: 12th OA, 4th Bay Area, 44:29 with splits of 533, 12:27, 617, 602, 544, 545, 2:41
- 3 days with my mom
Matching fur!
So, I took 7 days off last week and this week I raced a 12KM across the city of San Francisco. But neither of things are as important as the fact that I GOT MY CAT CICERO BACK!!!!! It. Is. Official. I am a cat mom again! After 28 months, Cicero is a finally a resident of California.
While I fretted over whether or not Cicero would disappear during the moments he'd have to go through the security machine at the airport, my brother flawlessly escorted my cat through the airport with ease, and safely secured him below the seat in front of him. After several reassuring texts, my mom, brother and cat were in the air, flying from St. Louis to San Jose.
Seriously, how CUTE is my mama???
We spent most of the weekend doing normal things, such as making vegan treats in my dehydrator with mom, going on a mini-hike at Rancho San Antonio, making dinner together and watching Westworld. My mom even got to watch me race, which she hopefully has enjoyed for the last 22 years. We didn't hang much in the city, most likely because I had a race on Sunday, but I hope that next time we can do more things in nature!
So - about Bay to Breakers. Boy, it was rough. Honestly, coming out of the Vancouver Half, I wasn't in the right mind space to race again. I felt pretty burnt out...most likely because I had been running strong since December's Club XC Champs. I needed a break. And so I took that break, and did not run for a week after Vancouver. I would have taken even more days off, but I've spent so much money on making a new place my home that I wanted to take a stab at getting some $$ from the local bay area Bay to Breakers prize purse. So, with that, I decided to start running after 7 days off, mostly so my legs weren't in shock when I raced up the 1000M climb on Hayes Street.
While last year's race went pretty well, this year was the opposite. It was windy. There was a lot more competition. Ultimately, I ran 40 seconds slower than last year. Two or three women just blasted me on the final 3 miles of the course, which is where I really excelled last year. My legs felt completely zapped after peaking at the top of Golden Gate Park, and I barely could find it within me to push as hard as I did last year on the downhill stretch from mile 5 to the finish line.
To complicate matters, with about 300 meters to go, I felt like my heart couldn't keep up with the effort level I was sustaining. The only natural thing to do was the slow down, which I did for about 10 meters. I seriously thought I might not be able to finish the race. I wasn't sure if it was a heart attack, so I just did what felt like the most natural thing - slow down. After slowing down, it felt more normal, but the odd sensation came back again, so I slowed again. Ultimately, my heart started to feel normal again and I obviously finished the race. But, I should probably get that checked out. As I write this (4 weeks later), I still have not seen a cardiologist.
Regardless, I ended up 4th place Bay Area resident, which was good enough for $250. With my goal achieved, I could rest easy and spend the rest of Sunday hanging with my family!
