A Really Bad Race – Reflections on the Drake Half Marathon

I absolutely hate having a bad race. I think that’s clearly reflected in the picture included with this blog. It was taken on the “Blue Oval” - the track at Drake University in Des Moines that marks the end of the Drake Half Marathon. What the picture doesn’t show is for the previous seven miles, I’d been either walking or at most, doing very short, easy jogs. A flare up of my left IT band at the sixth mile effectively ended what had seemed a promising race.

Candidly, I’d gone into that race with high hopes. Given solid training and past experiences with that same course, it was my goal to come away with my best time for that race. Part of the anticipation for me was also a sweet playlist, made of an engaging combination of current and old music that I had worked on for several weeks, seeking the right songs for each segment of that race.

To have to shut it down halfway through the Go-Go’s “We Got The Beat” was not something I’d expected. Honestly, after about a mile of walking, I was sorely tempted to drop out. But since I didn’t know that neighborhood, doing so could have been much further from my vehicle. More importantly, I also realized that dropping out would only be due to my wounded ego. Doing so would also be an unintended slight on every other runner completing the race. I couldn’t and didn’t do that.

But none of that took away what I was feeling. While my rational mind completely understands that I did the right thing by not pushing the IT band and risking a more severe injury, my irrational mind could only see this turn of events as a huge defeat. Outside of a couple of wicked hills on a tough half marathon course out in Oregon, I’ve never stopped to walk at any time during any race. This was doing so for over seven miles. Because of that, my final time was far and away my slowest half marathon. Ever.

Reality is that in some manner, we’ve all been where I was after that race on Sunday. And while each of us will react in our own way, if we are passionate about our running, this is going to hurt and it’s going to do so for some duration of time.

I don’t want something like this to fester or gnaw at me to the point that it has a detrimental impact on my running or life. Because I tend to be process-oriented, I attempt several steps to start dealing with what happened with the intention of preventing it from occurring again.

1. Push Aside Negative Emotions. This is the first order of business. Disappointment and frustration are understandable. But those feelings accomplish nothing. They don’t help me determine what happened or how to prevent whatever happened from happening again.

2. Putting the Situation into Perspective. This is also essential for me. Reality is that this is just one race out of nearly a dozen I do each year. The outcome of this “failure” is more a blow to my ego than anything else. No one is hurt. No one has lost a job. The worst possible outcome could be an injury that requires more time to recover. That’s certainly not comparable to the outcome of a serious accident or debilitating illness. It should also be noted because I acted as I did, not pushing the IT band, I’m already back to easy running.

3. Address the Problem. Here’s what I try to do to put negative energies or emotions to good use. What caused my IT band to act up? Was it the long downhill a couple miles earlier? Or what about the long gap between my warmup mile and the actual race? My left hip was sore the day before the race from doing some stretches intended to strengthen my hips. Was that a factor? Were the minor tweaks that I’d made to doing those exercises doing harm instead of good? That also requires a thorough calculation of my pre-workout and race activities, stretches, warmup techniques and exercises. If what I’m doing now is habit over help, then I need to replace it with something that does benefit me. This is where I’m very fortunate to work with a number of talented and knowledgeable experts who will no doubt offer some excellent strategies as well.

4. Focusing on the Future. This step is both immediate and long-term. Having been able to run the past few days without incident is a positive sign. With the Market-to-Market Relay in less than three weeks, it’s my intention to be able to compete at full strength along with my talented teammates. I need to focus on being at my best to be a contributing member of our team. There’s also the Dam to Des Moines in about six weeks. This is a 20-kilometer race that starts with a steep downhill. I’ve no desire to have to walk any portion of this race. Drake is now past history. Hopefully, when I run this race next year, I can have a better outcome. But for now, these next two races are where my energies are better focused.

Like I said, I haven’t had a problem with my IT band in the last few days of running. I’m doing what I know to do to address it. I’ll work with my running coach, PT and massage therapist to determine further strategies. Will they work? That’s my hope. But I won’t know until after my next race. But that’s a far better focus than allowing last Sunday to pull me into an abyss of frustration and self-pity. I hope my suggestions are helpful. I’d also like to know how you deal with a “bad race.”

What I’m Listening To…

For a change of pace, let me share some music I’ve enjoyed these past several weeks that I believe you may also appreciate. I also guarantee that you’ll have heard of at least one band.

Van Halen - Diver Down. I know this band has released stronger albums, but having recently downloaded this one from 1982, it’s been a companion on a number of morning runs. You know their covers of “Pretty Woman” and “Dancing in the Streets.” But I gotta say I also enjoy “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” and “Little Guitars.” Steam it and you’ll agree!

Greg Kihn Band - Kihntinued. Most everyone knows this band (and artist) from the huge 1983 single “Jeopardy.” Great song and all that, but for my money, I’ll take this delightul album released a year earlier for sheer listening. Standout tracks include the minor single “Happy Man”, “Dedication” and “Testify.”

Primer - Incubator. New release consisting of 37 minutes of tasty synthpop that provides a wonderful soundtrack to even the most unpredictable of spring weather. Doubt me? Check out “If You Need Me.”