If there is one thing that running has taught me it is that you can plan out the best race strategy and when race day comes, things may not go your way. You are faced with two choices: adjust your plan or watch someone else win. You have to be able to adjust as you go, take a chance, and hope for the best. What if it doesn't work? You learn from it, process it, and move on. The same principle applies to life; and especially mine at the moment. I moved, had a plan, it didn't work. So I re-evaluated made more decisions, and here I am.
Since moving home I have felt like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I spent so much of my time trying to please other people - between my two jobs and other things - that I wasn't doing anything to please myself. So, I have decided that I am going to take some time and do just that. I am going to focus the majority of my energy into my training. I am coming back strong right now and have a whole new level of motivation. One week after I got back to California, I ran the Sactown 10 Miler . No I didn't win, nor was I even close. However, I knew that going into the race. I was/am not in race shape and this race has some of the nations best women competing in it. I raced for two reasons 1.) to help my team win the team competition - which we did! WHOOP!- and 2.) to dust the cobwebs off my race legs. Not having raced since my PR at the Chicago Marathon in October, and training for a half marathon in May, I was a bit rusty. I finished the race in a 1:02:13 and placing 13th female (I had a secret goal of top 15!). The pace per mile ended up being equal to that of my half marathon PR (6:14 per mile). So not so good for only a 10 miler. However, I walked away from this race feeling great about my time. I wasn't in shape, but I had just raced my ass off. From the gun I knew this race was going to hurt...and it did. I went through periods of feeling strong, and then having my legs lock up. Around mile seven I really started to hurt. The two women I had been running with were starting to pull away and my legs were screaming at me. However, I wasn't slowing down even though I was having to work harder and harder. I remember thinking to myself "Suck it up, Erin. You have finished a marathon seeing spots, you can finish a damn 10 miler." I kept my eyes on the two women and at 8.5 miles said f*ck it, if I crash, I crash! I made a big surge to catch the first woman and right around mile 9 I did, and then went after the second. She was about 25 second or so ahead of me. I had my eyes deadlocked on her back, my arms and legs giving everything they had, and my stomach getting increasingly more nauseous with every step. I finished my last mile in 5:56, but came up short on catching her and one other woman. (both ran the Olympic trials in 2012 and are stud runners!) Though I didn't PR, what did I have to complain about? I pushed my body physically, but even more so I pushed it mentally and never gave into the pain. A win-win, as they like to call it. I am hungry for competition and want to be in the mix racing with these women again. I am so ready to run a fast time and I can not wait to race again on May 19th at the Avenue of the Vines half marathon!
All in all, as hard of a decision that it was to leave Colorado I truly believe that I made the right choice and it feels so good to be back. I am so much happier and I am glad to be around my family, my friends and the amazing running community that Sacramento has. It truly can not be matched!