15K national championships

As you might expect, given my lack of conditioning, I was slow. But I didn't think I'd be *THIS* slow. I figured I could at least manage 6:25/km. Nope. About 8km in I was hurting, and slow, and chafing, and I started to cry when Karen S (>60yo, very fast, but still...much older than me) passed me...and I couldn't see Marianne M (>65yo, also very fast) either. Neither of them has ever beaten me before. I could hardly breathe for a while because I was crying while walking :(. I mean, I should have known, but it was just hard to see how truly awful I've become.

Coach assures me that with speed work more regularly and longer, that in 3-4 months I'll be better. That's a long time. Not good enough to make plans for Perth WMA, so I'm probably not going. Better to save $ for Spain in 2018 and take the family with me, since the kids are learning Spanish in school (dual immersion program).

The nice thing about the 15K was the girlfriends' weekend (though poor Diane was very, very sick and we had to take her to the ER on the way down; she's doing better now and will be OK), getting away and relaxing, seeing RW friends, and best of all, walking a lap with some very good American racewalkers from the past - Curt Clausen and Susan Armenta. That was pretty fun - I even have pics of me with them. If I'd been in shape I could've kept up with them easily and that would've been even more fun, but as it was, I couldn't hold even that pace.

The other good thing? Hammy and foot didn't bother me much; pain at most 1/10.

My time was about 1:38:12. Ughhhhh. I was 7th overall so didn't even get an open medal (they give them for 1-6). I did get first in my age group, but I was the only one...geez.... :(

***

Monday - rest day after the race; drove all the way home. Hammy didn't like that, but after a night's sleep it recovered.

Tuesday - 6K easy with Calvin and the dogs, in ~39:15 (watch was waaaay off the first 500m so this is a guesstimate) for 6:32/km. Not too bad. Nothing hurt much; hammy a little sore at times, but mostly 0-1/10.

Today - elliptical and PT exercises.