Half a Job Bob

With the Undertaker.  An interesting metaphor for my race

Well today was the San Antonio Rock and Roll marathon, and I made the last minute decision to switch to the half.  I think it was the smart choice based on the weather, my level of conditioning, and my current levels of motivation.  This was backed up by having dinner last night with several friends, better runners than me, all of whom had also made the same decision to drop to the half.

And when I woke up this morning and saw the visible layer of moisture in the air, literally blocking out the Tower of the Americas, I knew it was going to be a sucky day.  And so it proved.

I started off running 7:20s, and within a mile I was soaked.  It wasn't particularly warm, but the humidity was like a suffocating blanket.  The first few miles were all mid-7s, other than one where I made a bathroom stop, but I never felt good, and never found a rhythm.  It was hard grind, and one of those days where the miles just seemed to drag by sooooo slowly.  I eventually crossed the finish line in 1:46 (8:06 average) and was happy to be done.  Not a great time, but not bad either.  I was still running 8:10s-8:20s at the end, but the last few miles felt like I was running in wet cement - my legs were heavy, and my heart just wasn't in it.

Gavin with a Mexican wrestler mask from El Mercado market

I can quite honestly say I had a horrible run - I hated every moment and couldn't wait to finish.  I suspect if I had continued and run the full distance I could have finished somewhere in the 3:40s or 3:50s, but I completely lacked the motivation to run another 13 miles.

It made me feel a bit better to hear the same sentiment echoed by everybody else I know who ran today.

Mostly this is my fault, since I just haven't put in the training necessary to run the kind of race I would like.  But it also throws up an interesting mirror of last year, where I had a sucky race at Frankenthon, signed up for a "revenge race", and managed to turn it around in 5 weeks for White Rock.

The missing ingredient in both Frankenthon and San Antonio was motivation.

It just so happens that I have 4 weeks until the BCS marathon.  And if I want to turn it around, I have my work cut out.

I know exactly what I need to do, but the question is can I find that motivation I need to make Aggieland my revenge race?