Vancouver half of a half Marathon

This past Sunday, I took part in my first race of the season at the
Vancouver Half Marathon, and the result is a big DNF! I actually knew
going into the race that my chances of finishing weren't great. I
crashed on my bike on Wednesday (yes, again), and I landed really hard
on my back and shoulder. I was pretty sore and stiff Thursday and
Friday. Saturday morning, I ran before getting on the plane to fly to
Vancouver, and it did not feel good. Even knowing that I might not be
able to finish the race, I still made the trip. I wanted to give the
race a try, and I was also going to Vancouver to look with my sister
for a bridesmaid's dress; I am the maid of honor in her wedding this
summer. So not going down to Van for the weekend was not an option.

Sunday morning I ran to the start from my sister's apartment, and I
actually thought there was a chance that I could finish it. All the
shopping the day before must have loosened up my back and tailbone.
Even with these few small glimmers of hope, I was ready to pull out if
I felt that I was putting my body at risk because of the accident.
Just being part of the morning race routine made me happy, and I was
simply excited to finally take part in an event. I forgot how much I
missed simply participating. It has been quite a while since my last
race.

The first four miles of the race were decent. But as the pain
increased around my tailbone and glutes, I gradually had to slow down.
I made it to about the seven mile mark, where I stopped at an aid
station for some Gatorade. The Gatorade tasted so good (and my butt
was hurting so badly) that I decided to stay and drink more and cheer
other runners on. I knew that if I finished, it would be more of a
setback than a success as I probably wouldn't be running for a while.
As it is, I still have a few more days before everything comes right.
Oh well, it was cool just to attempt to do a race. And next time I
will finish it; that is my goal anyway. I think I may ask the Bike
Barn to put some training wheels on before the next one for some extra
insurance!