Running in the States

I'm back home and (kind of) back to a running routine.  Between heat and jet lag I'm still only doing about 4 times a week and I would prefer to be up to 5.

I did a 5K and a half marathon but I was sort of disappointed with the results.  The 5K wasn't so bad but I found that Maryland is MUCH more hilly than Tokyo.  MUCH!!!!  It makes a big difference in how a 5K feels.

As for the half marathon. . . . I did finish which surprises some people when I tell them I had a killer flue.  I felt sick before the race and I should have knows something was up before we started when Licia kept saying 'it's hot.  It's so hot.' and I kept telling her 'no it's really cool.'  in 90 degree weather.  As soon as I started running I felt down right cold.  Every breath of wind gave me chills.  I managed to keep running the first 16K but just couldn't keep going.  At first I thought I would just walk at the water stations but . . . well. .  the walking sections kept getting longer and longer.  I walked most of the final five I think.  When I was finished and got back in the car I started shaking wildly and soon after we got home throwing up again and again.  Missy thought it was heat stroke but I had some other less delicate symptoms that made me believe it was the flue a theory that was shown true the next day when Missy (who hadn't run in the heat) went through a copy of all I had experienced.

So I have an excuse for my terrible time.  More than 20 minutes slower than my last half marathon.  But I know I also hadn't been training as much as I should have been and even though the race was a 'flat' race, it was still much hillier than Tokyo.  So I have to get back to training much harder and doing longer 'long' runs and hopefully the next halfer will go better.