Mount Lemmon Half Marathon Results

Half marathon time: 1:55.04
Overall rank: 17 of 226
Gender rank: 5th
Age group: 1st

A grueling uphill 13-miler turned out to be a success with beautiful scenery and an experience I'll never forget despite the struggle of cramping in my left calf during the last two miles... sh*t happens but, PF Chang Rock n Roll here I come!!!

I've witnessed athletes vomit, cry, fake injuries, warm up so long they miss the start, urinate, and even arrive on crutches...

Two days til the Mt. Lemmon Half-Marathon. My thoughts? Flawless... not. 


What if I wake up, my stomach filled with butterflies and then it gradually becomes uncomfortable? What if I wake up feeling tired and not pumped? What if I eat too much before the start time? What if my pace lags behind and isn't the goal pace I'm looking for? How will the weather be? Asics Speedstars or Cumulus 12? What if I get too uncomfortable during racing? What if my old injury starts acting up? I hope I don't forget to pack anything... 


I couldn't get the race off my mind that I kept putting off blogging for almost three days. And what the hell.. I could've started writing about it! So here goes... 


I look all right on the outside but deep down, I'm nervous and of course, each of us have experienced some sort of pre-race anxiety. If we deny it, we'd be lying. As it nears, I'm always seeing it as a matter of life-and-death--it's a sign I want to succeed and be the best I can be.


Life-and-death. How ridiculous! I recall my early racing days in Cross Country when I'd get butterflies and my bladder shrinks to the size of a pea. Once I run the course and reach the finish line (which I always do), I look back and laugh about how being extremely nervous is unnecessary. It's a huge waste of energy. It's healthy to have a little jitteriness but not JITTERINESS to the point you "vomit, cry, fake injuries, warm up so long you miss the start, urinate, and even arrive on crutches." --all credit goes to Pete Magill. I found it hilarious and it sure did alleviate my pre-race nervousness.


I looked up quotes, inspirations, stories, advice, tips about staying calm on race day. Here they are:


10 signs of race jitters - Pete Magill


5) WAITING UNTIL PEAK CONDITION

Come on, admit it, some of us postpone racing until we can reach that promised land known as "peak condition." We refuse to compete at anything less than optimal fitness for fear of looking foolish.

Only one problem: Racing is an integral part of the journey toward "peak condition."

Racing makes us stronger both physiologically and psychologically.

Besides, "peak condition" describes a Utopian future that, for most of us, never arrives.


7) ROUTINE CHANGES

Panic-stricken runners sometimes change their routine in advance of races. They skip work. Dodge ordinary chores. Sleep more. Avoid stairs. Do extra stretching.

But operating outside our normal routine only increases our anxiety.

Instead, stay in your comfort zone. Go to work or school. Wash the car. Take out the garbage.

As uber-coach Jack Daniels says, "Most great performances come when you're not trying to do it. When you try to do something special, it usually backfires."


 4. Try deep breathing. When you're anxious, your breathing becomes shallow. Try breathing from your belly. You'll feel an instant calming effect and you'll also help prevent side stitches. 


 6. Run without expectations. Setting high expectations is one of the biggest causes of pre-race anxiety because you put a lot of pressure on yourself to meet a certain goal. Put your expectations aside and just focus on running your best. You'll feel much more calm, which may actually help you run a great race. 
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A few of my race strategies I frequently use:


During race: FOCUS ON THE NOW. The mile you're in. Feel your every stride, frequency, breathing, how you plant your feet, move your arms and how lucky you are to be able to run!

When you're hurting and hanging on for dear life.... just remember pain is only temporary. Suck it up and you'll have all the recovery time from the finish line up to your next workout!

That Cassie girl

Following my first year in a community college, I was DC-bound in the summer of 2007. Little did I know that I would face a whole different culture on the east coast, especially my first experience at a deaf university. My first year was a bewildering moment--too much to explain; however, to sum it up, I was basically this deaf girl who hailed from a hearing world--hearing family, relatives, and friends, mainstreamed schools--whose identity became lost in a world dominated by the Deaf at Gallaudet University. Even though I was one of them, I still felt like an outsider and never thought about getting immensely involved in the Deaf community. In fact, I was still my original self--the girl from Arizona.

By third year, I moved in with, now known as the world's best roommates, Katelyn and Andrew. Since the first day I moved in the West Virginia townhouse, they've been incredibly supportive and urged me to get out of the house often. It took me a couple weeks to get out there and get noticed because I was this "mysterious girl" whose life revolved around getting from class to class not bothering to look at familiar faces or have a conversation, working out, and my ex-fiance. I rarely went out and nobody really knew who I was.

However, living in that West Virginia Ave. house threw my life into a rapid transformation. Little and huge things came into my life--new friends, marathon and triathlon training, exploration of DC, Results Gym, metro and buses, Eastern Market, Zinzi Christmas Party, Halloween, Georgetown, Nautica South Beach Triathlon, National Marathon, George Washington University Wellness Center and much more. Everyday, I was meeting great people who each have influenced me in some ways. Soon thereafter, I didn't feel so mysterious anymore although I may remain mysterious to the majority of Bisons. I was trying to get myself out as much as possible, by exploring DC and taking in all the senses of the big city dynamics. I was mostly devoted to the city itself than the campus.

I recall the day I got my first nickname which wasn't too long ago before I moved out in May 2011.

"What's up, Castro!" said Katelyn.

I smiled and deep inside, I hated the sound of my last name. I was "Castro" to Katelyn and Andrew for quite a while until one day, I admitted that my last name sounded so manly and unappealing almost as if I was Fidel Castro.

"I have an idea! How about Cassie!?" one of them raved.

I became Cassie, which I consider my newfound identity that blossomed during my last two years in Washington, D.C. Hence my first blog entitled "That Cassie girl."

By the end of May 2011, I returned to Arizona as that Cassie girl in which I no longer feel dubious about myself. I feel like a new woman. Stronger, driven and better. Different than I was four years ago when I left Arizona. I'm sitting here today writing my very first blog--post graduation life, training and enjoying life wherever it takes me.

When I'm not training, thoughts roam around in my mind--sometimes same ol' thoughts burning deep down in the back of my head that prevent me from falling asleep at nights or staying concentrated on certain tasks! Therefore, for the sake of my sanity, I figured blogging would be the best way to get the thoughts out, loud and clear as well as make room for new ones. I'm doing it for myself and those of you who might be interested. This is the window to my soul. My extraordinary contemplations will be reflected in this blog. I'll be jotting away anything coming across my mind. Whatever I hear, see, feel...breathe. Ridiculous or not.