What is the worst race you have ever run based on what you were expecting to run, what your workouts had indicated, and what you had previously run? Did you make a comback and redeem yourself? I need to here some stories after having run 2 minutes slower over 8k than I thought I was going too....
10-K last December.
I was having significant knee pain for the few weeks leading up to the race. Given pressure to run the race and commitments as well, I took three ibuprofen before the run and ran a PR. I was in terrible pain throughout the run and threw up at the finish.
Two days later I was crippled. I am still dealing with knee problems almost a year later. It wasn't worth it! Never running through pain again.
Senior year of high school, running in the regional race, tried to make a move around a pack by going just slightly off of the trail and through a bit of brush. This was about 1.5 miles into the 5k race. It didn't look that bad, but a huge f***ing weed with burrs all over it was waiting directly in the path that my groin would take. Needless to say, I wish I had worn spandex under my shorts that day like many high schoolers do. Don't even rembember what I ran, but it was definitely slow, as I finished well behind my other six teammates. It was all good in well though, as the rest of the guys had good enough days to pull out the victory.
I know my story doesn't quite apply to what you're going through, but I'll just say don't worry about it too much at this point. Maybe if you're still running a lot slower than you'd like after a couple more races, but a lot of shit can happen. You could be tired from training, even if you don't really feel like it, you could've just been off on that particular day (look at Geb in London, it obviously happens to the best too), or the course could've been a bad match for your racing style. If it's just one race, I would've been pissed for a little while that day, but from then on out I'd just get back to training and forget about it.
2nd to last place at my Varsity District meet my Sophmore year of High School.
... the silver lining to that story, I worked my ass off and always belived that if I continued to work hard that I would improve. 4 years later I tried to walk-on to a Division I Cross Country/Track team and failed miserabley. Continued to work hard and believe and 6 years later as a Junior in college I accomplished my dream this year by walking on to a Division I Cross Country/Track team.
First high school race I ever ran.
It was a big invite, went out WAY too fast.
Was racing in trainers because I still knew nothing about racing shoes.
Wound up gassing and running 19:32.
Took off just under two and a half minutes from that time by the end of the year though.
In college I dropped out of a 5000m on the track to avoid running a 16:20 just weeks after running 8:16 in the 3000m.
Ran a 5 mile AT run in 27:02 on relatively difficult course for a workout two weeks before first race. First 8k of the season ran 29:56 on an easier course, next race was 29:59 on an even easier and short course. Next race 26:32 on tough hilly course. Still not sure what happened but just battle through.
The 5 mile AT workout and the "tough hilly course" were short. 6 minute per mile for 8k is about as good as you are gonna get, deal with it.
1:52 in prelims for nationals in the 8. 1:56 in finals for last place... There's a shot to the pride.
Actually I ended up running a 25:24 at prenats that year a course we know is accurate. I am 99% sure that is faster than you have ever run, deal with it.
Crap my whole senior cross country season in college was a disaster.
1. Freshman year at SFU in 94. I was harbouring dreams of top 50 at NAIA's, maybe even All American (not that my training gave any indication of that kind of finish).
264th. Taken from finish area on a spinal board. As I was the last finisher on my team, I had to ride in the trunk of the car for the rest of the trip as that was the deal before the race.
2. Whidbey Island Marathon 2006. Aiming for 2:34 - 2:36. On pace till 13 miles, right leg seized up, walked / shuffled the last half to finish in 3:34:30.
There is a picture of me from the race walking next to a 300 pound woman in the 1/2 marathon competing in a pair of Holey Soles.
The one saving grace: I still beat Dean K. by over an hour.
Eric
15 mile race in Charleston W.V. I had started back running after an 18 year layoff and had been running about 10 months. My goal time was 1:40. Had some calf problems a couple weeks before the race and the long downhill between 5 and 6 did me in. I strained the calf muscle and limped in in 2:10. (8:40 pace)
A few months later I ran the 50k snowflake ultra in Kanawha State Forest below Charleston. I ran both halves (2:08, 2:06) faster than I ran the 15 miler.
The following summer I ran a 1:19 half. (6 minute pace)
Midwest Collegiate Cross Country 8k at UW Parkside 2004.
I honestly think I was near death halfway through. I stopped with about 2 miles left where my coach was and he managed to get me to get back in the race. I was literally "running" slower than I could have walked.
I managed to finish and actually "race" a guy to the line (got beat) but I thank my coach for helping me to mentally recover from the point of no return and actually man up.
But god DAMN did that race suck.
I had the flu once as a sophomore in hs and jogged the last lap of a mile. . . . 3:30 at 1200, who knows what i finished with. I never checked.
Ran a half 1:17 after testing positive for mono, expected 1:14ish.
The morning after college homecoming I ran a 30min 8k. I went from drunk to hungover during and hadn't been running that week.
Other than that I don't deviate more than 10 seconds a mile in pace from good to bad.
I ran a 3200 my senior year of high school. Mr PR was 10:49, and my 1600 PR was 4:54. I decided to gou out in 71 for the first quarter of that race. I caem through the 8 in 2:30, I died, ran like 11:08.
Ran a pretty decent 5 x mile workout about a week before a XC 8k. Splits were all between 4:40-4:55 with 3 min rest. Expected that I would go around 25:00. I was on pace after the first 3 miles. Last two miles I died and ended up running 26:12.
This past week we were racing an SEC team. I ran over 32 mins for 8k. Though it was very warm, it's no excuse. After the mile and a half mark I was done. All of the sudden I locked up and couldn't breath or relax.
2 nights before the race (the most important night of sleep) I only got 4 hours of sleep. The night before the race I got 3 hours of sleep. Both nights my roommate and his girlfriend woke me up and I was unable to fall back asleep.
I know that sleep is important but i never realized just what a HUGE effect it has on your body! I'll never make this mistake again! It was a good learning expericence.
my freshman year i had run 25:14 for 8k over a fast, failry flat course. i was the 7th man on my team so i got to go to nationals. i ran over 36 min for 10k!!!i just felt like absolute shit from the gun and actually had to stop and walk a few times. don't worry about it man, everyone has a bad race or 2, especially in XC.