Back to the drawing Board! Paris is near!

Even though my half marathon on Sunday was a personal best, you can always do better. Things always go wrong somewhere along the route and it's good to look back and think about how to change those errors. A lot went wrong but I'm starting to think that's why I did so well. I woke up at 4 am thinking and feeling like crap. I immediately thought I was going to fail and instantly the pressure was off. I had spent the whole previous Saturday freaking out. I was worried it would be another wasted half marathon in the books. Yet at the end I produced and was completely shocked. The weather was cold and windy, the course was tough and packed but in the end I finished strong. Maybe I'm just getting faster or maybe taking away the pressure I was finally able to show up and do my actual best.
First note to self; tough workout the day before is a really stupid idea. It snowed Friday night and in NYC sidewalk shoveling is not a priority. I went out later than I normally do on a Saturday and yet the sidewalks were not shoveled. I ran through a gas station slushy and ended up partly running the streets. Now this was totally taking my life in my hands because I was on a busy street (not sure there's not one in NYC) and people were speeding. Running in the slush is harder than running on a dry sidewalk. My legs were burning that morning and my left knee was screaming "Screw you!" Only after about 3 miles into the half did I even feel over my legs. Really it was after the first big hill that I felt I had a handle on my speed. So my shakeout run for Paris will be a flat 5 miles not in slush, hopefully.
Second problem, my stomach. This one is weird because I definitely didn't eat anything funky. Maybe it was just nerves but I felt queasy the whole time. I was so freaked out that I would have to use the bathroom. I didn't in the end, I actually felt like I was going to vomit. No one and I mean no one wants to toss their cookies on the course. Plus then you have to run with vomit mouth and the taste of your dinner throughout the race. I actually don't know how to change that. Maybe my stomach was just not ready for the race. Maybe rice chex is trying to f&*k with me. Either way not much you can change that problem.
Third I may not change and maybe how I performed, my attitude. I went to Central Park that morning expecting to fail. It was an intimidating race to begin with. Central Park isn't easy, everyone their was not a newbie and I felt like crap. It was long run Sunday, I was in NYC and I had already paid the fee. I wasn't going to back out and I had already talked it up that I was racing. I figured I've failed 2 halfs and a 2 marathons anyway so whats one more bad race. I got my number and saw everyone looking like they had this in the bag. At first I thought "It sucks to suck!" I felt like such the low man on the totem pole. I'm still a newbie and most of the people their probably had hundreds of races under their belt, ran track in school and was performing all their stretches and pre-race jumping around. To this day, I still don't get that stuff but, hey it works for them. I got ready to run and checked my gear and left for the start. Once the National Anthem was sung and we were off I just ran the best I could and just enjoyed the course and the hot D.J. spinning. Once I let it go it was fun again. I figured if I ended up last it's fine because someone has to be.
I don't know what happened but I ended up in the top 900 and 36 in my age group. Maybe all the pressure being off I just ran for me. Maybe I've just finally gotten faster and my training is finally working. Either way I'll take it and roll with it. So to Paris I go in hopes of keeping that 8/min split or faster!