Race weekend officially started Thursday afternoon when Cecilia and I headed over to the expo to pick up our race packets. I was excited about all the shopping opportunities and definitely wanted to pick up a new tank to run in and maybe a new Half Marathoner shirt. I was fortunate to have gotten there early while one of my favorite vendors still had some stuff on clearance! I picked up two fun tanks to wear, a Cap City Half shirt, and a new tank for the race. Combined with my free technical shirt and a free t-shirt from one of the other vendors, I felt I made out well! My only disappointment was that my favorite running store didn't have a booth. Goal for Thursday night: get a good night's rest so that I would be fresh the next day. (That would be Friday night's goal as well.)
Friday dawned well. I had the fabulous opportunity to speak at Mike's school for career day and then headed to work. My co-worker, Sam, was also running on Saturday and we spent most of the day being nervous together. A weird confluence of events had me leaving work almost an hour late and frustrated. I walked outside and saw that it was pouring down rain. I grinned, hoping that the rain would cool the weather off for the next morning. Better yet, I slipped off my sandals and ran to my car in the rain. THAT was fun!! :)
I spent Friday evening getting all of my stuff ready: a pace band, a playlist, race gear ready to go. Pace band was found online: covered in tape to be worn on my wrist. Race gear (pack for my phone and Gatorade chews) and my bib on the counter. Post-race bag ready for Mike to take with him. And the playlist...originally, it was 7 1/2 hours long. I cut it down to four hours and was happy. I finally got to bed. My last thought before I went to sleep: this is just like a long run with lots more people! And, with that thought, I had absolute confidence that I could complete this race.
Race day itself dawned early and cloudy. I opted for my normal breakfast and added a banana to it for good measure. We left the house at 6:30, hoping to park in my favorite downtown parking garage. After meandering through the street closures, we were able to get into that garage and have a great spot for after the race and a beautiful view of the finish line and post-race area.
We used the portapotties before heading out to our corrals. I looked around, made sure I was at the front of my corral and smiled. Finally excited by all the people and the great weather, I was ready to go! I saw Amy in her curly pigtails -- she was the one I walked the half with in October and was super happy to see her again! But, I headed out for the beginning of the race with Sarah -- someone new who had the same goal time that I did. I figured that we could pace together for the race.
Once we took off, Sarah and I stayed together for the first three miles. The first three miles were easy. We spent the time talking about training. I was surprised by how easy it was. I was under pace by about 2:30 through the first half of the race. I was using a run/walk combo and doing really well. I made sure to stop and get water at every water stop after the first one. I could feel myself starting to dehydrate at one point and really didn't want that to happen again. By about the halfway point, I was also dipping into my supply of Gatorade chews. (Those things are like candy!) More than anything, I wanted to make sure my nutrition supply stayed up throughout the race. And it did.
I stopped just before the six mile mark because I just couldn't hold it anymore. I know I am supposed to use the restroom before the race and I did....but I definitely need a better strategy for that next time! That took about 2:30 off my time and put me almost dead on pace to hit three hours. I passed my fabulous family on High Street, waving signs and giving everybody high fives!!! It was awesome to have such support to come to see me!
I kept myself just on pace through Mile 9. Somewhere in the tenth mile, I started having pain in my hip. The interesting thing was that it only hurt when I walked, so I tried to run more than I walked. My Mile 10 time wasn't great but Mile 11 was faster because I was focusing on running more. But, somewhere in Mile 12...the hip pain got enough that I couldn't run. I stopped a couple of times to stretch that and my tightening calves out. I promised myself I wouldn't cry but couldn't quite manage it. At one point, the guy next to me asked if I was ok. I responded that I was in a lot of pain but I was NOT stopping that close to the finish. He helped to keep me distracted from the pain through the end of Mile 12 and part of Mile 13. Once we crested High Street (the other direction) and could see the finish line, I decided to try running again. And while it hurt slightly, it was definitely doable. A great song came on and I took off for the finish line smiling! I ran across the finish line BY MYSELF (which coolly enough, meant that they announced my name over the loudspeaker as I crossed...but I didn't hear it)! Two minutes later, my mp3 battery promptly died. So...great timing on my part!
I finished in 3:10:18. I did not hit my goal of 3:00:00. But, I did set PRs at 11 miles, 12 miles, and for the Half itself, taking 36 minutes off my previous time. Had I not stopped to go to the bathroom, I was also on pace for PRs at 6 miles, 7 miles, and 8 miles. In my book, a good race and I'm happy with it.
I learned about perseverance and fun during my last race. This race was about goals and community. I set a goal...I didn't hit it. Life goes on. And, somewhere during that race, I realized that the only thing that mattered was having fun and enjoying myself. As for fun, definitely a good time! I love the camaraderie that is the running community. Having the A corral people cheer me on as I ran towards the finish lines says so much about how supportive the community can be.
I ran this race, but there were tons of people that supported me throughout both the race and the training leading up to the race. I couldn't have done it without their support: my husband Mike, my daughters Cecilia, Samantha, and Alexa, and my friends Josh, Maurice, Eric, and Rich (that's you SS). Aside from them, the community at fitocracy became a wellspring of support throughout my training. The number of people that rallied around frustration over bad runs and chimed in with messages of good luck before the race are amazing. So, thanks to them too (Maurice, Eric, Rich...you are above): Argyle, Debz, Ebilwabbit, MearCat, lokkju, ShortyStylee, Cadenza, and Roryn. You are all amazing.
Do I think I would have completed my goal had I trained "harder" and focused more on running? I have no idea...I know that the strength I gained from lifting helped me get through this run as much as running intervals and steady states. Perhaps sticking solely with running would have gotten me to that three hour goal. But, I never did have just one goal. That said, in the six months between races, I am definitely a new me!
More Race Pics: http://imgur.com/a/jjZ6r#0
