I did it!! I finished my 3rd half marathon....Holy Cow!!! So let me tell you a little more about the race and how it all went down :)
As you know, even though I've been preparing for this race, the thought of having to run 13.1 miles all at once, AGAIN, was still a bit scary for me. I think I was even more in my head than the last 2 times because I know how not easy it will be. BUT....I said I would do it and so I did....AND I finished....whew!!
I went to this race with my running buddy, Chris O. and my cousin, Carrie. This was actually the first race that Chris and I have done together, other than the 100K relay. I was really happy to have her there with me...especially before and after the race.
This was the 2nd half marathon that I have done with Carrie. She ran the first one I did in St. Maries, ID, but this time it was going to be different. The only reason I signed up for this race was because Carrie said to me back in August...."Let's do another half together". I said...."ok". So I found this race online, we signed up, and there you have it....I was going to do another half marathon whether I liked it or not!
Carrie arrived at my house the night before the race. I know she is a faster runner than I am, but she assured me that she was here for us to do this together. I didn't want to slow her down. But she kept saying, "I'm not here to get a PR. I'm here to be with you and get a medal"(BTW....Carrie has a goal to get 20 half marathon medals before she turns 45. This one was #7 for her....go Carrie!). So Carrie and I made a plan of what our pace should be and how we could get a PR time for me. FUN!
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| Prepping for the race: Chris, Me, & Carrie |
Carrie and I picked Chris up and we headed for Asotin. I have to giggle a little because neither of them were very good at reading the map on my phone, but we made it to the start line with plenty of time.
We had no idea how big or small this race would be. I found out afterwards that there were 10 marathon runners who started their race an hour before we did. I would estimate that there were only about 20 half marathon runners around us. There was also a 5K run, but I didn't see that race since I was still running mine. I did hear through the grapevine that my friend Kristi came and ran the 5K with her son, Joe. Kristi finished 2nd in her age group and Joe finished 4th overall AND 1st in his age group....so AWESOME!!
Ok, back to our race....when it was time to start, we all walked out to the street, the guy told us to watch for the cones (to tell us where to go on the route) and the gun went off. It was right about that time when the rain started....really? rain?....great! It was not a light rain either. I was glad at that point that I made the decision to wear long sleeves. They came in handy for extra warmth and for wiping the rain out of my eyes.
Chris took off to run her race....Go Chris Go!!! Carrie let me set our pace and she matched me. I knew my pace was going to be slow for her, but she was so supportive. She wanted me to PR if I could. I of course wanted that too, but also just wanted to finish the race.
Most of the runners were way ahead of us. We could see one woman in front of us and were determined to pass her. I think we finally caught up to her around mile 4 or so. This was exciting for me.....I knew we weren't last!!! Yay!
We actually kept a good pace going and at each mile marker we would make a goal for the next. We were talking a lot, but then would say...."no more talking for 1 mile". We needed to focus and get 'er done! Hahaha!
I always love the part in the race where I start to see the lead runners have turned around and are working their way back to the finish. This gives me a burst of energy and excitement. I like to say good job and smile at them as we pass :) This time I saw a woman named Megan that I know...gave her a high five!! Go Megan! I was super excited when I saw Chris....she was rockin' it!!! High fives for Chris too!!! :)
Carrie and I kept truckin' along. We hit the turn around point at about 1:20. That was definitely on pace to finish with a PR....cool :) This is also when we discovered that there were 4 runners behind us....nice!
I felt good, Carrie was keeping me company, and we were having fun. So far so good! But then around 10.5 miles or so, I started to get tired. My legs were beginning to feel like jello, my stomach was queasy, I was a little light headed, the ball of my right foot was hurting, my lower back felt tight, and my hands/arms were going numb....ugh!! I had to walk for a minute. You know I hate this because as soon as I start walking, the harder it is for me to keep going. I had to listen to my body though. I needed a little break. Oh and it started raining hard again....lovely!
Carrie was a trooper. She kept encouraging me. We ran a little, then I needed to walk again. Carrie could walk as fast as my trudge. At one point, she was walking and that made me want to walk. I had to tell her that it was distracting. She said..."ok, we are going to run the rest of the way". I think we were at about mile 12 when Carrie looked at me and said...you better get going, the woman we passed is catching us. What?? I need to kick it into gear. I tried to run faster, but my body was saying NO!! We stopped for water at the last water station...only 1.5 miles left the LCSC Cross Country boys said (BTW...all of the guys "manning" the water stations were so nice).
We started running again. Carrie ran ahead of me. She needed to keep going. My pace was making her body ache more. Go Carrie Go!!! I started to walk again. The woman behind me caught up. We walked together for a little bit. She was super nice! This was her 2nd half marathon. She made me smile :) With about a half a mile left, we started to run for the last time. I needed to finish strong.
I finished!!! I didn't PR, but that is ok. My time fell right in the middle of my other 2 times. According to my Garmin, my time was 2:52:21. I will take it!!
Here is how my splits ended up:
- Mile 1 - 11:44
- Mile 2 - 12:33
- Mile 3 - 12:16
- Mile 4 - 12:39
- Mile 5 - 12:39
- Mile 6 - 12:16
- Mile 7 - 12:26
- Mile 8 - 12:50
- Mile 9 - 13:14
- Mile 10 - 14:26
- Mile 11 - 14:45
- Mile 12 - 15:04
- Mile 13 - 15:30
It was great to have Carrie and Chris cheering me in at the end...and getting my hugs when I finished! Chris finished in 2:02, first in her age group!....she is amazing!!! Carrie finished in 2:48:35....she did this pace for me...Cousins Rule!!
We didn't exactly get a medal for this race. We got something more unique....Cow Bells!!! They say "Fall Classic Half Marathon Finisher" on the front. Carrie and I decided to write on the other 3 sides to make them even more special :)
13.1 miles is not an easy distance for me. So far, each half has been a struggle in it's own way. But I always feel empowered when I finish and proud of myself for getting off my couch. Carrie and I want to make this a tradition where we will run one half marathon with each other per year. I also plan to do many more races with Chris O. in the future. She is the best!!
Keep running everyone! Hugs to you all :)
Oh...P.S.....I've started a new ticker for the new running goal. 13.1 miles isn't too shabby for my first entry into the log.
