Amelia: Half Marathon Recap

**Sorry for the tiny pic – I jacked it from the proof website!

Last weekend I ran in the More/Fitness Magazine Half Marathon. First off, let me say that this race, my first half marathon, was the hardest, but most rewarding thing I have ever done. My main New Year’s resolution for 2009 was to train and run in a half. It was so incredible for me (who does not always follow through on things) to take myself from struggling through a few miles to doing a training run of 12 miles. I think it was a great way to show myself what I am truly capable of.

In the days leading up to the race I would say that my mood was extremely good and the only thing I was worried about was a feeling of OVERconfidence. Because my last long training run had gone so well, I felt like I kept having to remind myself that race day would be tougher and that I shouldn’t expect perfect results.

Before a race I like to set two goals: 1) don’t walk and 2) a reasonable finishing time. Since I average 10 minute miles, I decided to set my goal finishing time at 2:20, which gave me a little extra time to battle the crowds at the start of the race.

On Saturday I went with Deirdre to the expo. When had to wait in a line outside for about 15 minutes, but it was a beautiful day so no complaints. As soon as we got inside I headed over to pick up my packet. I thought the packet and tshirt pickup was pretty quick and efficient. I knew I needed to check my number immediately to make sure it was a lucky one! The number 3, and any multiple of 3, is my favorite number so I was hoping for something with that. Superstitious I know. My number was 4193! Good sign!

Next Deirdre and I browsed through the booths and snagged a few samples. The best thing, by far, was a little arm band given out by the people at Aquaphor. The band had a little pocket which was PERFECT for holding my gels and Metrocard on the day of the race. I had actually been worried about how I would carry these things, so this made the whole expo worth it for me.

On the morning of the race I got all dressed up in my gear, made sure my ipod was working, and headed out to Central Park. One thing that had begun to worry me was the heat. When I left my apartment around 6:30, it was already in the 60s. Hmm, I thought, at least it’s not raining! However, by the time I reached the park and was walking to find my corral, I started to hear rumors that the full marathon had been cancelled due to the heat. I also heard a rumor that the half had been turned into a 5K, but that turned out to be untrue (thank God!).

A little before the race was set to start the organizers announced that yes, the full marathon had been cancelled. Also, the half was turned into a “fun run,” which basically meant there would be no chip times. While I understand the thought process behind this, I still felt soo bad for the ladies that trained for the full marathon. I would have been devastated if they had cancelled my race after all the time I had put into getting ready for it.

Once the race started I tried to push aside all the pre race tension and focus on pacing myself, especially in the first mile. Let me tell you, the first two miles of this race were the BEST ever. I just felt so calm and comfortable. If only every mile could be that easy! I felt like I was just sailing along. Around mile 4 or so the hills started to get difficult, but I kept reassuring myself that eventually the hill would level out and that hard part would be over.

Each mile marker was a celebration for me. I would look down at my heart rate monitor and see that I was averaging just under 10 minutes a mile. Whenever I got worried for a second I would remind myself that I was right on time and doing great.

And then the mental block hit…

For some reason, when I hit mile 7 I immediately thought “oh you’ve gotta be kiddin.” Seven miles just seemed like so many miles to have run and to be only a little over halfway. Looking back, it was at this point that I probably let myself slack off a little. I knew I was actually under my time goal thus far, so I slowed my pace a tad so that I wouldn’t let the mental block have a significant effect.

This seemed to be working fairly well until mile 10. At this point I remember telling myself “ok, just a 5K left and that’s nothing.” This time, instead of my mind wanting to create an obstacle, my body said, no no I think I’m done, thanks. Along the race I noticed that the heat was dehydrating me a bit more than usual. I was taking water and Gatorade at each of the stops and the first gel pack I used hadn’t had much of an energy boosting effect on me. I decided that I needed to stop and take a breather. When I stepped into the grass at the side of the course, I noticed that I wasn’t walking straight. Umm never a good thing, right? After a second I started to run again. Along the path there were several places where there were hoses set up to spray the runners and cool people off. When I had run through one of these earlier in the race it felt great. When I ran through one around mile 10, the water felt like electricity on my body, and not in a good way. Although my mind was a little foggy from running, I was able to evaluate that something was wrong. The heat was causing a shock to my system.

So, I decided to walk. It really bummed me out to do this. I never want to walk in races, especially when in the final leg. However, I could tell from my body’s fatigue and the way I was chugging water at each fluid station that I was dehydrated and my body needed a break. I also knew that it was important for me to run through the finish line. I decided it was better to walk now and save my strength for later. I did a combo of walk/running from mile 10-12.

At mile 12 I started to run a little faster, even though pain had already set in throughout my muscles. I considered walking again, but then I remembered something. I had only ever run 12 miles in my training. Therefore, every single step I took over 12 was a new personal distance record. I swear I almost started crying when I realized this. Four months ago running 12 miles seemed impossible. Now I was going beyond that?!  A.mazing.

Once I could see the mile 13 marker I knew I could do it. There were tons of people cheering on the sidelines and my momentum kicked in and I gave it my all to sprint across the finish line. I believe I came in around 2:22.

There was actually a picture of my finish in the proofs from the race. I’d rather not share it because of how nasty I look, but the look on my face says it all. I am totally beat but still managing a smile cause I was just SO. DAMN. HAPPY!

Deirdre met me a couple blocks from the finish line and gave me a bag full of goodies – including Raisinets (my fav!). She’s so sweet! I also happened to run into Ashley, another blogger who did the race. Small world!

Looking back there were some things I could have done different/better and I will keep these in mind for my next race. However, I think the heat played a HUGE role and I am just happy I was able to pick up on the clues my body gave me and slow it down.

And as for that next race?  I just registered for the Brooklyn Half!!!  Ahh soo excited!  It’s at the end of May, so starting tomorrow I’m back in training mode!  Yup, I’m hooked!

Thanks for all your sweet and supportive comments – I absolutely thought of them while I was running!  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

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