Half-Marathon – Conquered!

Well folks, I did it: I not only finished my second half-marathon strong, I managed to get a PR out of it too! If you look waaaaaay back here at my goals, you’ll understand why I chose the word Conquered as part of the title of this post.

As with most things concerning life since becoming a mother, my training wasn’t exactly what I hoped it would be (as I mentioned in the very few posts I wrote in the last several months). There were weeks taken off because of weather, mood, health, etc. Many of my long runs were mentally trying. These two things combined made me nervous about the race, but I knew that it was important to stay positive and coach myself through it.

Luckily for me, my last long run was 12.5 miles and was run in the exact projected conditions of the race: hot, sunny and dry. I even managed to hit the trail at roughly the same time as race day (alright, I started at 7:20… but close enough to 7:00!). I called it my dress rehearsal: same clothes as race day, same fueling strategy, same intervals, all of it! It was a pretty slow run, and I had quite a bit of pelvic pain, but I did it; once it was done, I felt well-prepared to run my best race.

Then a couple of things happened:

1. My husband’s vehicle was stolen. Yep, right out in front of our house, right while we slept upstairs. Talk about feeling violated! As far as races go, having such a terrible thing happen a few days before was sort of a blessing, because it completely distracted me. I didn’t have the time or mental energy to dwell on it and imagine all the things that could go wrong.
2. We were set to have unusual weather for June in Colorado: a high of 65 degrees, cloudy, potential rain. That’s right: perfect running weather.

I woke up on race day and it was actively raining. I wasn’t sure if I should wear shorts, but I decided to go for it after deciding I’d rather be too cold than too hot. I jumped into my husband’s rental car and was off!

There were very few people running. It was a smaller race anyway (end of June not being a very popular time to run a half-marathon), and I think the rain kept a lot of people away… those fools! Anyway, I was chilly and wet as we gathered in the chute but I felt good, and happy, and there was a lot of positive energy around me.

Then we were off! I quickly fell to the back of the pack, quite intentionally. The biggest difference between this half-marathon and the last one was my attitude. In 2015, I felt angry about how much my legs hurt, how tired I was, and how slow I felt. I had a chip on my shoulder about people offering kind words and encouragement, like, “I don’t need your fucking pity!” This time, I embraced those kind words and high fives. I gave my own encouragement too, and smiled at everyone I passed. I became unstoppable.

Fresh out of the chute!

I talked to volunteers. It was a double out and back course, so on the last lap, I thanked all the volunteers I passed for standing out there and making us comfortable. I passed the same people over and over and talked to them every time. I passed a squished frog on the trail and said, “Rest in peace, brother!” I mouthed along to my favorite songs, making mental notes about the ones that made me feel energized and happy: “Kiddie Grinder” by Marilyn Manson (a song I used to blast when I was 13 and home alone, making the whole house thunder!); “Lonely Teardrops” by Jackie Wilson; “The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)” by the Doors; and of course “Bastard” by Motley Crue, which always gets me going!

Embracing my inner rock chick that I was known for being in high school and college!

Somewhere around mile 9 or 10, I started to think I was doing well on time and was still feeling good. I put it out of mind and just focused on one interval at a time. Then it became mile 11, and I realized that even if I ran the last two miles at a 15:00 minute pace, I would beat my 2015 time! My calves were starting to cramp and hurt, but that realization put some pep in my step for sure.

My goofy face, realizing I was going to get a PR and telling the volunteers about it!

Believe it or not, I had enough pep in my step to sprint across the finish line and managed to shave about 3:30 off my 2015 time!

Sprinting to the finish, smile intact!

I certainly feel like I redeemed myself with this experience. Hell, it was so good that I think I might try to do another one next year!

The Last Long Run of the Plan!

I can’t believe it’s almost race day! It seems like I was researching races and pulling together a training plan just a few short weeks ago; in reality, it was in February and I’m coming up on four months of training. To be perfectly honest, I’m over it and looking forward to it being done! I just need a little break before I embark on my next great journey.

Yesterday’s run was 12.5 miles (alright, I cheated a bit at the end and made it only 12.47 miles). In the end, it was a 50-50 run. I struggled to get into it mentally. There was a brief time when I hit my stride and got into a trance around miles 7-8, but it was short-lived and I found myself thinking way too much. Eh, you win some, you lose some, right?

The first six miles were pretty killer, thanks to painful pressure on my pelvic floor. By the time it alleviated (around miles 7-8, natch), it was well past time for me to find my focus. Mentally, I was all over the place: not really panicking, but as I mentioned, thinking too much. I kept trying to be mindful but it wasn’t happening. Because of that, I ended up walking more of the last 1.5 miles than I would have liked.

I decided to do a double out-and-back, just the way the race is laid out, so that I will be mentally prepared for it on race day. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! If you’re not sure what I mean about double out-and-back, let me explain: from the start, you run 1.5 miles out and then back to start; then you run 1.5 miles in the other direction, and back to start; and then you repeat this. I thought it would be terrible but it broke up the run into little manageable pieces.

Blazes, it was hot, though. I started around 7:20 in the morning (race time is at 7:00) and the high for the day was only in the low 80s but holy moly. I think part of the reason I felt such dreadful gut pain when I returned home was because of dehydration. I did my best to stay hydrated but that Colorado sun is no joke and it just beats down on you. I’m contemplating running without a shirt, which is a huge deal for me and my body image issues. I was thinking about it today and how my back rumples will be bobbing up and down for the world to see but then I realized there won’t be many people behind me at this small race!

Overall, I’ve enjoyed this half-marathon training much more than the one I did in 2015. I’m at a different place mentally, and not looking to beat a specific time (although I have to admit, it would be nice to break 2:45, but I’ll settle for less than 3 hours). I also believe that running over 10 miles has really helped me. For me, the last 3-4 (sometimes even 5!) miles of anything over 9 are all about mental grit. My legs just start to hurt and I get tired, and it can be hard to push forward. I don’t think I realized when I ran my first half-marathon that the last miles would be really hard no matter what, and I was disappointed when they were as difficult as they were. This time, I know what I’m getting into, but I also have a few runs under my belt that are so close to 13.1 that I know without a doubt I can make it across the finish line and be absolutely fine.

So here’s to the race taper, and to the grit of this run-walk-runner!