About Me

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Wife, Animal Lover, Pediatric Audiologist, Golfer, Skier, Childless By Choice, Half-Marathon Runner

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Flower City Half Marathon

Well, I did it! My goal was to finish this race, on my feet, and with a smile on my face, and I did. My secondary goal was to complete it in under 2 1/2 hours, but I missed it by 3 minutes. You'll see why shortly. My longest run prior to today was 9 miles, because of injury and general life. I knew those last 4 were going to be tough, but I don't think I was prepared for how tough. I am really pleased to say that I walked for maybe one minute of the entire race- there was a nasty, steep, narrow cobblestone hill that led everyone ahead of me to walk. The footing was uneven and this was after another hill, at about mile 7 or so, so I decided walking was the safe choice. I also tried to walk around mile 11, but my foot wobbled when I tried to stop and I decided that I had to keep running (even if it was at a snail's pace!)

Mile splits:
1- 10:47
2- 10:59
3- 11:11
4- 11:17

Miles 1-4 went pretty well. I originally planned to start pretty slow and get faster as I went on, but after we drove the course yesterday and I saw the hills at miles 7-10, I decided to change my strategy. I thought if I started out a bit faster, I could bank some time for the more challenging terrain. It worked out well- my target pace to finish under 2 1/2 hours was 11:30. Awesome- I banked over a minute and half already and I was feeling pretty good.

5- 11:27
6- 11:22

Miles 5 and 6 felt a bit tougher but I kept my pace reasonable, banking another 11 seconds. I was pretty excited when I hit the halfway point at about 1:11 or so. Awesome- I was about 4 minutes ahead of where I wanted to be at that point.

7- 11:59
8- 11:58 
9- 11:45

Miles 7-9.5ish were pretty hellish (they WERE in a cemetery after all). The hill to get into the cemetery was cobblestone as I mentioned above, and this is the only place I walked, mostly because I was afraid of hurting myself. There were quite a few hills here, and my pace really suffered. I lost about a minute and 15 seconds here, but I didn't panic because I was still on target. The 2:30 pace group passed me here, but I felt confident I could move faster once out of the cemetery and I knew they were a bit ahead of pace too.  

10- 11:52
11- 11:47

Miles 10-11 were where I really started to hurt. Even though it was flat, I really couldn't gain any speed here. I was getting tired and my left leg was aching in various places. I also felt pretty sure I had a massive blister on my left foot. Lost some more time here.  The 2:30 pace group got further and further away. I saw my friends Bob and Nancy here, and that helped perk me up.

12- 12:36
13- 12:30

Miles 12-13- even though I knew I was in the home stretch, these were the worst two miles of the run. I was in pain and really wanted to be done. I would think I was moving faster, but I couldn't do it. I tried to stop to rub my leg, but when I tried to I got a bit wobbly and decided to keep moving. I knew I was going to finish but I thought it was going to take a really long time. I gave up on 2:30 at that point- I knew I didn't have enough left to make up all of that time. I am pretty sure I saw someone go into the woods to poop at this point. That's so weird to me- I never had an inkling that I needed to stop for a bathroom break.

.15- 10:22

The last .15- I saw my husband and in-laws cheering for me and I was able to surge forward. I just wanted to be done and get some water. I crossed the finish line at 2:33:08 and that is good enough for my first half marathon. Right now, I feel like I will never want to run again, but I imagine once my legs and feet feel better, I will change my mind.

Total: 3.15  2:33:08

The race was really well organized and started on time. The course was enjoyable, even with all the hills. I can honestly say I had fun (until the last two miles when I felt like I was being tortured). I am really proud of myself- I worked really hard and I did it!


My preparation really paid off. The clothing I wore was prefect. Carrying the camelback worked out well, and I can't imagine not having it. I did run out of water right at the end, so when the weather gets warmer, I may need to upgrade to a larger pack. I ate Chomps as needed, and they worked out great. I wore my calf compression sleeves, which were wonderful. I had no calf or shin pain at all. My new sneakers were really great. My feet felt good, until they just didn't, but that is to be expected. Overall, I think it went pretty well considering I only started running last summer.