My first half...done! (Read 543 times)

Yesterday I ran the Crossroads Half in Odessa, Tx. My nephew ran the full. I barely slept Friday night. I wasn't in my own home, so there's that. Plus nerves, self doubt, etc. I probably got around 4.5 hours of sleep. Got up and ate a banana with peanut butter and skim milk. Drank a bottle of water on the way. It was still dark when we lined up to start. My nephew & I were together at that point, but I told him as soon as he crossed the mat to just take off--I didn't want to hold him back at all. I was really doubting my ability to run a decent race before the start. I didn't really have the mileage to back up a half. I was barely getting in 3 runs a week. When the gun (airhorn, actually) went off, I just took off, hoping and praying for the best. I was feeling pretty darn good. I kept looking at my Garmin and realizing that I was running faster than I intended to run. But it felt great, so I just went with it. At mile 4, our cheering section was out in full force. My brother, sister-in-law, niece, dh, ds, & mom were there waving and cheering and taking photos. They moved around the course pretty much the whole race. It really helped. The turnaround was at mile 8.5. That was a great feeling, because I knew that I was way more than halfway done, and I was still in good shape. Tired, but not exhausted. Everyone encouraged each other as they met on the road. I had thought I might be one of the last ones, but after the turnaround, I realized that there were still plenty more people coming. When I passed 11 miles, I realized that now I was running farther than I ever had before. At the 12 mile marker, I started to wear down a bit. I forced myself to slow down. I refused to walk AT ALL, except for at a couple of aid stations. I still haven't totally mastered the drinking while running skill, but I'm working on it. When I started to feel completely zapped, I saw the church that was sponsoring the race up ahead. I only had probably 1/2 mile to go. When I turned the corner and saw the finish line, I knew I had done it. My family was there cheering, I heard the announcer saying my name through the speakers, and he said I looked strong. They haven't posted official times yet, but my Garmin says 2:20:55. I'll take it. I was predicting 2:30. After that, we went out on the course to watch my nephew on the marathon. This was a VERY well organized race--surprising, since it's the first one they have sponsored. Lots of volunteers, aid stations at every mile, we got 2 shirts--a long sleeved and a short sleeved, finisher's medals, free leg massages, etc. I was soooo not prepared for how sore my quads would be. Today they seriously feel like lead. It didn't help that we spent 5 hours in the car coming home. Modified to add: I found the results, and I came in at 2:20:51. 74/91 overall.

Yayy! Great job!! I'm a bit unprepared for my first half on Saturday. I'll keep you in my thoughts when I feel like giving up

Congrats on an amazing race! WooHoo!

Nice! I did a race this morning, and it was longer than I'm used to racing, so I thought that handling the drinks would be easier at the slower speed, and nope, I still can't handle them. In fact, that made me decide that I'll just carry my running belt water bottles on my upcoming marathon, rather than go through the annoyance of spilling gatorade on myself again

Well done! Wear that medal proudly; you earned it!

Thanks, all! Yes--my log is accurate. Now I'm trying to imagine doing it with proper training. I know I can do so much better!

Congratulations. Way to go, waytogomom.

So, when is your next race?

I'm looking for one. I have come up with a goal. I will base build this winter and run another half or two. Next December I will run White Rock--the full. This marathon is important to me because the beneficiary is Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. My dd, 17, has been going there since she was an infant--she was born with dislocated hips. Her hip sockets were not formed correctly, and the hip ball would just float in & out of the socket. This hospital is amazing--she has benifitted greatly from her treatments there, and now you would never guess anything was ever wrong. Another reason: that race is a few weeks before my 40th birthday, and I really want to run a full marathon before I turn 40!