Actually RR is a misnomer for this....You won't find splits or details of each mile. It's just my account of the most massive race I've ever run, and how it went for me. It was my last race for my AG. Next race is on Mem'l Day and I'll move up to the 60-65. This was my third CM ½, and my 6th overall ½, but I was not prepared for this year’s experience. The last 2 were in 2005 and 2006 and the temps for both were cool. This year the entrance had swelled to over 31,000, with only 5000 or so being in the full marathon. I left work early and got to Nashville Friday afternoon, and managed to snag a parking space for a mere $5.00! Had a great time wandering the EXPO, and spending LOTS of money!!! It was amazing and if I hadn’t been so worried about my parking slip running out, I’d have stayed for hours. As I was leaving, the line to get in was about a mile long so I timed that one right. Next I headed off to DD’s house and she and I went grocery shopping for dinner. Her best friend was running w/ us, and it was her first ½ marathon so we wanted to make sure carbo loading was enjoyable for one and all. We had a wonderful dinner, prepared by DD and SIL (a first for me!) They’re both 28 and still newlyweds and I didn't even know DD knew how to make anything except reservations! 6 am came early and I was ready! No food for me but DD insisted on eating a half bowl of cereal and then took an Advil, which I advised her against. SIL dropped us off behind all the corrals and it was at this point that DD announced she had to use the bathroom. As we fought our way towards Corral 10, we passed by hundreds of porta potties, each of which had at least 50-60 people in front of them. By the time we got to Corral 12, things were about ready to start and DD gave up on trying to go, so we squeezed into this Corral, instead of our assigned # 10. Fashion report: under armour pink top over white shorts. I was running in honor of my friend’s brother, who has recently been diagnosed w/ throat cancer, so his name was taped to the back of my shirt. I decided at the last minute to go ahead and put on a hat and add the $30 polarized sunglasses purchased at the expo the day before, and my old faithful lightweight white hat…maybe they would help ward off the predicted sunny and hot forecast.. DD has run in a couple of ½’s but not for several years. She and her best friend, who ran with us, had been training on some of the CM course for the last few weeks. DD was confident and basically the captain of our tiny team. She told me from the get go that she and BF were planning to do an 11:30 pace and finish in 2 ½ hours. This was slower than I had planned on , but I would sacrifice a race time to get to run w/ DD anyday. Besides, with 31,000 people I was afraid I’d never find her again if I forged on ahead. Having completed this fiasco twice before, I knew how crazy and confusing things get after the finish line. The first time I ran it in 2005, it took me 2 ½ hours to find my DH! So as the corrals inched forward, our excitement built and finally, 30 minutes after the start, we took off. It was wall to wall people for most of the race and traveling 3 abreast is a new experience for me as I’m used to weaving in and out at the beginning. It was difficult for me to keep with this slower pace, and I was told more than once to feel free to move on. That hurt my feelings, and again, my fear of getting lost made me behave. It was BF’s very first ½ marathon so DD was guiding and coaching her the whole way. The most fun of the entire race was that SIL and BF’s husband were supposed to be at 2 different spots throughout the course to cheer us and take pictures. The first was at mile 7 and they were there taking lots of pictures of us while dealing w/ DD’s puppy and BF’s baby. I was so proud of them for being where they were supposed to be and for them actually finding us in the mass of people! The 2nd place, at mile 9, they were gazing around and missed us! You just cannot imagine how many people line the course route – it is incredible. I had told DD and BF that we wouldn’t need water until at least mile 9. By mile 5 we all got some, and almost every water stop after that. It was about 75 degrees and they were running out of water at some of the stops. That slowed us down considerably as we had to walk in a line like cows just to try to get water from mile 9 on. Cytomax was plentiful but water would have been better. So we keep trudging along, up hill, up hill, a little down, more up…I’ve never seen so many hills. When we finally got to the split at 11.5 where the ½ goes one way and the marathoners go the other, and we saw the sign that said “Marathoners, only 15 more miles!” Good motivation for us to never make that choice! However, the last 2 miles are torture as the hills just kept on coming. Finally, we are running down hill across the bridge towards the stadium. I thought we’d long passed Mile 12, but nope, it finally came when I was sure that we were only yards from the finish. Geeze. It was now I knew that even if I had started out faster, I would have ended up finishing at the same time because I had nothing left after that. We all said “we can do this – only one more mile to go!” We were all lying because each of us was ready to die at that point. But somehow we kept going, smiled for the cameras and made it in 2:31:14. I had a PR at last month’s Tom King ½ with a 2:15 but the added hills and heat sure made a difference w/ this one. In checking the stats last night I saw that my "grade" was 57% and the 28 and 29 year olds with whom I ran got 45%. It's some new thing they do so you can see how you compare w/ others in your age group. I think my place in AG was something like 50 out of 400. I'm not complaining. DD vomited twice on the long walk back to the car. Not sure if it was the heat, the cereal, or the advil. I had no idea she was in such bad shape as I was too busy trying not to complain about having to walk so far. Later we found that several people had passed out and tragically, one man died after crossing the finish of the ½. It was a good race and Nashville should be proud of huge support the crowds show. There were thousands of people along all 13 miles cheering and shouting. Had I not needed a ride back I would have loved to stay and cheer on all the marathon finishers…now that is an accomplishment! The overall marathon winner, a Kenyan, finished the CMM in 2:15, which is 15 minutes faster than we did the ½! I had fun and if you’ve read this whole report you are a trooper!

Congratulations on another Half Marathon finish. To accomplish such a goal in such heat and a hilly course says alot of ones character. Sorry about not being there to meet you. I hope to run the Lincoln Marathon next weekend. Tom

wow -- nice job fussyrunner in hot and crowded conditions!! must have been fun running with your DD - hope she felt better soon after!! so sad about the tragedy at the end -- i'm very thankful i've never had to deal with anything serious as a medical volunteer. his family will be in my prayers.

Good job fussyrunner especially on a hot day with what sounds like the mosh pit of a concert deciding to go on a run! Yowsa. The details were great to read and especially how the joy of running with family and friends far transcended the need to PR. I don't know that I would have been as nice. You are a cool mom. So sorry to hear about the death at the race and the illness. I hope your DD is feeling better. You are entering a new age group in fine style.

I also ran this race in Nashville. Five of us in my run group from Michigan made the trek. Tons of people, very HOT. Full report link: http://www.runningahead.com/forums/topic/441557b626114cefa37bcb7001025e03 What a race...lots of lessons learned. On to South Bend!

Well...I keep thinking of a phrase I saw on a shirt at the CMM Expo: "It isn't a miracle that I finished, it's a miracle that I had the courage to start." That's how I feel about running. This wasn't even a setback. It was a learning experience and the next race will be that much better. Took the day to wind down today and read about hydration. Back at it this week to get ready for South Bend