Country Music Nashville Half Marathon Report

My wife volunteered to work the  start of the race so we had to be there at 4:30am.  A bit too early for my preference but that was ok.  The race was supposed to start at 7:00 but do to storm and tornado watches they moved it up to 6:45.  When the race officially started it took 45 minutes for my corral to pass the starting line.  The race had 32,000 participants.  I'd never been in a crowd that big.

I was in corral 27 with a projected finish of 2:45.  After the first couple of miles that crowd began to thin out...thank God!!!!  I matched the pacer stride for stride for the first eight miles.  I actually passed them up at one point.  At the eight mile mark I had to pull to the side and get some rocks out of my shoes.  Soon after I started running again I came to a water/food stop.  I had some fruit and a cracker with peanut butter on it.  I usually walk the water stops because I seem to get too much air in my pouch when I try to drink and run.

I had lost sight of the pacer but I kept running.  I started taking pictures with my phone and posting them on Facebook.  Every mile marker I'd take the pic so my wife would know where I was.  It was really neat seeing the sights along music row.  I'm a musician so running in Nashville was a real treat for me.  I ended up taking way too many pictures, it slowed my pace and I fell off track but I had a blast!!!!

With storms on their way the race officials decided to shorten the Marathon race.  Only runners with a sub 4:00 time would be permitted to finish the 26.2 miles.  The sky stayed clear until I hit the 12 mile mark.  Then it really started to rain. At the 13 mile mark I tried calling my wife to let her know when to expect me at the finish line but my phone is a touch screen and it won't work with wet fingers.  If I'd focused and not goofed off by taking pictures I would have beat the rain.

The end of the race was miserable.  The wind was howling, the rain was coming down sideways.  Lightning and thunder was all around.  I didn't see my wife.  I couldn't call her.  She couldn't call me.  A co-worker came with us.  She walked the 13.1 and was somewhere behind me but I had no idea as to where.  There was a huge log jam of people just past the finish line.  The jam was due to getting pictures taken.  The food and hydration tables were scattered with no sense to the layout at all.  

I finally got my hands and phone dry.  I found my wife and our friend.  We caught the shuttle back to the hotel.  After a hot shower, dry clothes, and some dinner life was good again.

In all I had a good time.  I ran a good strong race.  I never was in doubt of finishing.  I never had any aches or pains.  My hydration and nutrition was good.  I've got a 62 mile bike ride for cancer this Saturday and a 13.1 half marathon race on May 8th and 22nd.  I feel good about the future.

Duane 

man, sounds pretty hairy at the end.  and if i was running the full, boy would i have been pissed to have to dump it without finishing due to the weather.  congrats on a great race, i love the fact that you take the time to really enjoy yourself like taking pictures of the mile markers (i wouldn't have thought to do that).

U da Man Duane... But you already know that!

Wow! Way to go!!

Duane, that thunderstorm at the end sounds brutal.  Glad you were able to enjoy the first 12 miles and finish strong despite the weather.

Cassie