1st Half race report
So I woke up at 5:30 Sunday morning to the sound of the wind howling, the wind the weather men had said would be gone by 2 am. I practised my let's pretend skills and ignored the wind and finished repacking and checking my bags to be sure I had my face mask, hat and gloves packed. Double checked for change of cloths, full water bag, GU packets, money, id, race packet, directions and still almost walked out the door without my music! My running buddy got dropped at my front door (we were celebrating her 40th so I got to drive) at 7am and we headed off to NH for the Half at the Hamptons.
This was my first half marathon. I have run the distance and a bit further but never in a race. We always tend to be early arrivers at races. I would rather spend time wandering around or grabbing breakfast after securing a good parking spot than sit in traffic and stress about parking when arriving later. So we made good time parking around 8:15, found a spot close to the Ashworth (the hotel sponsoring) and then headed out of the car to hit a breakfast spot... and nearly got knocked back into the car by the icey wind. What a wake up! Yikes, we jogged to the hotel and hunkered in for some coffee, food and pre-race chatter. Time flew by and we headed out to the start line. Did some easy jogging to warm up and despite the nearly 1500 registered runners I was still able to locate a few running club members and friends in the line up. We found a spot in line next to the 9:30 pacer and waited for the start with the wind still blowing but without as much bluster as when we first arrived or we were just too jazzed up to notice it as much.
The start was a bit slow getting over the line, had a few of those false alarms where the crowd surges forward in a jog for a few yards then stops abruptly, but once we got over the actual start boards things went smoothly.
It was a gorgeous day with the sun shining and even though I was not happy about the wind in the beginning it ended up quieting down a lot for most of the route. The roads were a tad narrow with snow and ice mounds still covering the edges which made passing precarious in spots. It was a much flatter route than I am used to running but there were a few small hills and some low grade winding inclines. I tend to pick up speed on hills, just the way I learned when I started running and now is sort of an unconcsious response. My body senses incline and picks up the pace which means passing a few folks. These same folks may end up passing me on the down hill or a bit later but incline calls my name in a different way. So for me hills, which are normally something I enjoy, were probably the hardest part of the run just in terms of having to hold back or be more strategic in a quick speed burst to get around someone between the next protruding ice sheet.
I stayed with the pacer until about mile 4 when we hit a hill and I pulled a little ahead. I never saw another pacer for the remainder of the race so think I managed to maintain my pace between the two.
I run with my own water but it was nice to see they had water stations nearly every 2 miles and had Hammer Gel at mile 8. I had my own GU and ate one around mile 7 and another half of one at mile 10.
Just after mile 8 is when I had a bit of a head game. My knees were starting to ache, thigh feeling tight and brain questioning why I am running. Had to pull back a bit mentally and look around. Look at the strength and beauty surrounding me. All these people with their own stories. Remember how strong I am, how much I can do and how far I have come. Was able to smile and laugh at myself, turn the music up a notch and go on with more energy and enjoyment and the aches disappeared.
About mile 10 we were directly back along the ocean and the wind picked up some but the view was worth it. At mile 10 I reminded myself it was only another 5k before I could celebrate and again got some laughs from that. Here I am running, having run ten miles and thinking to myself , "a 5k... that is nothing", when less than a year ago a 5k was the biggest challenge I could imagine and that "nothing" distance made me weak in the knees when I registered for my first race. Those thoughts gave me renewed energy and at the 13 mile mark I still had enough in the tank to sprint to the finish. I finished my first half in 2:04:53 and am looking forward to my 20 mile race on March 6, 2011!
I love reading about all of your accomplishments and find inspiration in them all big and small so thought some might enjoy mine.
This was my first half marathon. I have run the distance and a bit further but never in a race. We always tend to be early arrivers at races. I would rather spend time wandering around or grabbing breakfast after securing a good parking spot than sit in traffic and stress about parking when arriving later. So we made good time parking around 8:15, found a spot close to the Ashworth (the hotel sponsoring) and then headed out of the car to hit a breakfast spot... and nearly got knocked back into the car by the icey wind. What a wake up! Yikes, we jogged to the hotel and hunkered in for some coffee, food and pre-race chatter. Time flew by and we headed out to the start line. Did some easy jogging to warm up and despite the nearly 1500 registered runners I was still able to locate a few running club members and friends in the line up. We found a spot in line next to the 9:30 pacer and waited for the start with the wind still blowing but without as much bluster as when we first arrived or we were just too jazzed up to notice it as much.
The start was a bit slow getting over the line, had a few of those false alarms where the crowd surges forward in a jog for a few yards then stops abruptly, but once we got over the actual start boards things went smoothly.
It was a gorgeous day with the sun shining and even though I was not happy about the wind in the beginning it ended up quieting down a lot for most of the route. The roads were a tad narrow with snow and ice mounds still covering the edges which made passing precarious in spots. It was a much flatter route than I am used to running but there were a few small hills and some low grade winding inclines. I tend to pick up speed on hills, just the way I learned when I started running and now is sort of an unconcsious response. My body senses incline and picks up the pace which means passing a few folks. These same folks may end up passing me on the down hill or a bit later but incline calls my name in a different way. So for me hills, which are normally something I enjoy, were probably the hardest part of the run just in terms of having to hold back or be more strategic in a quick speed burst to get around someone between the next protruding ice sheet.
I stayed with the pacer until about mile 4 when we hit a hill and I pulled a little ahead. I never saw another pacer for the remainder of the race so think I managed to maintain my pace between the two.
I run with my own water but it was nice to see they had water stations nearly every 2 miles and had Hammer Gel at mile 8. I had my own GU and ate one around mile 7 and another half of one at mile 10.
Just after mile 8 is when I had a bit of a head game. My knees were starting to ache, thigh feeling tight and brain questioning why I am running. Had to pull back a bit mentally and look around. Look at the strength and beauty surrounding me. All these people with their own stories. Remember how strong I am, how much I can do and how far I have come. Was able to smile and laugh at myself, turn the music up a notch and go on with more energy and enjoyment and the aches disappeared.
About mile 10 we were directly back along the ocean and the wind picked up some but the view was worth it. At mile 10 I reminded myself it was only another 5k before I could celebrate and again got some laughs from that. Here I am running, having run ten miles and thinking to myself , "a 5k... that is nothing", when less than a year ago a 5k was the biggest challenge I could imagine and that "nothing" distance made me weak in the knees when I registered for my first race. Those thoughts gave me renewed energy and at the 13 mile mark I still had enough in the tank to sprint to the finish. I finished my first half in 2:04:53 and am looking forward to my 20 mile race on March 6, 2011!
I love reading about all of your accomplishments and find inspiration in them all big and small so thought some might enjoy mine.
Wow, what a beautiful race report. Thank you for sharing. I got shivers thinking about that wind and ice on the road and felt like I was there with you. I know the head games between miles 8 and 10. Congratulations on figuring out how to work through them. You had an amazing time for your first half.
Mazel Tov!
Jan
Mazel Tov!
Jan
Bay to Breakers 12K May 15, 2011 (1:54:40) First 5K 5/23/11 (41:22)
Half Marathons: Napa: 7/18/10 (4:11:21) 7/17/11 (3:30:58) 7/15/12 (3:13:11.5)
SJ Rock and Roll: 10/2/10 (3:58:22) Run Surf City: 2/6/11 (3:19:54)
Diva: 5/6/12 (3:35:00)
HW/SW/CW 349/326/176
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein
Half Marathons: Napa: 7/18/10 (4:11:21) 7/17/11 (3:30:58) 7/15/12 (3:13:11.5)
SJ Rock and Roll: 10/2/10 (3:58:22) Run Surf City: 2/6/11 (3:19:54)
Diva: 5/6/12 (3:35:00)
HW/SW/CW 349/326/176
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein
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