I got up and was feeling so nervous! After getting all ready, including my race bib and timing chip, I was going to try to eat my planned breakfast of yogurt and granola, but ended up deciding I wasn't going to be able to choke it down. So, I grabbed a water and a few extra Special K bars, and started my walk from the hotel to the race area. I munched on my breakfast throughout the time leading up to the start!
Surprisingly, the butterflies in my stomach were not ongoing, but they did come and go throughout the morning. The start was delayed a few minutes, as the process of shuttling the number of half-marathon and marathon runners that were there from the finish line to the starting line seemed to be taking longer than anticipated. I believe the did end up starting prior to everyone being down there ... Thankfully, I was there and ready!
The start went off without a hitch. It took a little bit to get into my groove, and as I looked at my watch I noticed I was a bit faster than I expected. I was able to bring it back a little over the first few miles, but part of me was okay with pushing it and seeing what happened. I think the hardest part about starting a race is finding your own pace, and not reacting to those around you.
I can't tell you how strong I felt through the first 10 miles. There were a few minor glitches; most noticeably feeling hungry! I tried to outweigh this by taking Power Aid (how is that actually spelled?) at the water stations instead of water, just to get a few calories. I don't know if it actually helped or not ... I didn't start my watch right at the start, so my own tracking was a little off. However, I had myself hitting 5 miles in just over 57 minutes, and hitting 10 miles in just less that 2 hours! I don't think I have reached 10 in less that 2 hours since I started double digits! I was thrilled with my pace through those 10!
I did stop around mile 8 (I think it was), to use the bathroom. It wasn't an emergency, but I didn't want to wait until it was either, you know?
Things got really hard after the 10.5 mile point. I am pretty sure it was leading up to this water station that my mouth was super dry. I was no longer carrying my own water bottle, so I took a cup of water and a cup or Power Aid. That was a huge mistake, I think. This left me feeling full, and from this point on I started feeling a burning feeling like I had to pee, but not really. Just before mile 12, I stopped and wasted nearly two minutes trying to figure out if I needed to go or not .. UGH.
On top of hitting the wall at 10.5; there was a huge hill just before 11 miles. This was followed by a short down hill, and another decent sized hill. In the hardest miles of the day, these hills were the last thing I wanted to see!
Thankfully, at 12.5 miles, I saw Chad and Ava. Let me tell you that seeing them and hearing "Hi Mommy!", after fighting off some emotional responses and just feeling defeated, was exactly what I needed at that point! I was able to push through to the end, and finished my first half-marathon!
Here's a picture of me as I saw them. I wasn't feeling this happy, but seeing them sure made it easy to change that!
Official Results: (copied from results website!)
Notice the pace between each split ... I new I slowed down, but that kind of amazed me! My average pace throughout the race, not shown on this chart, was 12:13. My goal was a 12 minute pace, so I am not complaining.
I can't say for sure when my next long race will be, but I can tell you there will be more!
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