After we got there, the rain eased up. In hindsight, I would've preferred a dry drive to the start and a bit of rain through the middle of the race would have been nice too...but since when can we custom-order the weather?! In the end, the overcast skies really were a nice combatant to the intense humidity.
We got to the start VERY early--the race was due to start at 8 and we got there at about 6.45. I had to pick up my packet, so we were glad to err on the side of caution with time. In the end, I ended up getting my packet and just staying in the car to keep warm (and dry) for as long as possible before warming up and stretching out.
I admired my new race shirt while we waited...
Also observed the bomb squad?
And set up my two-watch and Road ID system...
Finally, it was time to head on outside. Even still, it took awhile for things to get started. I had plenty of time to stretch and get ready, unlike at Cleveland where we were a little rushed.
A little cold...
The start of the race was really cool. This race is a lot smaller, so it was great to be able to get started just feet away from elite runners.
The first several miles of the race just flew by. People settled into their pace (I didn't repeat my Rookie mistake of tearing away from the start) and the same groups stayed more or less together for the whole race. People were friendly and chatty in the group that I was mostly around; and everyone seemed to know each other somehow or another. We passed by a church that had a sign saying "Jesus is with you, runners!" which was pretty funny. I heard a couple of girls behind me talking, and one asked if the other had run at Cleveland (it turned out that there were MANY repeat offenders from this year's Cleveland Marathon/Half-Marathon at this race). The other answered yes, and the first said "Ohhhh! I was the one who opened your shot blocks for you!" There were many conversations like this--people found that they had things in common with each other, and everyone seemed to know each other or knew a mutual friend.
This race included some trails and hills, and for the first time I was introduced to trail running. The first encounter was at mile 3, all of which was on dirt trails in a wooded area. I REALLY enjoyed this, but the first thing that I noticed was that I (and the entire group I was consistently with) slowed down drastically. My mile-pace went up by over two minutes. It wasn't just that the trails were hilly, but navigating them also seemed to slow us down. Many people walked at this point. Seeing what everyone was doing around me, I decided not to push the pace and tear through the trails. I wanted to take it easy and sort of feel out how to handle such a race.
Around mile 4, I fell into step with a young woman after we both slowed at a water stop (there were about 385903 water and GU stops at this half-marathon; it was AMAZING. The cups were also really big and had quite enough nice cold water so that it wasn't a problem if you sloshed some around or spilled a bunch). I stayed with this woman for about 9 miles, and it was a really great experience. Neither of us talked much, but eventually accepted each other's company and appreciated it. Sometimes we would say something like "Wow that hill KILLED ME," and then encouraged each other to keep going. She didn't have a stop watch, so I kept her updated on the time. The mile-markers were every mile, which was great. I feel like we were "sole" sisters!!!
At one hill, my partner really got tired out, so I ended up surging ahead. At this point it must've been approaching the 10th mile. I ran ahead to a VERY young boy (12 at the oldest??) who was running with his mom. I heard him yell ahead to his mom "I'm crying, Mom!" which was sort of funny, because I think he spoke for us all on that hill. The boy was really hurting, so I talked to him for awhile. This is his SECOND half-marathon with his mom (I think he did Cleveland, too?). He is amazing; I never could've wrapped my mind around this distance when I was his age. I just hope he doesn't get hurt so he can have a long life of running!
Once we reached the downhill, I started flying. I still wondered if I could make it in the same time I had at Cleveland. Was 3 miles enough? Now the miles seemed to be dragging, and I pushed the pace down to my 5k race pace, which is about 90 seconds under my average half-marathon pace. At this point, my hips, which had been aching before, really flamed up. Once we entered the park where the race had started, it felt like everything was going in slow motion. They had us pass the start-line again, and then take 2 miles through the park to get back up to the finish. I wasn't so much a fan of that... but I think it's normal not to be so happy at this stage in a half-marathon!
Trudging to the end....
I didn't end up beating my time, but in the end I was really pleased with the experience that I had on this course. I loved meeting new people and talking to them, and the trails were a blast!
Shock at the size (and weight) of my medal...they said it was 5 inches for 5 year anniversary?
The post-race arrangements were really quite nice, with plenty of water of course, and popsicles, ice cream, water melon, bananas, and cookies to choose from. No chocolate milk though, sadly.
Woohoo Brooks! That's a smiley face cookie I'm holding up, too!
At last, I went home and finally was able to ice bath, shower, and put dry clothes on. I am in A LOT less pain than after the Cleveland Half, and I think part of that is because I didn't have to take a month off from running before this race, and also because I prepared with stretching a little better. Last time, I was popping painkillers every four hours for days afterwards, but this time I haven't had to take anything for pain relief yet which I think is a great sign. Now I have to go summon the strength to make lemon tarts! Happy Father's Day, everyone!
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