Distance: 13.1
Pace: 8:24
Seconds by
which I PR’d: 43
Seconds by
which I missed my goal: 5
The PF Chang’s
Rock n Roll half marathon was yesterday.
Last year I wanted to break 2 hours, a goal I smashed with a 1:50:47
finish. When I got done celebrating
that, I realized that running 48 seconds faster would have brought me below
1:50. So that was my goal this
year: break 1:50. My recent 13 mile nightmare shook my
confidence a little bit, though. And I
realized that last year I was already in the taper phase of my marathon
training, whereas this year I am just ramping up to my 20 miler. So this might not be my year. That’s okay.
Anything under 2 hours would be great.
That was what I thought until my badass ultramarathoner friend Dave
Krupski assured me I could do a sub-1:45.
Say what now? Nope. Not me.
I’m keeping my expectations low. This
led to a message exchange in which I told him I’d like to take advantage of his
coaching services to run a sub-4:00 marathon next year.
(Dave has founded a coaching program called Zwitty Ultra Endurance
Coaching, which you can find at www.zwittyultra.com.) Dave replied sure he could help me, but
rather than trying to break 4 hours, I should shoot for a Boston qualifying
time. Once again, say WHAT now? I laughed at him and then looked up my
qualifying time. Oh. I’d have to run a sub-3:40. Hm. Is
it endorphins or is that within reach? I’d
have to train. Like for real speed
train. I’d have to give up more boxing
workouts in favor of more running and drop about 10 pounds. But.
Hell. If I could run a full 5 seconds
per mile faster than I ran my last half, could forever say I’d qualified for
Boston! Trying not to get my hopes up
for 2016 goals, I just said I’d see how this half marathon and my next marathon
go. Of course, I was already planning my
Boston strategy in my head and had recommitted to my goal of a sub-1:50
half.
Back to the
race. After my terrible awful no good
very bad 13 miles a couple weeks ago, I wanted to do this race right. I had a plan (go out at 8:30s, drop to 8:15s
at mile 6-7). I made sure I ate some
simple carbs the days leading up to the race.
I had a half bagel instead of skipping breakfast. I hydrated by drinking lots of water and a
bottle of Pedialyte the day before. I
put my timing chip on my shoe the day before and triple-checked it was the
right part. Oh, and I have new wi-fi
headphones that are covered by a headband I plan to use for Napa. The Rock n Roll would be my testing ground
for that setup. When I left the house
Sunday morning at 6:45, I was ready! My
friend E-Bay met me at my house and Husband #1 dropped us both off.
(My shoes! One with my timing chip correctly placed and one with a little plate reminding me that not all pain is significant. It is a quote from Scott Jurek's book that gets me through tough running moments.)
I was
planning to stick around and watch two of my Ragnar teammates (Peppy and Go
Pro) finish their first full marathon,
so I decided to check a bag this year. I
have to say, I am amazed at how easy that process is and will now do it every
race. E-Bay and I met KO Kennedy, two of
her friends, and another Ragnar teammate, Sparky, at gear check. One of KO Kennedy’s friends was assigned to
corral 4, so we all decided to head up there except for E-Bay, who wisely
decided to start around slower runners so she wouldn’t feel pressured to go out
too fast. I’ve never started in a corral
that reflects my true estimated time (I usually go back so I can pass people
all race). It was nice. Way less waiting around and we were off
before I knew it. This is my first major
race with a GPS watch. It went a little
nutso and told me I was running 7:15 for the first half mile. I just ran comfortably, loosely, letting
people pass me, confident I was not running that fast. True enough, I ran my first mile in 8:28 –
the plan was in effect. I settled into
that pace and just planned to enjoy my music for the next couple hours. I ran negative splits for the first six miles
with mile 6 clocking in at 8:11. But I forgot that miles 7-8 are a slow climb
followed by a steeper climb in mile 9.
This did not help my pace, which dropped to 8:30, 8:22, and 8:35 for
miles 7-9. The course crested a hill at
9.3 miles, so mile 10 was back up to 8:22, but I was tired. Miles 11 and 12 were 8:29 and 8:37 respectively. I’m
glad I had my watch because there were no mile markers for 11 and 12, which
would have been totally demoralizing if I was relying on markers to know where I
was. My watch said I was at 1:41 (no
seconds were displayed, so I wasn’t sure how close I was to 1:42) when I hit
mile 12. 1:49 was still possible! I gave it everything I had and managed to run
mile 13 in 8:08. I sprinted that last .1
as fast as I could (according to the watch, it was a 6:48 pace). But, alas, it was not enough. I finished in 1:50:04. It was better than last year, it was a PR,
but it did not start with a “1:4.” AAARGH!
Just past
the finishing line, a woman vomited right in front of me. In fear of my own stomach upset, I willed
myself not to look. I collected my
medal, a water, a Gatorade, and a banana in the finishing chute and got to the
gear check. The great thing about
starting and finishing so early is that the crowd is minimal. There was no line to collect my bag or for the
portapotty where I changed into my dry clothes (my race clothes were so wet I
had to wring them out). I was
spent. I called Husband #1 and told him
there’s no way I could have run it 5 seconds faster. Sure, I’d stopped at a water station to take
a salt pill, but without it I may not have been able to run so fast at the
end. Who would ever know, right? Well, I know today. My legs are fine. A little tight and stiff, but I was still
able to coast through a boxing class this morning that involved pulling a tire
while sprinting and doing 120 squat jumps and 30 burpees. Clearly I could have
raced harder. Although I do have a 20
mile run on Thursday, so I guess it’s good I didn’t kill myself in the
half. Yeah. That’s it.
I was saving myself for my training run . . .
(Me and E-Bay at the finish. Note how my bib says "TOESHOESTINA." Too bad I was wearing my Newtons, not my Vibrams.)
The after-party
was fun once I was in dry clothes and drinking my free beer. KO Kennedy and E-Bay crushed their goals and were
pleased. I did not see Sparky after the race, but I think he was pleased with his race, as well. We hung around and watch the
Wallflowers perform at, literally, a distance of 20 feet from Jacob Dylan
himself. Then we went to the marathon
course to watch Peppy and Go Pro finish.
By then, the temperature was well into the mid-70s and felt much hotter
because there was sun everywhere and no shade or cloud cover (my sweaty clothes
had caused condensation to form inside my plastic gear check bag – gross!). Oh man, watching those marathoners turn the
corner into the finishing chute brought back memories. Most resembled zombies, as I’m sure I did,
painfully lurching toward the finish. It
was very interesting to see them turn that last corner. Some pepped right up and ran the last .1 with
a bit of spring back in their step. But
some couldn’t manage to alter their tortured gaits as they hobbled to the
finish. I cheered for all of them
because I remember how invigorating it was to see friendly faces when I felt
the lowest. Then Go Pro whizzed by,
looking strong and happy. Peppy was
right behind her. She was running like
she was finishing an easy neighborhood jog.
They did not look like miserable zombies. I hope they are happy and proud. They deserve it.
(The Wallflowers. Up close and personal. My 17 year old self is, like, so jelly.)
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