So last week I ran my very first half marathon, the No Luck Run. It was a somewhat rainy evening before during packet pickup, but they had put up a tent in front of the host restaurant and put heaters in strategic places to keep it warm. It worked! It was comfortable, warm and dry despite the drizzle and chilly temps.
I laid out everything I thought I would need the night before, including some alternate apparel in case of weather changes or comfort challenges. I had two hats ready to go, a base layer, long sleeve shirt, shell, clear lense sunglasses, regular sunglasses, and a race belt with my number attached. I had a good dinner, but got to bed a little later than I anticipated.
In the morning, I grabbed my gear and hit the road. Since this race was so close by, I arrived in plenty of time and was able to meet up with some friends who were also running. It was still raining a bit on the way there, but by the time I arrived it had slowed to a drizzle, and stopped about 10 minutes later.
I ran a small warm up with a couple of buddies, and by the time we got back to the start line I felt ready to go. I discussed a race plan that I had formulated with a couple of people including my coach, and at the onset of the race my plan was to start out around 8-8:15 miles and reassess at the mile 7 turnaround. One of the guys I ran the warmup with, D, said he had a very similar plan, but was starting out at 7:50 miles and reassessing at mile 6 before the turnaround.
The event had a mile race to kick it off, followed by the start of the half and then the 5k. As the mile runners were coming in, it was pretty clear that they were moving on to other runs to collect all the green beer they could for the day, and they cleared out pretty quickly.
We got off to a start about 10-15 minutes later than anticipated, but the mile had started a little later due to the rain in the morning. As usual, the first mile is pretty quick by everyone due to the adrenaline and anticipation. D and I came off the line together, and fell into the same pace as we were exiting the first loop to go out on the longer portion of the course. He was sticking to his plan and I decided to tag along as long as it felt comfortable and see how I felt.
Running with someone makes it 10x easier. If you haven't found a running partner in a race, try it sometime. It makes the miles tick off faster, and the pace seem easier. D and I both confirmed this after the race.
N was going to classes at the Rec Center that morning, and fortunately the route passed right by there so she was able to arrive a little early and wait for me to run past a couple times. D and I went past, said we were feeling good, but that we would be reassessing at the end of the trail where we hit the 7 mile turnaround. The trail out to the turnaround is a false flat, with about a .7% incline for a little over a mile. We saw the lead runner coming back at us on the way out, he was absolutely flying. We saw some other friends coming back as well, looking strong as they were pacing to qualify for Boston. We only hit probably 3/4 of a mile on that, and hit the turnaround feeling good. We had averaged just under 7:50 for the first 7 miles, and we were now on the back stretch.
Coming back we took advantage of the slight downhill, pushing the pace to 7:30. We agreed that after we got to the turnaround, it was every man for himself. After mile 10, there would be no talking as it was race time. We utilized our knowledge of the terrain to our advantage, knowing that in a couple of miles there was a big uphill just before we hit mile 10. We went past N again, and headed for the last 4 miles.
Coach was riding around and evaluating performances, as well as giving encouragement and cheering us on. He found us at the bottom of the hill that N had been waiting on, and held up a sign while taking our picture: Suck it up Buttercup!! So we sucked it up and pressed on.
At this point we saw a lot of the people who were behind us, many walkers and slow joggers, almost all looking cheerful and happy despite the grey sky and somewhat chilly breeze. They were nearing halfway, and there was a great sense of comradery amongst all the runners!
We came to the bottom of the hill at mile 10, and agreed that we would run the hill together, recover and then split depending on how we felt. D and I got to the top of the hill and I got dropped. I needed a little more recovery than he did, so I fell off by about 5 seconds per mile. I kept him in my sights, and as I recovered I felt stronger. We rounded a corner and were off to the last 3 miles.
I began building a head of steam, thinking about the finish and the podium. I knew approximately where we were in the lineup of finishers, and I wasn't clear if I would make the podium for my age group or not. I comfortably pushed my pace up to 7:15, and caught D and was on my way to a strong finish.
There was a yellow jacket in front of me, but I couldn't tell if it was a man, woman, or even someone in my age group. D shouted to "go get 'em!" And that's what I did. I passed her around mile 12, coming into an aid station. She looked like she was struggling, but I didn't have the breath to wish her well as I was on my way to the finish.
Around mile 12.5 I had to pull the pace back. The sun came out and I heated up a little bit, and needed a moment to collect myself before I headed to the finish. I dropped the pace to 7:30 and continued on my way. There was no one immediately in front of me to chase, and no way I was going to catch anyone else, so I turned my focus to maintaining a pace and not being passed.
I came down the chute and was very excited to see a finishing time of 1:40:44! I finished 3rd in my age group, and 16th overall. I had been catching 14th and 15th place, who was 2nd in my age group, but didn't have enough time or space to get them. D finished close behind me, and we stuck around to see many of our other runners come in as well.
It was a great day to run, and a great day for our multisport club, as we had 4 podium finishers and a slew of PRs. Being my first half marathon, I was incredibly thrilled with the time. I collected my green beer, my finishers medal and podium prize (a sweet pint glass with "Podium Baby" printed on it) and headed home for a brief nap and a recovery spin. No rest for the wicked I suppose!
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