Well friends, I did it! I am a half marathoner!
Thank you so much for the kind tweets, Facebook messages, emails, and well wishes. I thought about all the people I’d have to report back to when I finished and the people thinking about me as I ran. I love having a blog to connect with such caring people.
2010 was a big year for me and running, starting with watching the Houston Marathon last January, running my first 10K at the end of February, another 10K in May, signing up for this race in June, thinking I could start to train in crazy heat, and then finally getting my groove with increasing mileage.
I am really proud of myself and had a great race. I finished in 2 hours, 46 minutes, but here’s the story of why I also count 2:26 as a personal time for this race too.
The beginning:
The morning started off as usual with two pieces of toast, peanut butter, and half a banana. I actually slept pretty well and woke up around 5:30 a.m. The weather was COLD — the coldest I have felt this season. I have probably never run in these temperatures ever. It was about 38 when we got to the start and maybe 48 by the end of the race. I wore three layers at the start, shed one before the gun, and a second around Mile 10.
At the expo, I bought Zensah calf sleeves and a thicker headband that covers my ears. Both were awesome, even though I tried them out on race day and you aren’t supposed to do that. The calf sleeves helped keep my legs warm, and I had no shin pain while running. Love those. And the headband never moved under my hat. Great purchases. I also used KT Tape on my left IT Band, but I don’t know if it did anything.
The beginning started fine, the crowds were awesome, the race was well organized, and it was fun. I couldn’t feel my toes for about 1/2 mile, but it came back! Jeffrey was the race photographer and he got some great shots!
Around mile 2.5, my left knee got stiff like it used to when my IT Band would rebel, so I stopped for a second and shook it, bent it, and then kept going. Then I had a little talk with it telling it I was the boss and it would not screw me up and mess up my day. For the whole rest of the race, it was like a dull pain or no pain. I told it who the boss was. There were some choice words toward that muscle too. Dull pain has nothing on me. I also liked the sign I saw saying “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”
Spectators:
I saw my parents and Jeffrey at Mile 3.5, 7, 8 and then the finish. So fun to see familiar faces because I didn’t recognize any other racers or spectators! The spectator strangers who read names on bibs and cheered for me by name were so nice. Lots of High 5′s. I learned a lot about how to be great spectators, like the homeowner who let a girl inside to use their bathroom or the little girl who had a sign that said “I hope you win.” Loved the Kleenex people too. Another great sign was “Way to be the best at exercising” and a girl had this on her back: “Dear Gd, I hope someone is behind me to read this.”
I actually felt great the whole time. I loved the Turtle Creek, Uptown, and Beverly Drive parts of the course. So many people out, pretty houses, pretty ponds and trees. Wide, well-paved roads. My legs got heavy near the last 5K, but my Garmin said my pace was still not slowing, meaning I was just feeling slower than I was. I took 3 Shot Bloks through the second half of the race, and also drank a lot of water and some Gatorade. Also one orange slice around Mile 11.
Stats:
The only annoying part about the race was that my Garmin said I was way ahead of the mile markers even from the beginning. I honestly don’t know how it happened, because by the end, it said I ran 14.88 miles! It really messed up the race pace reported and how fast it said I was. Here are my Garmin stats:
- 1,00:10:06 (talk about coming out a little too fast!)
- 2,00:10:58
- 3,00:11:09
- 4,00:11:16
- 5,00:11:01
- 6,00:11:12
- 7,00:11:16
- 8,00:11:24
- 9,00:11:24
- 10,00:11:17
- 11,00:11:15
- 12,00:11:18
- 13,00:11:25
- 14,00:11:27
- 15,00:09:56
Summary:
- time: 02:46:31
- mileage: 14.88
- avg pace: 11:11
- heart rate: 161-189
- calories: 1,625 !!
My pace was awesome! I haven’t continuously run this steady in the 11′s during the whole training cycle. I was so happy and surprised I was maintaining a pace under 11:30/mile. But the race pace says I was 12:42. My primary goal was to finish, and secondary was to finish under 2:30. My Garmin said I did that at 2:26, so for comparison purposes to other runs done with this Garmin, I was so happy about that.
I really don’t know how I took so many extra steps. I know the rules about running the tangents, not weaving, etc. I bought the Garmin at Luke’s Locker and will probably go there and ask what they think.
The End:
The end was awesome. The last mile coincided with the marathon, so we ran side by side with marathoners finishing a sub-3 hour marathon. That was pretty cool. And the finish line crowds were way bigger than I expected. I got my heat blanket, finisher t-shirt, race medal, took my picture, ate another banana, and found my family.
My legs hurt SO BAD right now, but that’s ok! I really pushed it the whole time. Very little walking, probably less than 0.1 mile total. I have one little blister on my right middle toe (?!), and a lot of pains on my shins, outer knees, outer hips, and the tops of my feet (?!). It’s too bad our house has a lot of stairs. I can barely walk on flat surfaces, much less up and down steps.
I will do another post about some things I learned from this training process, but for now, I’m enjoying my accomplishment. And one more thing–I loved spectators saying “Go runner!” I really felt like a runner. They were talking to me!
P.S. I finally met Dorry, a blog friend in Dallas who also ran the half with her husband. Go check out her site for her race recap! She is far more speedy than me! So fun to meet blog friends in real life and run the same race together. Now we are real life friends.
congrats!
so happy (and jealous) you met Dorry… she and I are good friends that have never met
YET !
also so happy for you… such an amazing feeling to finish good in a big race – congrats to you !! <3
I’m so, so proud of you and it gave me chills to read your recap! I can’t wait to get mine out my head and into a post. It was an incredible experience and I’m so glad I got to meet you this weekend.
Not sure what to think about the Garmin stats. Mine showed I ran 13.22 miles…so who knows, but yours seems way off. Regardless, you totally rocked it and I agree that the spectators were amazing. They really kept me going.
Get some good sleep tonight and let’s talk soon!
Congratulations on a GREAT race! This makes me even more excited for my half- marathon next month!
I love the KT tape. I’ve been using it for my IT band. It works a little bit for me, but not completely. I wear it throughout the day, but then wear my IT band straps in addition to the KT tape during my workouts.
Definitely get the watch looked into. That’s quite odd!
Ice, take some NSAIDs, and get some rest! YOU DESERVE IT!
Congratulations again!
Congrats on a great race today!! Loved the re-cap and action shots.
Your mom looks so much like you, it’s uncanny!!
Keep us updated on how you feel tomorrow
Awesome job- congratulations!! I couldn’t walk after my half marathon either, but as my boyfriend always says, if you CAN walk it means you didn’t give it your all
Enjoy resting today!!
Nice recap. Congrats!
We are so proud of you, Marci. Running a Half marathon is a real accomplishment. You made the commitment to get ready for it. You trained well, and I can attest to the fact you were ready because you and I ran five miles the week before and it was effortless for you. Great pictures, Jeffrey!
Yay! Congrats Marci!! So glad you did this and shared it with everyone.
Congrats again! Such an accomplishment! I enjoyed reading your recap and your pictures. You look just like your mom! You’ve been my running inspiration since I’ve started reading your blog!
Great job!! I am so proud of you. And the fact that you are hurting means you pushed yourself as hard as you could!
Loved the recap, the running shots are so cool to have documented for your first half. Congrats on a solid finish and for letting your IT band know who the boss was. Hope your “after race” soreness gets better soon. Take care!
Marci you did incredible! It was unbelievable watching you at the different mile markers and you were just running along like it was no big deal. Then, when you crossed the finish line, it was so exciting. What a wonderful accomplishment. Please give your legs, knees, and body a break. Can’t you take up knitting? Love you. Jeffrey the pictures are great!
I live and work in Illinois but a colleague was there and ran. I sent him a link to your blog in case he happened to be in any of the pics. And congrats to you!
Congratulations. You did it!!!!!
Congrats, Marci!!! Way to push through every tough moment, those Cross-Fitted muscles know how to stay strong
So excited for you and your first Half!
Congratulations on your first half marathon – what a great accomplishment!!!
My friend, Boy Mom, is in one of your photos, she’s the one in the white running skirt and pink Zensah calf sleeves. Small world considering there were 22,000 runners!
wow that is so random!