Reach The Finish Line Half Marathon Recap

Yesterday I completed my second half marathon. It was a local race that supported a great cause. There were 26 finishers in the half, 50 in the 10K and 80 in the 5K.

They offered packet pick up a few days before the race which was really convenient. We got there about 30 minutes before the start, picked up our timing chips and warmed up.

Awesome Tech Shirts!

The only real gripe I have about this race was that it started at 2 PM on a Sunday. It was easy to be hydrated because I had half the day to drink water, but it was weird to eat 2 small meals before a race. I was just trying to keep myself occupied and keep my mind off of the race.

Going into this race I was a ball of nerves for about a week beforehand. I was over thinking EVERYTHING. I worried about the course and I wanted to PR, but I also wanted to feel good after the race. Once I hit the starting line all of my concerns went out the back of my mind and I started plugging away. My plan was to take it easy the first 5 miles because I knew that's when the majority of the hills were. Then after that depending on how I was feeling pick up the pace a little.

I felt like I stuck to my plan and my splits show that I did except for the first mile (oops!). I used my Galloway 4:1 run-walk intervals and stuck to them the entire race.The miles ticked away pretty quickly. I felt great for most of the race and just kept thinking I love the half marathon distance! At mile 5 I could feel the sun starting to beat on my face, but next thing I know we turned a corner and were under a bunch of trees shading the road.

The miles weren't too memorable other than the fact that there was a lot of runner interaction because we had a lot of out and back sections to the course. I loved that aspect because everyone that ran was so encouraging and so nice. I loved when I get to mile 10. I gave myself a good pep talk, "5K to go, that's nothing at this point, you've already gone so far!"

"Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty came on around mile 11 and I just put it on repeat until the finish because it was the perfect song for the moment. My plan was to run the last mile with no intervals, but I ended up running the last 1.4 miles with no walking intervals. I looked at my watch as  I entered the parking lot towards the finish and couldn't believe how close I was to sub-2. I was so happy to PR by such a large amount of time and it took quite awhile for it to set in what I actually did. I felt great after the race! It probably helped that I had 7 family members there to hug and congratulate me at the finish :)

I think this picture captures the combo of joy
and disbelief of my finish time.

                    mile 1: 9:14          mile 5: 9:52          mile 9: 9:18                      

mile 2: 9:33          mile 6: 9:22          mile 10: 8:52

mile 3: 9:39          mile 7: 9:26          mile 11: 9:24

mile 4: 9:29          mile 8: 9:18          mile 12: 9:22

mile 13: 8:25 

Overall, there were enough water stations, there was one port a pot on the course that we passed four times (I didn't have to use it, woo!). My hill training worked because I didn't notice "the big hill" that I thought was going to be on the course. There were a lot of rolling hills and gradual hills, but none of them killed me.  The volunteers that directed you were helpful. There were basically zero people cheering on the course (I thought this would bother me, but it didn't). Some of the volunteers cheered, while others sat quietly in their chairs. This race taught me not to depend on crowd support to get pumped up. I had to be mentally strong. 

Going from running a race with 24,000 other people and huge crowds to running a race with 25 other people and no crowds were very different experiences. I loved this race, because I love to run. I didn't need people cheering me on or entertainment to have fun. I just enjoyed pushing myself and simply running for the love of running. 

Race Day Outfit: 

-Brooks Run Happy Tech Tee

-Runningskirts Black Running Skirt

-Zensah Compression Calf Sleeves

-Thin Black Sweaty Bands Headband

-Brooks Ghost 6

-KT tape for my groin

-Lululemon Black Energy Bra

My Mom ran the 5K, placed 10th overall, 1st in her
age group and snagged a PR in 29:25! She's a beast.

Cameron ran the 10K, placed 5th overall, 1st in his age
group and got a PR in 50:58! What a rockstar.

My cousin Troy ran his first half. Placed 6th overall, 3rd
in his age group and ran 1:54:26! He's pretty boss.

Half #2 is in the books. 14th overall, 2nd in age group.
PR in 2:00:49

That's all for now!