Happy Anniversary to my blog! I've slowed down, but hopefully can pick it back up and post on a more regular basis. I started it last year the day before Bass Pro, and am still enjoying reflecting on my running and racing.
2 mi w/u
Goal: 13.1 mi @ PR
1st place
Actual: 13.1 @ 1:18:18
1st place
Results
I went into this race with some high hopes, maybe too high seeing as how this is my 2nd half marathon in 3 weeks. I was hoping for a PR and possibly to run 1:16:xx. I'm one that thrives off competition, and I knew this was going to be a smaller race, so it would probably end up being a solo effort. Although, if you recall, last year there was an Ethiopian woman who showed up and kicked my butt last year, so you never know for certain.
I hate going to races feeling unprepared. Anthony and I had planned to check our gear in at the start line. In the program given out at the expo, it said to follow signs to the bag check in. No location listed, just follow the signs. Well, 15 minutes before the gun, I mean
cannon, was scheduled to start the race, we found no sign of bag check. We made a split decision to high tail it to the car and simply leave our stuff there. 5 minutes to race time and we were leaving the car, running probably close to 6:00 pace, hoping we'd get to the start early enough to catch our breath (nothing like a race before the race). We got there just as the national anthem was starting and after a few opening remarks from the race director, we had a few minutes to spare. Not as many as I'd like, but we made it!
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| Aaron, Anthony, and myself at the start. |
Regardless of falling way short of a PR, it was still a decent time for me, averaging barely under 6:00 pace/mile. Turns out there was a Kenyan woman in the race. We ran stride for stride through about 3.5 miles. Made the turn to climb the "hill" (nothing compared to KC) up Grand when she dropped like a fly. She labored about 30 seconds trying to hold on, then gave up. Didn't even try to make a comeback on me. I took a sneak peek behind me at around 4.5 miles and
nobody was in sight, not even any guys.
On a side note, there were several bicyclists helping guide runners through the course. Being the lead woman, I had my own, which I was very thankful for. The arrows on the course were small and hard to see, and my bicyclist was good at pointing turns out early enough that I could run tangents. I also had him to stop traffic for me as it was an open course through the neighborhoods. Back to the race, I ran great through about 6 miles. I was still on 5:52 pace through the 5.5 mile check point. From there, it got lonely and went downhill (figuratively, unfortunately not literally). I managed to hold on to a couple 6:00 miles, dropped a 6:05-6:10 here and there. Still no one in sight either direction.
So I thought I was going to finish alone, but all of a sudden I pass a water station (mile 11.5) and hear cheering even after I have gone through. I look over my shoulder and two guys are gaining on me
really fast. A mere two miles earlier I couldn't even see them!
They were probably still running the 5:50 pace I was wanting to run (although, they had to start out slower, because that was what I started out at). At mile 12, I was over taken by guy 1, who was rather nice encouraging me to try to hang with him to the finish. And it did help, I think my last mile was back down to 5:50's. By this time, we had hit a ton of 5k walkers (great) who as everyone know, like to walk 5 abreast. Another incident where the bicyclist came in handy :) He was vocal and did the best he could to clear the path for me, guy 1, and guy 2.
I glanced back to see where guy 2 was, and I knew who guy 2 was! He was the guy that beat me last year by about 20 seconds. I thought we might meet again this year. This year he never had the pleasure of being in front of me, and I held him off by about 3 seconds. Ha, sucka!
Unfortunately, I couldn't hold onto guy 1, The course had changed this year, and I must say for the better. They are really trying to improve this race. This new finish was AWESOME. Last year we wound through the neighborhoods, turned a corner, and all of a sudden were practically finished. This year we had a decent straight-a-way to the finish so the crowd could line up and cheer you home. And as I was chugging along to the finish, trying to hold off guy 2, there was a series of loud booms and crackles. They lit off fireworks! How cool is that! Talk about adrenaline rush :) I actually heard the fireworks for the male winner when I was still like 2k from the finish, but had no idea it was even related to the race. They were loud.
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| To the finish! |
The surprise of the day was Anthony's race. He managed to pull off a third place and run a huge 3 minute PR. Amazing time of 1:12:57 (his goal was to run 1:14:xx). He had great advice from his coach *wink, wink* to just see if he could hang on to 5:30 pace and stay with the leaders.
Shout out to Megan Earney for smoking all the other women in the FULL marathon, finishing first, and breaking the 3 hour barrier! and to Aaron Hohn running an
impressive 2:32:40. He was supposed to run in NYC, enough said.
