I left off with the day before the half marathon. Didn't speak of the actual event. Maybe you think I didn't have a totally wonderful time. Truth is... I really DID have a great time! Everything worked well for me and I felt like I was firing on all cylinders.
5:30 AM
Slept really well, actually! What is up with that? It's a first and I hope it's not a bad omen. Had a half a cup of coffee and a little water. Was a little concerned about having to stop for "nature" breaks.
7:00 AM
Left the house with my boys in tow. Hubby is photographing the event and the 50 or so participants from our company. I've managed to convince Caden to run in the kid's race. Hooray! Weather is sunny- but chilly. I dressed in layers, but opted to run in shorts. Don't want to overheat.
7:30ish AM
Arrived at Rockland Lake. Parking lot fairly empty at this time, but it fills up quickly. The bright lime green tees that we had designed were a success. It was VERY easy to spot each other. Converged for a group shot 7:50. Hit the bathroom. Nice- line not too terribly long.
7:45 AM
Bathroom break again. Line longer. Oh-oh. Nervous stomach for a brief moment. Grabbed a half a banana.
8:00 AM
Bathroom break again. WHY did I drink so much water yesterday???
8:15 AM
Kid's race! Caden ran with his friend Joey. Steve paced them. :-) When Caden received his medal for participating, I could see he was hooked. Sometimes, all it takes is something shiny. I'm super proud of him and am hoping he will keep participating.
8:20 AM
Lord help me. I am in the monster-bathroom-line-from-hell and feel like my bladder is going to bust. I just know that I am going to be in the bathroom when the race starts. I am so preoccupied with getting into a stall that I forget to be nervous. I am very tempted to find a tree and duck out behind it. How much could the fine be, really?
8:30 AM
While fiddling with my Garmin and my iPod, I noticed the pack around me started to move. Yup- I managed to get in and out of the bathroom in record time and decided that if I had any residual water from yesterday still in me, I was just going to pretend it was sweat. We were off and I missed the official start while playing with all of my buttons. Dang. But I think I got everything aligned with the stars and I should be able to keep track of my pace. Started mid parking lot and it was a very uneven surface with loose rocks and pot holes strewn about with abandon. One of our crew twisted his ankle right at the beginning. Grr.
Worked my way up the pack nicely. Tried to catch all of my team mates and give them a high five or some words of encouragement as I made my way to almost mid pack. Everything was feeling great. Decided not to carry water and to just rely on the water stations. I packed some sports beans with me for mid race.
Feeling great when we split off from the 5Kers. Waved at the half marathoners as they started their double back and was eagerly anticipating my turn. Woo hoo!
The rolling hills on the way to the Hook were a good warm up. Feeling good. Water stations at the right places for me. Good good good. Smile for the cameras. Head down the Hook and I open it wide up and fly down it. Passed a good many people. If I had slipped on the loose gravel, I knew I'd be hospital-bound. But I listed to my body and to my training.. and all things pointed to me flying down that hill and not being held back by fear. I really think this propelled me through the remainder.
The run along the river was nice. Great scenery. Photographers at good places. I think I ate my beans on this stretch, before the climb up to the toll booth. I timed it well. Four of my teammates were ahead of me and it was great seeing them when they were on their way back. I felt stronger every time I saw one of those shirts!
The climb up the hill to the toll booth wasn't too bad this time. I ran the whole thing and then flew down the back side as best I could. I knew one of my teammates wasn't too far ahead of me, so it motivated me to try to catch up to him. He proved to be illusive for a long time! The run back along the river was nice, but seemed a lot longer coming back than it did going out. A lot longer. When I got to the incline for the hook, my iPod was playing Kung Foo Fighting. This just made me laugh... and made the crazy incline not so tough. I'll admit it- I broke down and walked for a brief spell right near the top. Maybe 50 yards. It was enough for me to pull it all together again, and get back to it. As I crested the top- I saw a green shirt, and I was off. My new goal was to catch up to Richard.
The rolling hills going back seemed, dare I say, easy? Maybe I was delirious by this time. The double back when we got in the inner loop of the lake felt like it flew by. There was a guy that I was pacing myself with for the last 5 miles or so. He ran at just the right pace for me. But then I saw that green shirt again and I started to pull away. I caught up to Richard with about a quarter mile to go. We ran together to the finish line and I sprinted at the end. Finished strong. I felt AMAZING! My goal was 2:10. I really thought I'd finish in 2:20 or so, after my last attempt. My official race time was 2:05:36. Thrilled with this for my first half, and because it wasn't the easiest, flattest race. Our entire team was amazing and posted great times. I wasn't in the top half of the pack for finishing times, but I am very, very proud of what I accomplished. I can't wait for the next one! Today, everything worked just right. I could have done without the frantic bathroom visits before the race started, but hey... it worked, right?
I had a bagel after the race. Not hungry at all, but needed it for recovery. I ran into the "pace guy" in the line, and he told me that he tried to keep up with me in the end, but couldn't. I had actually forgot that I was running behind him for so long. It made me feel kind of good to hear that he was trying to keep up with me. What an amazing morning. What a wonderful world. I am blessed. My hubby, son and I loaded back up into the car at about 11ish and headed for home... and BURGERS and BEER (milk for Caden...).
Nearing the finish line
I need to stop with the head tilt
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