I am a little behind on posting some race recaps. I haven’t found the motivation to write about a 5K I did from the Fourth of July or the 10K race I did last weekend. They’ll come eventually, but I need to write about this half marathon first.
Since I began training for my first half marathon last August, I have been dreaming of a sub-three. It doesn’t sound major, but for me it just seemed unattainable. Every single race had a reason for why it just didn’t happen. At Disney, I couldn’t adjust to the humidity and I had tummy troubles. At Nike, I was pacing my friend and crossing the finish line with her trumped my personal goals. For my very first half, I was forced to walk due to injury.
So, I kept training. Granted, I never exactly said no to anything social even if it interfered with my runs. I’ve spent many of my training runs sweating out the alcohol from the night before or starting mid-day because I stayed up too late enjoying said alcohol. I’ve also spent a lot of time traveling and having a life outside of a strict running schedule.
Needless to say, for the Crawlin’ Crab I winged it with my training schedule. I run three days a week, four if the weather is especially nice that night. Two short runs (3-4 miles) and then a long on Saturday.
My longest run for this race was a ten miler in early September. And it was not pretty. It was hot, sweaty, and hard.
Sort of like this race.
The temperature at the start line was a cool 66ish degrees. The temperature when I crossed the finish line was a hot and humid 84 degrees. I was a sweaty mess from mile one.
The course was pretty. It was my first time in Hampton, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turns out, there are a bunch of historical spots in that area. In addition, the scenery changed a lot. From town squares, neighborhoods, major roads, and the waterfront I was never bored. Also, it was mostly flat. There are a few teeny hills due to bridges and the road but it was gradual and really only a pain at the end because one of them was during mile 12 (grr!!).
I crossed the start line telling myself that today was the day. I was getting that damn sub-three even if it meant I finished in 2:59:59.
A smart runner probably would not have thoroughly enjoyed herself at a party the night before. Whoops. At least I know I properly carb-loaded. And the smartest thing I did before I went to bed was drink a half of a gallon of water.
I started strong, but by mile six I felt like I was dragging my butt. By mile nine I was bargaining with myself. I was so hot and so drenched. Thanks to a really cool September, my body was unprepared for the quick rise in temperature. I saw Chris right before mile 11. He gave me some caffeine and a pep talk – the two things I needed right at that moment.
Mile 12 greeted me with an unpleasant uphill (grr!). I checked my watch for time with a little under three quarters of a mile left. I had 8 minutes to meet that sub-three goal (I gave myself a 1 minute buffer incase my clock was off).
Just before mile thirteen, my iPhone selected the perfect song – On to the Next One by Jay-Z. I literally shouted YESSSS as I was running and I kicked up the speed. As I crossed the finish line, the emcee announced my name and I felt the tears streaming down my face. I was so proud of myself.
My official time: 2:57:23. Two and a half minutes to spare.
I walked away from this race with a tiny blister on my big toe and a whole lot of chafing. Does it ever feel like once you’ve solved one problem another presents itself? I’ve never had an issue with chafing (except for on my arms which I prepared for — I vaselined those babies up!) and now all of a sudden my entire lower back is raw. Actually, some of my middle back is raw too, just not as bad. Not cool body, not cool!
It’s all good though, I still have my sub-three. Hooray!!
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What is your time goal for your next race?
Any ideas for how to treat chafing?