I signed up for this race a few months ago when I was at a peak with mileage and my pace was doing really well. My goal was to find a half with some lower temps so I could test these legs and see how close I could get to a 2 hour half marathon. Then...life happened and I missed some long runs, my training got a little sporadic and my conditioning took a hit. I had a couple of bad long runs, strained my hip flexor...on and on. I still kept doing my races, did what I could when I could and kept moving, but I knew my 2 hour half probably wouldn't happen at this race. I was disappointed, but I just readjusted my plans for as strong a finish as I could put together. Fast forward to race week and the temperatures plummet and that adds a little special something to the day. I ran with Shama earlier this week and I was telling her that I was nervous about the distance. I knew I could finish it, but I was worried about it being a stretch, especially with the hip flexor pain I've been dealing with. I told her I would just finish, give up any time goals and she made a great suggestion to just start with the 2:10 pace group. I don't usually run with the pacers on purpose, but that made sense. I wouldn't have to worry or think about my pace, I could just try to keep up with the group as best as possible and if I fell back, it would still give me a good chance at a good time. So, I had a new plan.
Fast forward to race day. I had a LONG, busy week and the weather kind of sucked. I got to the race, parked and started walking around. I've definitely done colder, wetter races, so I wasn't TOTALLY freaked out about the weather, but my Vibrams don't do much for keeping the toes warm and they were getting a little painful waiting around for the race start. I had one moment where I thought, "I could just go get back in my car, pick up some Starbucks and head home.", but thankfully I've learned how to ignore that voice. I knew that once I got started things would even out and even if I had to walk, I was going to finish. This is the inaugural event and it was to benefit police and firefighter charities. They got up and said a few words and I was grateful, because it helps to remember sometimes that there are people out there that fight through worse. I also thought about my buddy, Dana, who I run for, and she had surgery this week. Pretty major surgery that requires a lot of recovery time. After that, it seemed silly to go home just because it was cold.
They started the race right at 8a and I parked myself behind the 2:10 pacer. They took off a little fast, so I settled into a more relaxed pace and decided that I would just do my best to stay between the 2:10 and 2:20 groups, which would still be a nice time for me. I felt like the 2:10 group got a good bit ahead of me, so imagine my surprise when my first mile clocked just under 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. I felt pretty good and that was an excellent pace. The good part of running in cold weather is that your body is so cold, you can fool it into pushing a little harder, since you really can't feel anything. Ha ha! So I just kept the same pace, nice and relaxed, and I clocked Mile 2 under 10 minutes. What? So I made a decision. While it's not the smartest race plan, I decided to keep up that pace for as long as I could and if it meant 11 minute miles at the end, so be it. I just decided not to save anything for the end, just spend it all and see what I could do. I kept the sub 10 pace until Mile 7 and it was awesome because it was SO consistent - I kept it between 9:50-9:57 that whole time without having to work really hard at it. When we hit the turnaround at Mile 6, I was still feeling pretty good and there's something about getting to that middle mile in a half that makes the rest of it go a little faster. Miles 7, 8 & 9 were all at 10:05, which was still so awesome and I was starting to feel my legs getting tired, but I knew I was going to bring in a pretty nice time. I still thought I had a chance for something close to 2:10. THEN...we turned off of the trails and back into the streets with no cover, lower temps and a 15 MPH artic headwind. Mile 11? Sucked. My legs started to stiffen up on me in a big way and I felt like I was turning them over at the same rate, but I could tell I wasn't moving as fast. Looking at my splits later, Miles 11 & 12 both dipped to almost 11 min miles, but I was okay with it. I did get a little cranky when, after each mile had been marked flawlessly and matched up with my GPS perfectly, Mile 13 was a block off and the final mileage ended up being 13.3. Um, that makes a difference, guys!! Oh well. Even with my dip at the end, I had a GREAT run and it just reminded me of what I'm capable of and how much I love running. Yes, it was cold and there was a steady drizzle/mist the ENTIRE time we ran, but it was fun. These legs are pretty strong when I put them to the test. I will admit that running that distance at that pace after some spotty training has left me pretty sore. It's pretty rare that I am doing the "granny walk" after a race, but I'm totally working it today. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. Final time: 2:15:16, which is 15 minutes faster than every half I've done since Gage was born 4 years ago. My overall PR is still a 2:06 and I'm planning on beating that next year - but knocking 15 minutes off of my most recent finish times felt GREAT.
This race was done really well. The price was excellent and I got a running hat, running socks and a really cute cotton blend, long sleeved shirt. The medal was nice too:
They were making pancakes after the race that looked delicious, but I didn't have time to hang out. It was a pretty small race, less than 500 people, and I ended up right in the middle of every category with my pace. The route was SUPER friendly, some street racing and then several miles on the Campion Trails. It was flat, fast, and easy. The trails were nice because the trees provided some protection from the cold and the wind - I was getting really warm and almost took my jacket off, but I'm glad I didn't. The parking was easy and close to the start/finish. I might keep this one on the schedule. If they keep that same route, it's a prime candidate for a PR next year.
That pretty much wraps up my scheduled races for 2014. I have a couple of small maybes on the calendar for December, but I really need to work on my legs and getting them primed for marathon training, which officially kicks off in a couple of weeks. I've started a schedule for 2015 and it will include a full marathon, MORE Spartan races and maybe even something new. Stay tuned!
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