Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon

I almost titled this post - "Things I'll Do Differently Next Time," because, apart from the immense satisfaction of finishing the race, I came away with so many valuable lessons for next time! But before I break it down,

I want to again say THANK YOU to everybody who supported my run with Team in Training. I found strength in thinking about my grandma throughout the race. There were also several Team in Training alumni and coaches along the way cheering for everyone in the purple jereys. I was so encouraged as I thought of all of you, cheering from a distance. I am so happy to report that, thanks to several donations this past week, I was able to meet my fundraising goal. Thank you all so very much!

Okay... here are my race stats:

Half Marathon Time - 2:38:34
5K time - 30:27
6.1 mi time - 1:05:35
15Km time - 1:47:21
Average Pace - 12:06 (yikes... that's so slow!)

And the breakdown:
The starting line!
There's just nothing quite as exciting as 30,000 people who have worked so hard to get to this day! I had soooo much adrenaline at this point.My starting buddies: Ruth, Diane, and Kari. Ruth and Diane are in our community group at church, and since they had all run the RNRSA before, I asked to tag along for my first time. They were so helpful and fun!
Miles 1-3
I started out running with the girls, and we were doing pretty well. I had run a 10-miler with Diane before, so I thought I'd be able to keep pace with them. I felt awesome for this stretch. Again... the adrenaline was pumping! There were so many cheering fans, a few great bands, and lots of distractions as we ran through downtown.

Miles 4-7
This was my least favorite portion of the race by far. Around 3 miles, I started to not feel so great. I slowed down, and eventually sent my running buddy on ahead because I was slowing her down. At mile 4, I was really crashing. I stopped, stretched, ate a ShotBlock and drank some Cytomax. Once I had at least sort of caught my breath, I started again, taking it very slow. The course is generally pretty flat, but the worst hills were of course in this section. I did some walk/run intervals for a little while, but I really didn't feel back in the groove until around mile 7 or 8.

Mile 8.5
Daniel and Elli were waiting for me here, and boy, did I need to see them! Here are some pics Daniel captured of the race while waiting for me. The roads were this packed the entire way, which was very motivating to have so many people beside me!And here I come! I kind of snuck up on him, so he didn't have time to set up a picture, you know... probably because I was running so fast. ;) That smile is genuine, by the way. I was so happy to see them!
Elli telling me what she thought about all the action.These next two are from earlier in the morning. Daniel told me that she was just smiling and giggling at all the runners. This girl loves a crowd, let me tell you!
On the lookout for me, I'm sure. :)Miles 8-10
I felt pretty good during this stretch, although still running really slowly. At one point, my left hand started going numb. I knew it was probably nothing, but this had never happened to me before, so I stopped to ask one of the paramedics. He took my pulse and asked me a few questions, then said I was probably just low on sodium. He told me to make sure I got some Cytomax at the next water station and in the meantime to "lick myself." I'm sure I must have given him the strangest look, because he assured me, "No seriously... lick yourself... your sweat has sodium in it." I gingerly touched my tongue to my hand, hoping that would make him happy, said thank you, and went on my way. Gross. But, he was right, and I was relieved when, after some Cytomax and Gu, the numbness went away.

Miles 11 -12.85
As we neared mile 11, more and more people were lining the streets and cheering us on. They also had some coaches in the middle of the road with loudspeakers, trying to motivate us. Some of them wore goofy rock 'n' roll costumes (Elvis and Ozzie), but my favorite was a man with some kind of African accent, shouting "It's all mental now. YOU can do it! YOU can do it! YOU can do it! It's all mental." With every YOU he would point his finger right in the face of whoever was closest to him. It struck me as kind of funny, but also was a reminder I needed! Around mile 11.5, I could see the Alamodome (the finishing landmark) so I thought I was so close, but then the course deceptively wound around for another mile or so before I finally turned towards it. Besides the increasingly loud crowds, they also had wet sponges in this stretch. I hadn't even thought about wanting one, but it felt so good!

And finally ---
THE FINISH LINE!!!
The last .25 miles were uphill! Seriously... who planned that? I was completely caught off guard and nearly burst into tears, but just kept running... er... okay, shuffling to the end.
I have never been so happy to cross a line in my life.
We immediately received our medals, and then were ushered into the recovery area, which was full of snacks and drinks. Meeting up with Daniel was the best feeling... I was soooo happy the race was over and so happy to sit down and talk with him.

So, overall, I will think of this as a great first half marathon. Next time I would definitely like to improve my time, but despite that, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the experience, which was my first goal. I'm already thinking about where I should run my next one.

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Notes to myself (and anyone else who cares) for next time:
1. Start slow! If you think you're running slow, run slower. I wish I had worn a watch so that I could have better kept track of my pace. Also, I don't think I want to start a race with anyone unless I'm 100% sure they're wanting to go at my pace. That way there won't be any pressure to go faster than I want.

2. Get more sodium. I guess some people actually bring little packets of salt to eat along the way. That doesn't sound very appetizing, but I bet it helps!

3. Train with more long distance. Although I followed what my Team in Training coaches told me to do, I think it will work better for me to do it a little differently. Instead of three weeks of tapering, I think two would be sufficient. Also, I think I need to do longer distances on my "easy" days. Maybe some 6 and 7 milers instead of the 4 and 5's they had us running.

4. I need to do more strength training. Especially for my legs, because I did have some knee and hip pain.

5. Be aware of tension. My shoulders and back are incredibly sore today, which did not happen for any of my other long runs, so I must have been tensing up pretty bad.

6. Wear sunscreen. Sunday being halfway through November, sunscreen didn't even cross my mind. Recovering was bad enough without having a sunburn as well!