Georgia Peach Jam Half Marathon 2019 Race Recap

I'm not sure I should have run this half marathon. But I ran it last year, and had fun so I wanted to run it this year. And I had this lofty goal of finishing 5 minutes faster than last year. Without really training. (I've been feeling good lately.) I had some good long runs—last week's tempo and the 12 mile before that.

But Matt got sick a week before this race. And I tried EVERYTHING not to get sick. I washed my hands all the time. I kept away from him. But on Thursday, I started coughing and had a massive asthma attack at work.

I went to urgent care and got a steroid shot and z-pack. On Friday and Saturday, I was really sick. Sunday, I felt like I was feeling better. But not quite 100%.

I ran this race sucking on cough drops and with Vick's Vapor Rub on my chest and neck. I figured I could tough it out. I think I underestimated how sick I'd been.

The race

The race started off well enough. I felt good. My first mile was too fast, but it felt easy. Miles 2-4 were dead on pace. (I stopped at one water stop and had a volunteer pour water in my hand bottle. I was too sweaty to unscrew the lid.)

At mile 5, I wanted to quit. I think I walked a few steps to open a cough drop here. I had 8 miles left and I was tired. I didn't think I could finish the race. I told myself to just to to the half way. Mile 6 was okay, I almost got back on pace.

Mile 7, I slowed way down. I saw Matt at some point in mile 6 or 7. I had actually considered calling him to tell him I wanted to quit. Then I saw him and said it's not going well. He said to slow way down and finish. (This is the closest to not finishing I think I've ever come.)

Then I decided to just stop. I told him I needed water, my bottle was almost out. He didn't have any water.

Who crews for their sick wife and doesn't pack water or gatorade? He said last year I refused water. It was 10 degrees hotter this year.

Some nice man poured some in my hand bottle. I asked Matt to open my gels, since I was too sweaty. It took him 60 seconds to open my gels. You just bite and rip. It was the slowest gel opening in the history of the world. I'm just going to say that maybe Matt was still really sick.

And I was back on my way.

The rest helped. I walked on this course occasionally and then I'd feel better. So mile 8 was under 9 minute pace again. Yay.

And then mile 9 was slow. I started feeling like garbage. There really needed to be more water stops on this course. I thought there would be a water stop at 10. There wasn't. Catherine Shinholser caught up to me and asked me if I was okay. I said MEH. And ran about a mile with her. This helped. She had so much energy. And then I lost her. (My bottle was on it's last dregs and it was heating up.)

After 10, my calves started feeling crampy and I knew I needed electrolytes, but there was only one gatorade stop on the course.

I walked again here and there. When I got to 12, I knew I was close enough that I could finish. LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE WALKING. There was one last water stop and this one had ice. This was the best water stop ever. CUPS WITH ICE IN THEM—AMAZING.

I saw Matt before I got to mile 13 and threw him my hand bottle. There was nothing in it and I was tired of carrying it.

I cried at the exact same point I did last year. It's bright glaring daylight and straight up a concrete hill, right before the track. And I just cried and said I couldn't. I walked for about 30 seconds. (Matt walked ahead of me.) Eventually I ran it in. And finished. I got a spinny medal.

I asked Matt to have water, gatorade and a fan at the finish. After I finished, I saw Matt.

"Please tell me you have water," I said.

He didn't. He had to walk to the car. I went and found my own water. (I did not do the dramatic collapse on the ground finish I wanted to.)

Finishing the race was HARDER than running any of my half marathons. It was harder than my PR two months ago. Even hours later, my body is tired. my legs hurt. I'm drained.

My race prep: Zoom Flys, glide, socks, hand bottle,
gels, shorts, headphones, hat on the cooling towel. 

What went right.
1. Carrying a hand-held was the right call. I would have been so much sicker without carrying water. I wish I would have had a second actually.
2. I ate breakfast and fueled right for this one. (I would have liked more gatorade on the course.)
3. I wore new shorts and didn't chafe. Yay.
4. I didn't totally overheat. We're in a heat wave so I was worried. It started out cooler than expected. And a good part of the race was in the shade. It probably made it up to 80 and super humid by the time I finished.
5. I remembered to dump water on my head. Which helped.
6. The race started out well actually.
7. Carrying cough drops was actually a good call too. I think I wouldn't have been able to finish had I been coughing.
8. I did the first two water stops exactly right. So progress. I know how to do them now!
9. I didn't do a cool down, but I walked for maybe 10 minutes after finishing so that helps.

Fellow Athens runners. 

What went wrong.
1. I was just tired. My legs felt fine. I wasn't super overheated. I was just tired. The kind of tired you are after a long workout after around 6 miles. I guess this is from germs and being sick. I didn't feel the endurance I usually have.
2. I did have a cooling towel and couldn't get it wet enough to actually cool. The towel is a good idea, but it was new and I need to figure out how to use it.
3. The course needed more water and gatorade. Also Matt not bringing water for me was disappointing. There probably should have been 3 more water stops for as hot as it was.
4. The greenway wasn't closed, so there were a lot of walkers and cyclists out. At one point, the lead cyclist was leading the top runner in on one side, two large men were walking side by side and I was trying to get by them. (The course is an out and back). I think I nudged between them. But there were a lot of cyclists and walkers on the greenway. Some were courteous. Most were oblivious and in the way. And some were downright rude. It was raining last year so people weren't out and about. Just lots of obstacles to go around. (Note if you find yourself out and about and a race comes by, maybe be nice and encouraging and try to not get in people's way.) I did like seeing the dogs.

I don't actually know how I finished this race. I was so tired the rest of the day. It wasn't as bad as my long Fort Yargo race or my first 5k, but it was tough. I wouldn't say it was a bad race. I was 2 minutes slower than last year and still well under 2 hours. Am I disappointed in myself? No. Only that I didn't recognize this race would be this hard. I did wonder if I should do this race.

As for mental toughness—was I mentally tough? My body was screaming at me to stop. Louder than it usually does. I would tell myself how lucky I was to be out and running on a pretty greenway. I would tell myself to smile. I would tell myself just to get to the next mile marker. I don't know if mental toughness counts when you're this sick.

Also, thank you for running a few miles me: Virginia Brooks and Catherine Shinholser.

Post race food

What's next? I think I'll take a half marathon break. I would like to do rogue runs this summer. But maybe I'll get my mile time down this summer.

Skidaway Half Marathon Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the Skidaway Island Half Marathon. It was half marathon No. 3. My first since Seawheeze. The goal was a 1:45 half. That's 8 minute miles. I've been training forever for this race. And the training cycle went pretty well. A missed week or two here or there, but no dramatic months off or serious injuries.

The training plan went up to 15 miles (ouch!) and had some hard tempos. I did a 10 mile tempo two weeks before the race. I thought the training went as well as it could have. I probably could have done a few more miles. But pretty well.

I tapered the week of the race. And didn't have any taper tantrums. I honestly love 30 minute runs. It's perfect. I loved having the extra time. 

I was pretty nervous going into this race. The plan was to start out 8:10/8:15 and drop down to an 8 minute pace and make up the time at the end.

We showed up race day and it was still dark. But I got in a quick warmup, rolled my leg and stretched. The weather was 50 degrees and pretty perfect. The race started at 7:11, rather than 7 a.m. but okay. For fuel, I did one pack of caffeinated Cliff Blocs and one packet of caffeinated honey stingers. 

The race

I started off faster than planned. I really tried to stay back from the 1:45 group. I wanted to start slow, but there I was.

Mile 1: 7:59

Mile 2: 7:58

I was feeling good, I wasn't working too hard. My hands were cold. But they warmed up by about 20 minutes in. 

Mile 3: 8:06. Because of a water stop. I had to grab the water. Stop. Drink. Throw. That's the 6 seconds on my very practiced pace. 

Mile 4: 8:02. Back on pretty much pace. Easy enough pace to kind of chat. Going well. 

Mile 5: 8:12. Another water stop. 

Mile 6: 8:05. Close-Ish. I was having trouble finding the pace at this point. At halfway point I was on track for a 1:46, which was fine. I knew I needed to keep pushing.

Mile 7: 8:00. Found the pace. Had to work for it a little.

Mile 8: 8:02. This is when I left my friend, who I had been running with. The pace was slowing down and I felt good so I went for it. 

Mile 9: 8:03. I honestly thought I had more 8 minute miles. Looking back at my splits I was running slow for the second half. I couldn't find someone to run with. I was running solo.

Mile 10: 8:11: This water stop. They were all holding cups of gatorade. I wanted water. I had to double back and get a cup from the table. 

Mile 11: 8:06. I'm sure I was grimacing at this point. It wasn't fun. 

Mile 12: 8:11. I tried to run through this water stop and ending up coughing for 30 seconds. It was awful. 

Mile 13: 7:48. Well at least I did what I was supposed to on this mile. 

Last .18. 7:17 pace. As I tried to pass a 22-year-old guy. He matched my speed and on the results he beat me, but I swear I finished first. 

The clock was on the high end of 1:45 as I came through and I was trying to make it in under 1:46. Final results were 1:45:59

After the race:

I was fine. I wasn't spent. Or tired. My legs didn't hurt. And I knew I should have pushed myself harder. I drank some water. I grabbed a granola bar. I went and found my friend who was running.

I ate the granola bar and got some gatorade. I did a .5 mile cool down and stretched. A gnat bit me in the shoulder, so I changed into long sleeves and put some bug spray on. 

Accurate. Glad to be done

Then I walked the last 2.2 miles of the course, found Matt finishing his marathon and ran the last 2.2 with him. I tried to chat with him, but he asked met be quiet so we ran in silence. He kept telling me it hurt. (And my knee wasn't happy with all the extra miles.) He'd ask me how much further and I would guess. So I ran him in, and he finished his first marathon in 4:11:20. I thought running him in was a nice supportive thing to do. 

All in all, I did about 40,000 steps that day. I ran about 16.4 miles that day and walked another 2.2. Those last 2 miles might not have been the wisest. 

What went well

• Pre race prep. I ate healthy for 10 days up to the race and hydrated really went.

• The course was beautiful. Flat. Well marked. And the weather was perfect. (I'd do this race again). The medal was big and TONS OF RACE PHOTOS!!! 

• My pacing was pretty consistent. A 10 second swing in mile times is pretty dead-on.

• I didn't give up. I never thought I couldn't do this. I have enough fight to keep going. 

• I had a 2 minute PR. Which is awesome. 

What I might go back and change

• The whole reason I wanted to wear the pack was to avoid water stops. So possibly wear the pack. (I'm mad at myself because I WANTED to wear the vest. I trained with it. Did tempos with it. Then I wouldn't have to stop. But I didn't wear it.)

• I wish I had been better on those water stops. Stop. Run through and cough? I need more practice in this. Matt said I didn't need water stops. But my calves didn't cramp like they did my last half. Running in South Georgia, I'd rather have water. 

• I wish I had raced a little harder and pushed myself. I wished I had pushed myself those extra 3 seconds a mile. I wished I had stuck with some of those people who ran ahead of me. I could have kicked it harder.  (Maybe more tempos at 7:57 pace for next time?) 

I should be happy with this race, but it was a little slower than I wanted. And I'm just mad at myself for not pushing a tiny bit harder. 59 seconds. That's how much I was off my goal. I did have trouble finding the pace. Matt thought maybe I should do more longer tempos. 

What next?

I'm considering running the Twilight 5k in a month. I have no 5k speed at the moment. But it's a good local race maybe a rust buster?

Am I done with half marathons? Do I want to try for that one more minute? There's a downhill half in a month. (Seems too soon). And the Georgia Peach Jam that at the end of May that I ran last year. But half marathons take so much time and effort to train for. I don't get to run enough races when I'm training for a half. 

I guess we'll see. 

Seawheeze 2018 Race Recap

Seawheeze is hands down the best race I've ever run.

It's fun, well organized, well thought out and just head and shoulders above even Disney races.

What makes it so amazing?
1. The energy on the course. So many cheering people and cheer stations. I couldn't stop smiling.
2. The attention to detail. Meet your pacer before the race. Take a rolling class before the race. Get a massage after the race.
Yep, it was awesome.

The lotto
I entered the lotto to get into Seawheeze in January. I'd heard good things about it (everyone raves about it), so I decided to try. And I didn't get in. It's a 10,000 person race and probably 70,000 people want to do it. (And it IS worth the hype.)

Fast forward to June 23 when I get an email that I got in. (Thanks whoever asked for a refund!). And I said YES. It wasn't quite a full training cycle, but close enough and I was already doing 10 miles every Sunday. So I trained for this race and a mile race at the same time. I killed my legs during the hardest week, but I made it to the race. (I just want to say I trained REALLY hard for this race. I upped my mileage. I went from 4 days a week to 5. I started doing group long runs on a HARD route that killed me the first few times. I went up to 14 miles. I did lots of speed and tempo work. I worked hard. Had to ease off towards the end to not get injured. And I had great friends to get me TO the race and help me with pacing and long run company.)

Trip to Vancouver
Thursday
I flew in Thursday for the Saturday race. I picked up my gear drop bag, and chip timer (shoe chip not a bib) and a cool water bottle with a course map on it. There was no race bib, and no race T-shirt. (There is a custom store, so lots of Seawheeze merchandize).

Friday
I got in line around 6 a.m. for the Seawheeze showcase store, where they sell exclusive merchandize.

Line to the showcase store

Showcase store

My haul

Later that day I met the pacers, did a rolling class (awesome) and a shakeout run.

Met my pacers. Eugene was from San Diego and Hollis from New York.

Rolling class. One of my favorite parts of the race weekend.

Shake out run. 2 miles. Fall leaves!

I went to bed super early.

Saturday: Rainy race day

Nike Zoom Fly plus chip timer.

I left the hotel and my shoes were soaked within 4 blocks because it was already raining. I almost went back to the hotel to change into my waterproof Nikes, but realized the chip timer was on my Nike Zoom Flys, so I couldn't change shoes. I went to the convention center, where I decided to stay inside as long as possible to stay warm and dry. I also got there super early to drop off my gear drop bag (filled with warm clothes). I've worked enough races to know that everyone comes at once and that earlier is better for lines and registration. Then I stretched and lurked by the door until the last possible second. (There was a group warmup. I skipped it. The walk from my hotel plus stretching was good enough for me.)

What to wear when racing in 55 degree rainy weather:
My racing shoes, Features socks, Lululemon fast and free crops,
Lululemon arm warmers, Lululemon hat and my Athens Road Runners singlet. 

I finally went outside and got in the area with my pace group: 1:50 and we walked up to the starting line. They sang the Canadian National Anthem. It was beautiful. Then a mindfulness ambassador told us to take a minute to appreciate our bodies and tell us about the native land we were about to run through. His speech was so moving, I almost cried. Yes, thank you body for getting me here!

After that it was race time, I was in the second wave. 1:40 or above was the in the first wave, 2 hours and below in the second wave.

My race goals!

My plan was to stay with the 1:50 paces for 2-3 miles and then take off. I found the pacers and ran with them. (My goal going into this race was 1:50. That's what I trained for. A few weeks before the race people tried to talk me into a faster pace, so I set 1:48 as a stretch goal. My main goal was to finish without having a crying breakdown.)

The first mile of the course was really, really slow. There were so many people to move around. (Looking back, I wonder if I should have started with the 1:40 group to avoid this.) It was way more congested than a Disney race.

Mile 1: 8:44. 20 seconds slow. (It's fine, I'll do a faster mile at the end.)
Mile 2: 8:16, right on pace. I was still moving around people like crazy. (Pacer was reminding people to breathe and shake out the stiffness in their arms.)
Mile 3: 8:19 and I stayed with the pacer. I was a tiny bit nervous about going off on my own. But I did. "Make your move with confidence," the pacer said. And I did.
~26 minutes (I knew I was going to have a good race when I was less out of breath than the pacer)

Mile 4: 8:10
Mile 5: 7:58 (I looked at my watch and realized this was TOO fast so I slowed it down some. But this felt EASY).
Mile 6: 8:12
I hit the halfway point around 54:30. So I knew I'd have to speed up some to hit my 1:48 goal, but I knew I was on pace for 1:50 and it felt awesome.
This part of the race went down a bridge (slight downhill) and then back up it. So you could see the leaders which was awesome, but then I had a hill to climb. it was so gradual I didn't notice it honestly. I was trying to find people to stay with since my pace wasn't that all over the place, but I couldn't find anyone. I did my best to stay with the pack, to not fall behind and not not let people pass me. In general I was moving up in the race. I was still moving around a ton.
And there were a ton of aid stations. I was taking SO MANY gels. And at some point I accidentally poured Nuun into my water bottle, which I later had to pour out since stevia does not agree with my stomach. (Also I ran with my hand bottle for some weird reason.)

Mile 7: 8:27. I was worried about going too fast so I slowed it down too much. Oops
Mile 8: 7:56. And this felt so easy.
Mile 9: 8:21. Speeding up and slowing down. Still going with the pack here.
Now we were running along the sea wall. The path was more narrow. It was still crowded, lots of movement. The mile markers were not in the right place at all. There wasn't as much crowd support at all. Just the grey rainy sky, and the occasional sidewalk river/puddle to avoid.

Mile 10: 8:20 (I didn't realize I was slowing down at this point. Not really watching my watch)
Mile 11: 7:56. Another sub 8 mile. (It feels so easy that I feel like a 1:45 might be in reach.)
Mile 12: 8:18. (Speed up, slow down. Guess I'm not a metronome.) My calf started cramping with 1.5 to go. I told my calf to shut up and tough it out. I knew I could finish. And that I needed to speed up. My plan was to do with last 2 miles fast, but that didn't happen
Mile 13. 7:50. Calf was cramping every minute or so. I was ignoring it. I knew I was close to finishing. I had no idea my cumulative time. But thought I'd hit my goal.
Last .2. My Garmin measured this course long which is not surprising given all the weaving. I felt like I was slogging around barely finishing. 7:16 pace

My final time was 1:48:15. Which is my stretch goal. And almost 7 minutes faster than my last half marathon. I average 8:12 a mile, which was my stretch goal.

Finish line. Way in the distance.

Someone had told me to think of a half as 4 5ks. So if it was 4 5ks: 26:14, 26, 25:24, 25:31. Which is a nice negative split.

I am super proud of how I did. I met my stretch goal. I didn't give up. I didn't cry. I felt strong, like I could do this. It made want to sign up for another half to get my time down to 1:45. Because those 7:55 miles felt easy.

After the race, we walked up a hill and kept getting race swag: space blanket, sunglasses, hat, more Nuun, boxed brunch. And then Mecca—Feel Better Bay. Can every race have this?

I got my gear drop bag and changed out of my wet clothes (into shorty shorts and a long sleeve and yelped while taking off my shoes. Calf pain!). And then there were free massages, and chiropractors. I really wanted my leg worked on, but didn't have time to wait in line. The line wasn't bad but I had to check out of my hotel soon, so I got on an exercise bike. Then a guy told me about the theraguns. Sold.

Could I have broken 1:48?
I'm honestly not that critical of my performance. It was a 7 minute PR. I did well. I ran hard and didn't give up. I didn't cry. I didn't hit the wall. My calf started cramping and I told it to stop. (Which IS mental toughness.) I willed it to do another mile and a half.

Would I have liked more even splits? Probably—but I went with the flow of the race and didn't have my own pacer. I didn't get left behind. I gradually moved up in the race. Should I have looked at my watch more? I'm not worried.

Notes to myself for next year (because I really do want to go back)
• If I'd know about the first mile congestion, I might have started at the back of the 1:40 wave. It might have helped?
• Volunteer. I did like the volunteer shirts.
• My hotel was too expensive. I would stay someplace else next year.
• And don't do 11 a.m. checkout right after the race. (I asked for a late checkout and they were hesitant. For what I was paying an hour late checkout should have been fine.)
• I would go to the sunset festival if just to shop.
• Try more restaurants. I was way of what I ate before the race, and didn't try new foods until after the race. So maybe more time after the race next year or research clean eating places before I go. (I did really like Freshii).

What I didn't like
• Honestly, I spent too much money on the race. The registration fee is actually a value. it's not much more than normal half marathons and you get a ton of swag. But the airfare, hotel and shopping made this race expensive!! Could I have done it cheaper? If I had gotten in at the normal time (not six months later), I could have gotten a seawheeze rate at the nice hotels. I didn't buy TOO much.
• I got in through the lottery. So I didn't get a pair of shorts. :( I didn't like the design this year, so I'm not too devastated. But Seawheeze did an online pre-sale and the tracker shorts I would have purchased weren't available in the U.S. And I didn't like any shorts in the Seawheeze shop. I didn't like that lotto entries didn't get shorts.
(So if you get in during the lotto, you don't get the perks that people who get in first chance do.)
• There was no bib. Not a deal breaker, but I would have liked a Seawheeze bib. (I heard Lululemon doesn't want anything covering up their clothes or putting holes in their clothes.)
• The rain. It was pretty dreary and rainy the entire time I was there. My luggage was even slightly damp when I got back. I got the authentic experience, and a little rain never hurt anyone. But more sunshine (and fewer puddles) would have been nice.

Overall
The Seawheeze half marathon is amazing. And if you have a chance to run it, you should. I really want to go back for next year.

Week off running

After my half marathon, I took the week off running. I'm not sure I've taken a week off this year. I've been training pretty hard, so week off it is. I didn't run. I ate junk. It was awesome.

I thought I'd miss running or get antsy without running or moving, but I didn't. (Should I have done some yoga or cycling? Probably. But I was too tired.)

Sunday: Off. I spend most of Sunday traveling. Saw a waterfall. Took a ferry to Victoria Island. (Ate french fries)

Flight back to Atlanta

Bland tacos. Worst tortilla chips ever. LAX.

So tired.

Monday: Off: All day in airports. (LAX does not have good food or enough chairs. Ate a Chick Fil-A sandwich at 10 p.m.)

Tuesday: Back at work. Fell asleep as soon as I got home. (Brought home tacos for dinner to make up for the AWFUL LAX tacos)

Wednesday: Was supposed to lead a trail run. It started lightning. I didn't even get the water out of my car. (Ate Oreos)

Thursday: Off. Went to an event to rep Athens Road Runners. (Ate cookies). (Lunch had fried chicken tacos. Sooo good.)

Friday: Off. Went to a Ladies Night at the local running store. Bought two shirts and some pink socks. (Had Chick fil-A with waffle fries and Chick-fil-A sauce as my cheat. Also ate a donut. And two ghost cookies.)

Saturday: I decided my legs were probably getting really stiff, so I ran one mile to end my week off running.
My legs felt 100% fine on my short run. But afterwards, they felt like crap. Whatever lactic acid etc had been building up in my legs was awful. I soaked my legs in epsom salt twice. I rolled. I got on the exercise bike. I rolled and stretched some more. I also napped a lot. I had big plans for Saturday, but my body wanted sleep.

Race recap: Georgia Peach Jam

I signed up to do a half marathon on Memorial Day. The medal was cool (it spins!). I liked the idea of doing a long run on my day off. The course was flat. I was IN.

So I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and left my house at 5:10 a.m. to go to a race 90 minutes away.

I didn't plan on RACING the half marathon. I haven't been training for it. My 10k training plan went up to 12 miles, so I thought I'd do it as a long run (having run 12 miles twice within the last month) and see what happened. The trail half in February almost killed me and an informal half the first week of April went well: 1:56 not counting a few breaks for friends).

And then the rain started. It's been raining for a solid week. I was convinced the race was going to be a monsoon with standing water and slippery wooden bridges. I was kind of hoping it rained out. It didn't. I went anyway.

We got there plenty early: 6:30 a.m. (There was no traffic that early in the morning.) I picked up my bib and was pretty thrilled that there were REAL RESTROOMS at the course. At least three sets of real restrooms (not port-a-potties) near the start. I went to the bathroom. And then I just sat in the car for awhile so I wouldn't get cold or wet. (The women in the cars on both sides of ours were also waiting in their cars.) Around 7 a.m. I got out of the car to warm up and stretch (in my rain jacket).

Yep, still drizzling. Matt looked at the radar and predicted the race would be mostly dry. (Haha)

Finally, I went to the starting line, on a track, and lined up for the 7:30 a.m. start. After overheating the last two races, I ran in my sports bra this morning. It was raining and I did not want to run in a wet tank top. I looked around and was surprised there weren't more shirtless guys or ladies in sports bras. Eventually I did spot a handful of ladies in sports bras. (And this tactic worked. I didn't overheat or have to worry about a wet tank).

Going in to the race my goal was just to run under 2 hours, for a Strava badge. At 9-minute miles this was doable. If I was having a good day, I could run the first half in 9 minute miles and then cut down like I have before.

But I ended up going out faster than planned, but it felt like an easy enough speed so I stuck with it.
8:30
8:28
8:36
8:40
8:30
8:36
8:36
8:46

At mile 9 I slowed down to 9:05 a mile. Which was pretty close to my first goal so I wasn't worried about it. I was also running with a group of people and just matching their pace. They slowed down. I passed them and picked mile 10 back to 8:39. And knew I'd have my Strava best 10-mile time.

Mile 11 was back at 9:06. But I knew I could practically walk the last two miles and make my goal of under 2 hours at this point.

Mile 12 I ran in 9:17. I was getting tired. Matt says, "It's funny how you have to speed up at the end of the race to keep the same pace." This is also maybe the first point in the race I was by myself. I'd run most of the race with people everywhere, but it really thinned out here and I ran the last two miles almost solo.

Mile 13 the wheels fell off. It was 12.5 miles and I had .7 to go (because the course and my watch weren't matching up). I saw Matt and had a very dramatic breakdown. (Looking back, it was very much a tired toddler reaction.)

He offered me water.

There were four water stops on the course. I used all of them. I didn't need water. I wanted him to be at the finish line.  

And my legs just decided to quit at this point. I asked for help. "I need help," I said in practically a cry.

He kind of slow jogged with me a little, maybe six feet to my left where I couldn't quite see him.  "You can do it," he said very calmly. This is the first time I walked. And I tried to run some. But he was super far away and not very enthusiastic. And I said I needed help again (super dramatic, I totally melting with a tired toddler who needs a nap). And then he kind of just gave up.

I wanted to run right behind me and push me on. I wanted him to tell me to trust the training or that I could do it. To be right on my shoulder in the most annoying way possible and to be super peppy about that I could do it. But all of this was in my head.

I ended up walking once more but picked it up for a 9:29 mile. (I knew I could still make my goal, so I wonder if I gave myself permission to slow down on some level.)

The race finished at the track and I knew I couldn't walk on the track. So I finished. My watch said 13 miles and my time was 1:55:04.

And then I walked .11 miles so Strava would give me my half marathon badge.

I drank some water. I took my shoes off (I really wanted my shoes off). My waterproof shoes were great, but my feet were steamy and hot from the miles. Matt went and got my backpack so I could change out of super wet clothes.

I went to the bathroom and changed slowly. My sports bra was dripping water. I had wrung my shorts out some of the course. It had drizzled the entire time. I wish I would have brought a wet-dry bag. (Note: none of the bridges were slippery, but the course was a puddle fest.)

And then I went to look at results. I got third in my age group. Yay. So we stuck around for medals. And I got to stand on the podium. I met another Road Runner who was at the event. (She ran WAY faster than me.)

After that I tried to cool down. But my legs didn't want to run. I ran/walked and then stretched.

And then it was time to go home. We stopped by Moe's for some food.

Thoughts on the race
• The medals are cool. I wasn't expecting TWO medals
• I was pretty pleased with a 1:55
• I think the key to having a good race is low expectations :)
• Why do I always DIE on the last mile? This happened on my last half too? Maybe it's because I only train UP TO 12.
• Mental toughness: still need to work on that. I was pretty positive for the first 10 miles. I told myself that I run well in the rain, that I was going to have a good 10-mile time.
• ALL OF MY HALF MARATHONS HAVE BEEN IN THE RAIN.
• Definitely went better than my first half marathon. I bonked in the same place. But I was 10 minutes faster. I didn't get super dehydrated and sick at 3 p.m. My splits were more even. It was an easier experience.
• Would I do it again? Part of me wants to shave some of those slower times off (Maybe 2-3 minutes). I might do another half again but I don't plan on training for one this summer. I'm looking to get my mile and 5k time down.
• All in all: a great race, well organized, nice course. (Matt admitted he should have done the 5k, which I tried to get him to do.) This is definitely a race to consider. My only complaints are the weather (but it was very run-able, not too hot), and my brain wanting to quit.

Strava
• I got my May half marathon badge
• I got my project 1:59 badge
• Strava DID NOT give me a half marathon PR for some weird reason
• I did get records for my best 15k, best 10 miles and best 20k.

How to recover from a half marathon

It's been a week since my trail half marathon. I didn't think it would take me this long to recover but it did. It took me a solid week.

I googled how long it should take to recover from a half marathon a lot.

I thought since I was kind of counting the run as my long run for the week and didn't go especially fast that I'd be fine just like after a long run. But it took me longer to bounce back and that's fine. I thought it would take 2-3 days, like maybe a serious runner. But apparently I fell closer to *casual* runner in terms of recovery. I like to think that I'm tough. Maybe I'm just not as tough as I want to be.

After the race
After the race, I changed out of my wet clothes as soon as possible. I put on compression sleeves. I walked around some and stretched. I wasn't really hungry but I forced myself to eat a packet of trail mix. And eventually I remembered to drink water. I took two small cups of gatorade. I drove home (stopped and got a sandwich and forced myself to eat half) and kept walking around. Since I had to walk the dog and get ready for a board meeting.

At maybe 4 hours after the race, I started to feel really sick. I was shaking. I was having some GI issues. I couldn't breathe. I downed two huge cups full of water and felt better. I forced myself to eat the other half of the sandwich (and still wasn't hungry). I rolled my legs out.

My calves started cramping up a tad that night at the board meeting from all the sitting. I rolled more.

The day after

My toenails have never hurt this much in my life. It was so painful.

I knew at mile 8 that I was going to have blisters or toenail issues. I pounded those uphills and downhills and felt it. I knew I could run another 4 miles so it wasn't an issue. I ended up with one blood blister on a toenail that was already black before the race. I drained the blister after the race and didn't have any more blisters. Just the black toenails. Two of which turned purple a few days after the race. Not immediately. In retrospect, I should have laced my shoes better. Because my shoes were the right size, and I wore good socks (so I didn't get more blisters), it was just all of the hills.

But the day after, I soaked my feet in epsom salt and it was amazing. (I've done this most days since). I soaked my feet and put ointment and bandaids on my toenails.

My legs felt fine. I went on a walk.  I did some yoga. I took it easy. Had a headache and made sure to drink plenty of water.

Two days later. 
That Monday, I felt like I should run to shakeout my legs. But I was super busy and tired. So I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike to get things moving.

(I did NOT want to wear shoes). I had a headache and forced myself to drink water most of the day.

Three days later

That Tuesday, I did 4 easy miles. I did have to stop a few times. It wasn't a great run, but I felt like I needed to get things moving.

Four days after

Wednesday. I felt bad for missing Tuesday speed work, so I tried to do some speed. My training plan had 4 miles at race pace. Which is in the 7:25-7:30 range.
Mile 1: 7:36.
Mile 2: 7:45.

I couldn't hit the goal pace. And I felt tired. So I took a break and walked 200 meters after the first two miles.

Mile 3: 7:42
Mile 4: 7:29

So I hit a total of one mile at goal pace. One.

It was weird. My legs didn't feel tired, the way my legs usually feel tired. I've run on tired legs. But the run felt weird. Nothing hurt. Towards the end of the run, my thighs felt a little like jelly. Just my thighs. They were moving, but not as fast as I wanted. Nothing hurt. I was just working really hard for what should come fairly easily.

I'm telling myself that putting in the work counts for something. That ALMOST FAST miles are better than no miles?

Five days after.
Thursday. I usually take Thursday off. I was a tad busy, so I did 20 minutes on the exercise bike and 20 minutes worth of core.

Six days after

It was a glorious day. The weather was warm (perfect) and the sky was blue. It was the perfect day for a run. My plan was to do my long run—8 miles.

Mile 1 was sluggish. At mile 2, I fell. And while I usually get right back up. I sat there for maybe 90 seconds not wanting to get up. I eventually did. And then went to the bathrooms. It was hot so I wanted water. The water fountains had been taken out of the bathrooms. At mile 3, I knew I wasn't doing 8. I finished 4 and then eked out five miles. I stopped a lot during the run. It was an awful run.

My legs didn't feel tired the way they usually feel tired. My body was just screaming to stop. In retrospect, I ran it like when I've run when I'm sick. Like I don't have enough energy. So I ran five miles and was completely discouraged. At this point, I haven't had a good run 2+ weeks.

Seven days later
I was supposed to run in the morning. Before going to two birthday parties. But I really didn't have time to get in a run before leaving at 9. So I skipped my run. I should have done it after the two parties. But I'm always drained after being around people that much. So I took a nap and decided my legs could use another day of rest. I did some exercise bike and abs (and soaked my feet, like I've done almost every day this week).

Day 8
My legs finally felt normal and it was a good run. FINALLY.

So it took a week to recover from the trail half. It's okay to rest. It's okay to take it easy on your legs. I'm glad I got through that.

Workouts this week: 4 runs, 2 exercise bike, 2 core workouts, 1 yoga
Miles this week: 19