Race prep
For years I've wanted to do the Chick Fil-A Half (well part of it anyway. I can't run 13.1!). Two years ago I didn't find out they had a relay option until the day before the race and it was too late to sign up. Last year they maybe they didn't offer the relay (there was a reason I didn't sign up), so I finally signed up this year.
I had intended to do the relay with my husband and we each run half of the the race. However, this year when I went to sign up, it was $10 cheaper for us each to do half the half. The same amount of running for $10 less? That's what I signed us up for.
And I've been training for this race since January. I've been gradually bumping up my mileage and following my own version of the Hal Higdon plan. I say it's my own version because I only run three times and week and do something between beginner and intermediate. I do speed work and I do a normal run, usually hilly trails. I did more than 6.5 a few times, I definitely trained for this race well and knew it could go really well.
The week of the race I cleaned up my diet. I ate a tad healthier than normal. No chips. Limited sweets. I didn't go out to eat. I didn't eat fried foods all week. (Even when we went to the new taco place that apparently has great fries.) There was even a baby shower at work the day before the race. I got a plate of cucumbers and grapes. I passed over cake and cookies. And let me tell you baby showers aren't as fun without cake and chips and dip. I even hydrated so well I almost peed my pants in yoga. Seriously, the last 15 minutes of class all I could think about was how much I had to pee and should I run out of class early. I took more off days with my workout too.
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| I did NOT eat this cake. |
The morning of I got up at 5 a.m. and ate a Kind bar. I did a few minutes on the exercise bike to wake up my legs. I stretched. I got dressed. I decided on a hat that matched my crops. Maybe it was too matchy? I did my morning chores and we were out the door my 6:20 a.m. We walked to the race start. It was still dark. And I got really nervous.
There were 1500 people running this race. I HAVE NEVER run a race this big. I have never run a race this long. My running is high school track and cross country. 5ks are the longest thing I've run. And I've only run ONE since high school. I didn't see anyone I knew. There were so many people and I didn't know where to stand.
I ran into a few people I knew. Trae from Aerofit and the Lululemon runners. I had planned to run with the Lululemon girls. They were trying to get a PR for one of the girls at 8:15 mile pace. I figured that's about what I would run. I can run 8:40s on trails. 8 flat on the road for 3-ish. Maybe a tad slower for 6? I was somewhere between pace groups 1:40 and 1:50 so I decided to run with them. And that made me feel less nervous. Matt lined up more to the front.
7:15 a.m.
And then it was race time.
I didn't know how to start all my devices. #firstworldproblems
I wanted to run with Strava for splits. But the Strava app on my apple watch is the worst. You have to touch it to wake it up. The Apple watch has a run app—that's less accurate. So I turned on Strava on my phone and let it run as soon as the national anthem was done and then started the workout on my watch, paused it, and then resumed it when they said GO. Then a half mile in I told Siri to play run playlist and that was all of my million connections. For this race my Apple watch was dead on. It would buzz me exactly at the mile marker signs, so it tracked the distance identical to whoever set the course.
My goal was not to start the race too fast. Like I always do. Flat eight minute mile. I started to run with the Lululemon girls but then took off. Mile one was downhill and awesome. Mile two had a hill. It was okay.
I took some water on mile three because my throat was dry. (Who needs water in a 10k when it's not even hot!?)
On mile three I started feeling a little barfy. A girl in front of me walked. It planted that idea in my head. I didn't walk. I started thinking about barfing.
I saw my brother at around mile 3.5. The gave me some positive energy. He's a cop and was directing traffic. I yelled "HI LITTLE BROTHER" at him.
And then I hit a wall. I started feeling really bad. I felt barfy and wondered if I could drop out of the race for an injury. Did I need help? I just felt bad. I walked a few steps. People passed me. I started again. I hated myself for walking but I needed to.
And this was the part of the course I'd run before. The baby hill that was nothing on NEW legs, but on halfway tired legs, it was too much. I walked again when the hill was the steepest. I kept going.
I had barely glanced at my watch at all during the race. I glanced a few times and it looked like I was running 8 flats until that awful fifth mile. I didn't even glance long enough to see my elapsed time. (Didn't check my time until the end).
Once I topped that hill near Sanford and East Campus I was fine. I knew I only had a mile and change to go and I could do it. And it was all flat or down hill. Hooray! Bonus: They were parachuting cows off a bridge at mile 5 so I got one. And stuck it in my bra and ran. I kept watching my watch and planned to open it up at my 6 to finish strong my last .5 mile.....only I missed the end of the race.
There was a relay exchange zone at mile 6.1. I passed through a timer. The race clock wasn't operational and I was looking for the end of the relay exchange zone or another timer. So I ran to 6.55 and by that time I saw Matt running back telling me there wasn't the end of the race ahead. So I ran/walked back to the 6.1 marker.
(Matt was ahead of me the whole race. Maybe about 20 seconds? The plan was to catch him in the end and finish at the same time, but walking put him further ahead of me, so he finished in front of me.)
GRIPE
The end of the race wasn't marked. There was no sign that said END OF HALF THE HALF. There was no one yelling that the space was the end. There was no finish chute. Nothing. I was saving some speed I never got to use. Ugh.
There was also no shuttle. No one knew where it was so we walked back to the finish line to cheer on the runners. Which is fine. I needed to stretch out my legs.
But we got our medals. Yay!
RESULTS
I didn't know what time I ran because the clock over the "finish" wasn't operational. They didn't have place cards. There was some glitch with the chip timing. So I don't know what time I ran. I stopped my watch at 53 minutes and 6.66 mile when Matt told me to turn back.
I looked at my splits and Strava told me 7:58s for moving time. 8:05 when you figure in the time after I started Strava but before I started running.
My goal was just to finish the race. Under an hour would be nice. 8:15s would have been nice. But 8s. I THOUGHT maybe I could run that on a good day.
I was SUPER HAPPY with my time. I set all kinds of PRs.
This was
MY FIRST BIG RACE
MY FRIST ROAD RACE
MY FIRST 10K
My records:
Fastest 10k: 49:24 (I've run 10ks in practice before.)
Best 2 mile: 14:49 (UNDER 15. This is something I've been shooting for!)
I ran a 7:15 mile today.
I ran a 5k in 23:27.
I did indeed go out too fast, but wow. The training really paid off. If I'd mentally been a little tougher, I could have taken at least 60 seconds off this time (for not walking). I hit that wall because I was pushing my limits. I was really pushing. (It's my first 10k so now I know I can do it.)
(Also it was cold. I have never run in weather this cold before. I kid you not. I'm super sensitive to cold weather. Apparently I can run in the cold. Yay! Not that I want to. I ran in long crops and a long sleeve shirt. At about mile 4 the long sleeve started to annoy me, so arm warmers maybe for another race this temperature?)
Splits: (look at all of these under 8!!)
7:16
7:32
7:49
8:09
8:57 (WALL. I walked. Ugh. I need to do more hills. Though I do a ton every week)
8:09
7:52 (Sigh, I saved up for an 800 meter sprint I never got!)
The race is huge. I didn't think we'd place. I didn't think there was any point for staying for the medal ceremony. And the kiosks with race times (which were cool) didn't have the half the half time on them forever. Matt thought he placed though. Finally right before the ceremony started, I put my bib in and it said 49:47. THIRD OVERAL. SECOND PLACE FEMALE.
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| You can see Matt grinning in the reflection. And 7:36 is way off since the timer was at 6.1 or 6.2 not 6.55 |
"Fuck," I had to stop myself from saying. There was a nice old couple standing by us.
And then Matt put his time in and his was 48:11. Second place overall. First place male.
That, I didn't expect. But I've had good luck in picking races lately.
Pro tip: If you want to finish well in a race, pick a race with two length options. Sign up for the shorter length. The serious runners will take the longer route, and you'll place better in the shorter race. This has worked three times for me. (Last year's trail race, the trail race two weeks ago and today).
There were ~150 people in the 10k. And we did pretty darn good. (It's kind of fun beating the students. Not bad for two 30-somethings.)
I got my cowbell. And some coupons for free Chick Fil-A.
And there was a huge difference between first and second prizes.
Matt got a insulated bag, a lunch bag, $100 to Fleet Feet, 52 chicken sandwich coupons, a cow, gloves, a towel and probably some other goodies.
So overall a good return on our investment.
I'm super happy Matt had such a good race and raced so well. Yes, I'm a tad jealous he won all that stuff (without training as hard as me.) And I'd really wanted to reel him in at the end. But I raced my hardest (except for the walking. That was probably mental) and I'm happy having done the second race of my adult life and the longest distance.
The aftermath
I walked a ton after the race so I didn't stiffen up. My calves were still stiff and sore a few hours later. Matt said he thought it was from racing flats. They're super light weight. So minimal with no real support. I tried rolling my calves, exercise bike, vibrating massage, walking the dog. Still a little stiff. I forget what it's like to be tired after a race.
My splurge was a pizza from Your Pie and some strawberry M&M's.
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