I made it! I went out too fast in the heat , stuck with the 2:10 pace group for 6 miles, then crashed and dropped way down to finish at 2:27, my worst time ever.
But I finished, I had a strong start, and I’ve got a medal earned and a lesson learned! (Train for long races. Don’t cram it into four weeks and pray. Especially if you’re an atheist.)
Greg did great on the other hand – came in 55th overall out of over 3,000 runners with a time of 1:31:34. No big deal.
Then after the finish Matt Frazier from No Meat Athlete came over to talk to us because he knows Greg and we were wearing his shirts.
Also no big deal.
I saw Will and Andrew with my inlaws twice on the course, and it was awesome to see them!
The race was well directed and organized – it was hot and hilly, but I’d consider doing it again.
Hope you had a good running weekend!
I totally get what you were saying in your previous post before the half. One thing I have learned from you is to take it as a lesson learned and not beat yourself up about it. You are still at it and you still have it in you – you know you can do it when you put the training in. I’ve tapered down quite a bit – haven’t run in a week and then it was only 2 miles although at a really good pace for me. I know I can do more if and when I set my mind to it.
It’s good to get to the point where you know that a lull in running isn’t the end of your running! It gives us the ability to take time to recover or prioritize life / family, but still feel like running is an important part of who we are that we’re going to continue to do. I feel the best when I run at least 9 miles a week – but the weeks that just can’t happen no longer make me freak out that I’m not going to keep running!
Hi Kelly!
It was so great to see you out there yesterday. Your perseverance was awesome. Especially when you said at one point that you were not having fun (it was HOT!). The fact that you kept keep going is truly inspiring! If I were feeling down at a point in a race, I might not keep going. But you did and THAT is amazing. I’ve also learned that hard lesson of attempting a “race” on little training – it ends up not being so much of a race and more of a LONG slog 🙂
I’m very jealous that you met Matt Frazier. I love his blog and have his book. So cool that you got a pic with him.
Congrats!
Thanks Amanda! And thanks for the encouragement on the course – it’s so nice that you came out as a spectator to cheer on your friends, coworkers and teammates! It always feels great to see someone you know when you’re running 🙂 Wish I’d been able to look as good as I did when you saw me around mile 4 or 5 – but hey, you saw me sticking with the 2:10s and looking great, so you’re now my favorite person ever as a witness that I started out strong! I’ll train better next time… chase you at the Chilly Half Marathon in November?
I’ll be there! Yes, let’s both TRAIN for that one 🙂
You still lapped everyone on the couch! Great job getting it done. I have a half coming up this weekend, but it’s a trail race so I really have no clue what to expect for time. I just want to finish it! I’ve already decided though, that I do not like Spring races. The weather is too uncooperative and I feel like there’s been no time to train or adjust from the weather going from freezing to hot and humid. Oh well, we do this because it’s fun, right?! Congrats again!
I bet that will be beautiful! I’d like to do more trail running around here, my town has a gorgeous trail system and I don’t adequately take advantage of it. (It’s hard with the double jogger, but there’s no reason I can’t do more of my long runs on them when I have a babysitter!) I completely agree with you about Spring races – not enough time to train unless you’re super dedicated during the winter when the weather is freezing (and maybe even icy!) and then race day can be hotter than you’re prepared to run in. I think fall and late fall events are fantastic! Nice to start realizing what I enjoy doing 🙂 I almost signed up for the Shipyard Half Marathon in July, in Portland ME this year because I remember thinking last year when Greg ran it that I’d like to be able to do it. Now I’m realizing that while I’d like to be ABLE to do it, I would not like to ACTUALLY do it. WAY too hot and sunny, and there’s actually steps on the course. Like, a staircase. No thank you.