I dreamed. I trained. I strategized. I worried.
I RAN.
13.1 Miles… Done! I am so pleased with my first half marathon. I feel as though I prepared adequately, had a realistic goal and strategy, and I worked as hard as I could on race day.
Race Highlights:
- Feeling strong and never losing focus
- Always believing that I would run to the finish, and that I was going to make my time goal
- Seeing the comraderie of other women runners on the course
- Beautiful race weather
- The satisfaction of completing an extremely challenging course
- Having a woman tell me that I pulled her up a hill because she decided to stick with me and I kept on running
- Finding out that fellow race participants thought Greg was a professional photographer and kept posing for him at mile 9 where he was waiting to see me (see more race photos here)
Race Lows:
Late Start = Hungry Runners! This was the first year that Run Like a Diva took place in D.C.’s Wine Country, and there were some major growing pains for the race directors. The course started and finished at Tarara Winery, and there’s basically only one major road coming into the winery. With thousands of race participants all trying to get to the same place at the same time, we were stuck in stop and go traffic for FIFTEEN MILES on the morning of the race. We left an hour before we needed to be in the parking area, figuring that Google Maps said it should take us 25 minutes, so that gave us over twice the amount of time needed. We barely made it, and only because Greg looked at a map and found a back way into the winery that cut off four miles of bumper to bumper cars.
Because there were so many cars backed up trying to get to the start line, they couldn’t shut the roads down to start the race, even if they were willing to upset all the race participants who had been stuck in traffic for miles by commencing without them.
They delayed the race by 30 minutes, then 45, then just kept saying they’d let us know when it was going to start. The race finally started 90 minutes after start time. Guess what? We’d all eaten breakfast at 5:30 a.m. – and we were hungry! Even those of us with food weren’t sure how much we should eat and when, because right up until five minutes prior to start time, we didn’t know it was going to start! I was in the bathrooms when the National Anthem started, and I booked it to the start line. The lines for the porta-potties were so long and so noisy that we hadn’t heard the announcer say they were about to begin – for most of us, the anthem was our only warning. Yikes.
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Long lines at the porta-potties are typical at any big race – but a 90 minute delay made things worse!
We waited half an hour. |
Not only was I hungry on the course (thank goodness I had extra Gu packets) because I’d eaten breakfast 3.5 hours before the start, I was also deliriously hungry at the finish. I took a cookie, banana, and half a bagel, but it wasn’t nearly enough and we weren’t allowed back into the race finish area to get additional food. We sat for half an hour getting out of the parking lot, and didn’t get lunch until 8 hours after I’d eaten breakfast. By the time we made it somewhere for lunch, un-showered thanks to the race delay and the urgency that we get food, I was pale in the face, my hands were shaking, and it took ten minutes of slow eating before my stomach settled and color returned to my face. Not the fun lunch in historic Leesburg I was expecting!
Frantic start meant that people weren’t properly seeded: The late start and disorganized beginning meant that people didn’t self-seed properly in their pace corrals at the start line. There were people walking in the first mile who started in the 10 minute pace group, and the rest of us were tripping around them because of the intense crowding during the first few miles. The pace groups should have been much further apart for such a large race, and people should have had more warning that the race delay was over and we needed to line up the right way!
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Elevation map from my Garmin.
Up and down and up and down and up and down…. |
Unexpectedly hilly course with large, unpaved sections: The course was a lot hillier than I’d anticipated! In the original course description online, Run Like a Diva advertised “only 2 areas of uphill running where you will gain less than 90 feet over 2 miles in each of these two sections”.
Ok, so I took that to mean that the elevation gain would be pretty minimal. Instead, I discovered that the entire middle section of the course was hills. Steep uphill, steep downhill, repeat. Every time we rounded another corner, we had to go uphill. From the top of every hill, we could see another hill. IT WAS BRUTAL.
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| The hilliest sections are highlighted in blue – you can see my corresponding pace drop. |
Clearly the course description was wrong, because In mile 6 alone I gained 127 feet of elevation. That’s not 90 feet over two miles, that’s 127 in ONE mile. The mile before that I gained 69, the mile after, 79. The overall course gained 690 feet of elevation, and lost 674. My calves hurt, and then my knees hurt, for a large percentage of the course.
My husband Greg, who has run 9 half marathons, has never run a hillier course than this one. His largest elevation gain in a half marathon course comes in fifty feet shy of this one.
I had to throw my original race strategy out the window. No longer could I plan to take a 90 second walking break at about each 3 miles or the water stations. I had to save all my walking breaks for the steepest uphill sections. I walked on sections of hill where it was so steep that I was speed walking past runners who were too stubborn to take a walking break. The hills were that bad.
In a way, it was nice, because I felt incredibly accomplished at the finish, and because I just stopped worrying about race strategy. I just survived each moment the best I could, put my feet in front of each other as quickly as possible, and never gave up for that entire 13.1 miles.
Enough complaints! The bigger the challenge, the more pride you feel in completion.
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| Great spectators! |
So, it was hilly, we started late, it was crowded… some of these things are just part of a big race experience. I think one of the reasons most of us run is that we enjoy facing a challenge and conquering it. These were just unexpected challenges. If I’d known how hilly the course was, I wouldn’t have chosen it for my first half marathon. That being said, I’m really proud of myself for completing it, and in the time goal I’d originally set for myself. It was incredibly difficult, and every hill made me long for a flat stretch of road so I could just RUN instead of climb, but I did it.
For future events with a large number of participants, I’ll be sure to leave even earlier, pack extra snacks and liquids in case of delays, and make sure I have something to eat after the race, too.
I’m really lucky that I had Greg with me, so I didn’t gear check my bag with all my warm clothes in it and then stand around in the cold waiting to find out when the start was. No one had time to gear check after learning when the race would actually start, and there were a lot of cold runners.
But I did it. The weather was gorgeous, and it was very powerful to run an event with so many women. Having something extra in common with your fellow runners increases camaraderie, and I felt like I was part of something.
I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the “diva” concept (seems to value individualism over teamwork, and imply high maintenance over hard working), but I liked how many people I saw running in groups, with friends, mother/daughter pairs, etc. It was much more conducive to that than a normal race might be, and I’m glad I ran it once!
What’s Next:
I’ve had a few readers post that they’re hoping I will continue my blog after the completion of this half marathon – you better believe it! I’m going to keep running, and keep writing.
I even have another half marathon in my near future, the Chilly Half Marathon in Newton, MA this November. It’s another hilly course… but this time, I’m planning on it.
I’ll be working on getting faster now that I’ve spent time focusing on running longer – I’m excited to try intervals and hill repeats and see if I can drop my pace down for my next 10k in October. (Not much time, eek!)
I’ll also be writing my normal, motivational, running thoughts that relate to all things life and running… the type that you can relate to whether you’re in week 3 of Couch to 5k or you’ve completed marathons. (I’ve gotten e-mails from runners of all experience levels!)
I hope you’ll keep checking back 🙂
My favorite part: “I just survived each moment the best I could, put my feet in front of each other as quickly as possible, and never gave up for that entire 13.1 miles.” Great recap and most importantly, Great job! I look forward to reading more!
Thanks Tara! It was a tough run, but nice in a way because I knew I had to just keep going as best I could in order to meet my goal.
Congrats! 3 months until my first 🙂
I’ll be excited to hear how it goes Brian!
Great job!!! 😀 You are so inspiring to me. I am so happy I found your blog!
Thanks Amy! I’m so glad you’re here 🙂
I was anxious to get the race details and you didn’t disappoint. Love the poster – “Go Random Stranger!” Not sure a half is going to go on my goal list but your posts still serve as an inspiration! I also loved your strategy change. Good thinking on your part. Again, all things for us to consider for any race I think. You were definitely prepared and this is the place to come to learn about preparation. Thank you Kelly!
Thanks Dana, I’m so glad you’ve found my posts applicable to your running! I think there are so many strategies and training challenges etc. that apply to multiple race distances. It always amazes me how much I can talk to other runners about running, whether they run marathons or are in Couch to 5k. We’re all facing hills, the challenge of working hard, the satisfaction of doing something we’ve trained for. We are all on the same road.
Glad to hear that you will be continuing the blog and also VERY happy to hear that overall, the race went well! This recap reminds me of my very first half and how the race was MUCH hillier than I had anticipated. The elevation chart seemed to be skewed (or perhaps I was underestimating it), but once I finished, I felt that much better about it! The half marathon distance is really addicting. After I completed my first, I was so eager to sign up for another! I am now training for my first marathon…VERY daunting, but runners always seem to torture themselves and afterwards look for the next challenge! I am excited to follow you on your next journey!!
Congrats!
I definitely think it takes some experience running to be able to take what an elevation chart means on paper and translate it to what that means when you’re actually running a course! I don’t think I would have understood, even if they had posted accurate descriptions of the course, how hilly it really was until I ran it. Which is just as well, because I didn’t dread it or do a different one instead!
YAY for you!! you did it, goal well done, so excited for you! congratulations!!
Thank you Lisa! I’m excited to hear more about how your own training is going!
Great job on what sounds like a hot mess race! I love those spectator signs.
The spectators were so fabulous, especially considering how long they were waiting around before and during and after the race! It was really nice 🙂
Congratulations on persevering through some tough conditions! And I felt the same way about my first triathlon earlier this year – if I had known how hilly the bike course was I wouldn’t have done it. You should be very proud of this huge accomplishment!
Thanks Mary Sue! It is, in a way, nice not to dread the course because it was unexpected. I wonder if I’d known halfway through the half marathon that there were even more hills around the corner, if I would have kept my pace as steady as I did or if I would have slowed down in defeat. I’m kind of glad I didn’t know!
Congratulations, Kelly! Can’t wait to see you at Chilly – running this time!
I know… how WEIRD is that? Be sure to say hi to me before you self seed right up near the start line… and don’t let Greg drive home without me! I’ll be done like forty five minutes after you two speed demons!
We all convene at the end and talk and talk (and talk) anyway so there is no rush!
Perfect!
Kelly, congratulations on your 1/2 marathon race! I just finished my first 10K, the Cow Harbor 10K / Long Island , NY, it was quite an experience with over 5000+ runners from all over the country. If your ever up this way I highly recommend this race. I’m thinking about doing my first 1/2 marathon in May 2014? Anyway I wish you continued success and look forward to reading more of your posts.
Take care,
Gary Borowski
Thanks Gary! I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog, it’s always really fun for me to hear from readers 🙂 That sounds like a fun 10k, I’ve never run a race that big! My biggest was the half marathon I ran in September with over 2,000 runners, and that was really something! I think it’s a crazy experience to run on a packed road.
I’ll be interested to hear if you decide to do that half marathon! I found mine to be really rewarding, but the training to be time consuming and sometimes fun, sometimes a burden. I’d love to hear if you end up doing it!
Congratulations on an excellent result in challenging circumstances. You could have let the disorganisation and late start put a dampener on or even ruin you run, but it sounds like you just put on your big girl panties and took it in your stride. Awesome effort conquering those hills and finishing under your hoped for time, even with those killer hills! I can imagine how proud you felt crossing that finish line 🙂
Thanks Niki! I felt RELIEVED crossing that finish line! I thought the last half mile would be easy because I’d be almost there, and full of adrenaline, but it was SO HARD because I was SO TIRED!!!
One great thing about all those hills is that they motivate me to better prepare for my next half marathon, which is also supposed to be hilly. I think about how tired I was on those hills every time I run up a hill during my training runs, and it helps keep me going because I know I’ll pay for it during the race if I don’t!
great info! I was thinking about doing this race and saw your blog! Thanks for sharing!