Mason Half Marathon Race Report

Sunday I "ran" my 6th half marathon. And, while it wasn't the worst half I've ever done, it was pretty horrendous :)  But I'm not at all surprised, since I didn't train properly for it.

Greg ran the 5K. Casey, Elizabeth and I ran the half. Saying I ran the half is a bit misleading. I ran about half of it and then went into survival mode :)  Completed is accurate. I did finish.

I am very happy with my first 7 miles. I was clipping along around 10:30 pace, and it felt very easy...
Mile 1- 9:52
Mile 2- 10:34
Mile 3- 10:20
Mile 4- 10:28
Mile 5- 10:34
Mile 6- 10:19
Mile 7- 10:37...

After Mile 7, the wheels fell off. I was so very tired, very unmotivated and even bored. I tried to keep pushing, staying behind a group of 4 very chatty friends running together, a man and three women. They were my entertainment. But my breathing got worse and I felt out of gas. As soon as it became hard to keep up with them, I was discouraged too. I started walking hills and just told myself I was just going to have to get through it.

Mile 8- 11:37 (ug!)
Mile 9- 12:33
Mile 10- 13:08 (yikes!)
Mile 11- 12:01
Mile 12- 13:16 (survival...)
Mile 13- 13:15
.1- 9:24 pace...I was trying hard.

And that I did. I walked hills, took my last gel, hoped my IT bands would behave, and couldn't wait to be done. I walked a bit before the end where the race finished so that I could be sure I was running across the finish line :)  A part of me hoped Casey, Greg, Elizabeth, Jannelle, Roman and David would be inside staying warm and I could slip across the finish line with no fanfare. My time was sooo horrible, it was embarrassing. But, with about 75 yards to go, Elizabeth's voice rang out through the very quiet parking lot: "GOOOOO STEPHANIEEEE!!!!!"  I forgot that she is a cheerer! :)  It was awesome. It didn't matter about my sucky running time. The enthusiasm I heard matched the enthusiasm I had in me despite the fact that my body couldn't produce it in running performance. It felt fantastic.

I crossed the line and then sat down, pretty exhausted. After half a banana and some questionable pancakes, we all reconvened for Skyline... YUM.

So...overall, I am very happy about my first 6 miles. My legs only hurt a little bit, for probably not even a mile, so that makes 2 runs in a row with no pain!!  And my breathing and gait felt strong for those 6 miles. I'm not surprised I got tired when I did because I simply didn't train enough. Today I am extremely sore. My knees feel like they have thick fluid in them and ache. My ankle hurts (around mile 1 something popped and hurt for a while but ended up being ok, though maybe it's not). I think my quads are sore, but the pain in my knees and IT bands is trumping any muscle pain.   Again: Soooo not prepared for this race. I had no business running it, but I'm glad I did. Something that crossed my mind while I was out there slogging along is how much I enjoy running well and doing well at it for myself. It makes me feel so confident and just me, if that makes any sense. It is hard to explain. There I was, barely running, feeling like crap, doing terribly...but somehow I was so happy and pleased with myself. There wasn't a negative thought, and I have been having so many of them lately. Some crazy running euphoria I guess. Maybe it was because I didn't have expectations and just still liked being out there? Or that this was bottom and all I can do from here now is go up? I don't know. Confusing.

Next up: recovering, then back to training, eating better, losing some weight, and finding some motivation (which I think this race performance helped to provide a start). The next half marathon will be lucky number 7, and I'm determined to break my 2:09:49 PR...maybe even by a lot.