All set to Get Lucky! |
And then I saw that I'd nearly met up with the 2:30 pace group. If I increased my pace just a little, I simply *knew* I'd be able to pass them by.
I did!
It felt really great. I was just enjoying the run in the sun. It was already in the 70s, I'm sure. And pretty humid. There were quite a few people out there complaining about the weather, but I was loving it! I mean...it's mid-March!
I loved the customized timing chips! |
It was probably a good half mile before I saw the first woman.
Just before I got to the turn-around point, I saw my friend, Anne. She looked great! So strong. So focused. She said she was zoned out. I'm still going with focused. :-)
Approaching the Finish Line |
Shortly after the halfway mark, I sent Jeff a message letting him know I'd passed the halfway. If he wanted to see me cross the finish line, he should probably get out of bed.
Crossing the Finish Line |
I sent Jeff another message with an update.
And was surprised to get a response. Sweet!
Mile 10. I was ready to be done. I tried all the tricks. Only 3 more miles! You can do it! Keep it up!
Finding Jeff after the race |
I came close around mile 11.
But then had to walk again.
When I saw the mile 12 marker, I got a free high five from a volunteer, and I told myself I could certainly run that last mile.
I didn't.
But when I could see the mile 13 marker ahead, I pushed myself to start running again.
And then when I passed it, I really kicked it into high gear to finish strong.
Even Sallie came out to see me |
Time on the clock - 2:24:20
I MADE IT!! I achieved all my goals for the race. Plus, I beat my previous PR by 3:55. :-) Sometimes the best races are those with lower expectations.
My favorite stat is that I passed 245 runners and was only passed by 13. How awesome is that? |
- I had to adjust my race belt a couple times in the beginning, but then I must have found a sweet spot because I never had to adjust it again. :)
- My socks, surprisingly, stayed up really well. I only had to adjust them once on the course.
- My calves got really hot from the socks.
- The course was a bit hillier than I'd expected. I tried to follow the example of my friend, Mary, by keeping the same pace, if not speeding up a bit to run up-the-hill. Probably not the smartest move, but it did feel good passing people.
- Every time I stopped at a water stop, I choked on the water; it inevitably would go done the wrong pipe.
- I carried a water bottle with me to supplement the water stops. I was glad to have it, but I don't think I'll use that bottle again. It got SO sweaty! Annoying. Plus it carries more water than my other one, so it was heavier, too. I sipped on it throughout the race, but really didn't drink very much of it until the end.
- I'm glad I had supplemental water because the last water stop had run out of cups.
- I thought I had to pee at the beginning of the race, but it must have been nerves 'cuz I never had to go while on the course.
- My toes next to my pinkie toes really took a beating. They are black, blistered, and still painful hours later.
- I may have worn my medal when we walked to the convenience store later in the afternoon.
Sporting our awesome medals. We totally rocked this race!! |
Hope you all had a wonderful St Patrick's Day! This was a great way to kick it off.
What did you do to celebrate the holiday or just to enjoy the weekend?
Fab race!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am very pleased with how it went.
DeleteWoo hoo!!! So glad you had a great race and met all of your goals :) Way to go on the PR, too.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Did you see my goals? Finish. Don't die. Take it easy. I didn't exactly set the bar high. :-)
DeleteI love this. You are awesome and I thought you PR'd. Congratulations on an awesome race and starting out so s-l-o-w with your sister. I was so excited at the end I think I'm ready to sign up for another. :-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome! You totally should. If I could afford it, I'd love to do the Earth Day one next month in St Cloud.
DeleteWoohoo for a new PR and a wonderful race!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
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