Race #172
Half Marathon #60
2019 Race #16
2019 Half Marathon #9
North Carolina Half Marathon #9
Charlotte 13.1 #2
I lined up today for the first time in a while. Yes I ran the 5k while on vacation in August but that had a rather informal vibe. Prior to that, the last big race I lined up for took place in Switzerland back at the beginning of July. I realized how much I have missed this and how much I love running the half marathon distance.
Since I have spent the past several weeks focused on building my weekly mileage back up, I had no expectations of any sort of speed in the race. I always prefer sub 2 hour half marathons, as most of my now 60 (!) have been. Today, I focused on running strong and consistently, especially since I remembered the course as exceptionally hilly. Thankfully my memory failed me on that account.
Originally, Mom planned to run this with me. However, her back injury from last year flared up a little and instead of running through like she did in Spinx last year, she made the smart decision to pull out of the race since it had not loosened up. She felt super bummed about it. I would have too if the shoes had been on the other feet.
Unlike last time when Mom could not come with me, we drove up on the morning of the race, doable but tough since you have to leave early in the morning and those sorts of drives are never any fun.
We had enough time for a little pre-race nap and then I made one last bathroom stop before hopping in the line less than five minutes before start time.
Right on time we started.
Immediately I started warning myself about going out too fast. I tend to succumb to the peer pressure of the runners around me because no one likes getting passed by a bunch of people right at the start. Although these first two miles ended up being the fastest except for the last mile, they did not surpass most of the rest of the miles by more than 30 seconds. I’ll take that.
Mile 1: 8:57
Mile 2: 8:47
Right after we passed the mile 2 marker, we made the turn to enter the Greenway, a mixed use trail that has boardwalks, paved trail, as well as hard packed (and not so hard packed) gravel at various points. I remember thinking it odd that two miles had passed without a water stop. Immediately after the turn? We had a water stop. I did not stop at any of them however, since I had my OrangeMud vest with me and I prefer my Gatorade with a lot more flavor than races normally mix into theirs. (They probably follow the recommended ratio. I do not.)
For the first few miles I could hear someone behind me giving tips about the course and talking to those around him. I figured, correctly, that he was a pacer. Before I could figure out what time he paced, a runner in front of me caught a toe in one of the divots on the boardwalk and went sprawling and made a full role. Thankfully, he made it up off the boardwalk and running again with no further collisions or injuries to himself or the other runners.
Somewhere in the fourth mile, the pacer and his small group passed me. 2 hours. My heart sank a bit. There’s just something about that 2 hour mark that I always want to get under it. I knew with my slow build up back to fitness that I might end up with a slow time today, I just didn’t realize that I was running that much slower than I usually do.
While part of me wondered if he perhaps ran a bit too fast for that pace, I had to sternly tell myself to not calculate how far ahead of me he got or get discouraged when he and the group disappeared from view.
I also noticed at mile marker 3, that my Garmin measured exactly .2 off which surprised me because it had measured exactly on the nose for the first two miles. I kept checking over the remainder of the race and that .2 wavered only a few tenths until the end.
Mile 3: 8:57
Mile 4: 9:06 (yes, I also notice the, so-far, perfect positive splits
Most of the middle miles passed unremarkably for me. I felt fairly strong and held a steady pace, or so I thought. Garmin says otherwise. Perhaps I held a steady effort.
After we exited the greenway the first time, we headed into a neighborhood and up a monster hill. Thankfully, my new regular route has its own monster hill that I’ve started to practice on so I made it up that hill without walking and maintained a sub 10 pace. I thought about walking but told myself to keep going until mile 6 when I would eat a couple Gatorade chews. (I ran through my mile 3 refueling motivated by keeping the 2 hour pacer in sight. Thankfully Gatorade chews do not take as much work to chew as others.)
Mile 5: 9:15
Mile 6: 9:30 (
We ran the next few miles through neighbourhoods, onto the gravel section of the Greenway-not my favorite-and across a narrow bridge not really designed for two people to cross side by side. Thankfully, I had little company on the bridge both times.
At this point we approached the halfway point and could start to see the leaders coming back our way. This race has a partial loop, partial out and back course style.
Once I made the turnaround just past mile 8 – per my Garmin – I knew I could manage the rest of the race even if I got tired. We had not encountered the hills I expected, except for the monster one I described early. Perhaps my brain confused this race with the Run Hard Columbia Half.
Mile 7: 9:55 (This includes the walk break to eat the chews.)
Mile 8: 9:08
We made our way back onto the Greenway, once again encountering every type of surface the Greenway offered. We also had to deal with a small golf cart sized ambulance on one of the boardwalk sections. Several paramedics walked behind with a stretcher loaded with equipment. Hopefully, they either had a drill or whoever they came to treat was okay.
Mile 9: 9:06
Mile 10: 9:25
Once we passed the 10 mile marker, I knew we had just a 5k left, potentially less if I my Garmin mismeasured the distance or if they had placed the signs incorrectly.
Even though I felt a bit tired by this point and did not want to all out push, I still wanted to finish well. I had to battle my mind though and lost the battle temporarily, At 11.5, I walked but only for a short time before I realized that I needed to keep running so I did.
Mile 11: 10:07 (This includes a second walking refueling break, longer because I was a little more tired.)
Mile 12: 9:31
As we exited the Greenway, I recognized the streets again and knew that we had almost approached the finish. Thanks to the continual difference with the Garmin, I did not know how much further, exactly, I had to run. I knew we were getting close to the shopping center that serves as the start right as we ran through a corridor of cheering volunteers which made me smile but got me pumped up for the finish line, a few tenths before it actually appeared.
After I made the final turn, I saw a girl in front of me and tried to pass her. She would have none of it and passed me back. One of my mantras? Solo and steading will win the race. I kept pushing, passed her as we turned into the parking lot and set my sight on a guy that seemed to be struggling. I passed him and put on a sprint toward the finish line. I knew his ego would kick in and he would try to pass me again. I hoped I had enough in the tank to put some distance between us before we crossed under that finish line but he ended up passing.
So focused and determined near the finish line that I did not look up to see if Mom had made it back to take pictures.
In the end, I managed to come just over 2 hours which makes me think that the earlier pass by the pacer meant that he probably ran a little too fast for that particular pace.
Mile 13: 8:45
Mile .1: 6:59
Overall Time: 2:01:37 Not too shabby for my first half since July
Of course, thoughts on my 60th half marathon make me want to see how quickly I can make it to 100 half marathons. I would love to set that goal for next year but that would require way too much traveling and other expenses. Here’s to another one next Saturday!