I can’t believe I just wrote those words! My first half-marathon is in the books. It’s been this far-away bucket list item for years. A repeat New Year’s resolution for so many years it was almost a punchline. And now it’s, well done. However, it definitely did not go down easy.
As I mentioned in my countdown post, temperatures for race time were forecasted to be in the mid-eighties. If that doesn’t seem so bad, don’t forget the generous helping of humidity we can’t escape in this part of the country. While I wasn’t worried about my capability to finish on distance alone, I was a little worried about performing in those conditions with my low blood pressure, which makes me more susceptible to heat sickness, dizziness, and passing out.
To give myself the best shot I could, I worked with Tom, a member of my CrossFit box and a pharmacist, to create a hydration plan and figure out how much I’d have to drink to remain hydrated and replenish what I was constantly sweating out. I simply knew the water stations would not be enough. Neil and I then worked together to figure out where to switch out bottles — which ended up being miles 6 and 10 (which was right by our house). I drank nearly 3 bottles of water in addition to several cups of water and ice at each water station.
The route was a pretty brutal one to tackle in the heat. Lots of hills. Like me, it seemed many of the runners conceded to walking the hills. There were just far too many and all in the sun.
Other observations:
- Miles 1-3 were by far my favorite, as they were on a nature trail and entirely shaded by tree canopy. This section also had the most breeze. Gold star!
- Miles 5-6 were the most fun. After leaving the trail we ran through a residential neighborhood. Families were out with coolers of ice, fruit and sprinklers on full blast. I was sprayed with squirt guns by no less than 20 kids. It was awesome.
- Mile 10 was special. I met Anja’s new baby for the first time (he’s just 2 weeks old and attending races already!) briefly as I was jogging by. Such a baby tease!
- Miles 10 and 11 were by far the hardest. I was getting close to the end, but just not quite close enough to see the finish so to speak. I also felt blisters coming on after tackling the biggest hill on the route. I’ve never had a blister before, ouch!
My official time was 2:44:04, with a 12:32 pace, slower than I’d hoped for obviously, but really, I couldn’t be happier with it. I ran my hardest, did my best, but I also had fun. I met a lot of great people, and it was awesome to feel a part of so many people’s big moments. It’s the same reason I love CrossFit so much.
Fellow finisher Jen and I.
I’m definitely motivated to try another half, and am eyeing the Bass Pro Half-Marathon in Springfield in November. Flatter courses and cooler temperatures seem right up my alley, as does running with my BFF Rachel. Between now and then I’m looking at a couple themed fun runs, as well as the Roots n Blues 10k. It’s crazy to me that a 10k now feels kind of easy!
Just a few days left till my first half-marathon! I’m in full-scale nervous energy preparation mode. I’ve broken in my shoes, downloaded tons of new music, planned my warm-up, fueling and hydration, asked people to come cheer me on (or collect my corpse if necessary). I’m pretty sure Neil thinks I’m crazy, as he stayed up late partying the night before his last half.
Food this week has been super clean but random. Sautés with lots of lean meat and sweet potatoes. I’m getting excited, but am super nervous and a little worried. When I signed up for the race, I had in mind the cooler, rainy May weather we had last year. Saturday’s forecasted temperatures are now in the mid-nineties with high UV indexes. It feels like a cruel bait-and-switch, but it’s my own fault. Even though I know it will be cooler in the morning, my low blood pressure makes dizziness, overheating and passing out a very real fear. I want so badly to do well, but I already feel myself slowly conceding that finishing is now my goal instead of the faster pace and times I trained for. I know it probably sounds silly to all of you who are seasoned runners, but I’ve wanted to badly for this race, my first one, to reflect how far I’ve come in the past 9 months.
In any sense, enough of my whining, let’s talk about you! What is your favorite race memory (good or bad — I think even bad experiences make for good story!) or tips for a first-time half-marathoner?
I took a stroll around campus today as groundskeepers were filling every pot, planter and bed with the most beautiful summer flowers I’ve ever seen. So many colors, life bursting forth everywhere. Our campus is a botanical garden, so every change in season brings a new scene of new and changing life.
On Monday, I turned in my notice to the University. I will be leaving in a few short weeks to pursue the opportunity of a lifetime, working for an amazing team in an agency that specializes in interactive learning environments, user experiences and instructional design. I had sworn up and down after graduation that I was going to take this year and decompress before thinking about changing careers, but an email appeared in my inbox a few weeks back and the rest is history.
This is not only a new field for me professionally, but a new way of working as well. I will be working almost entirely from home. No office, no time clock. I don’t know how to put into words how exciting (and a little scary!) this is all is after spending 7 years in a brick and mortar public institution. I’ve watched for years as some of my favorite designers have left traditional jobs and have always been completely envious, but never brave enough to pursue such an opportunity for myself. I’ve always been so safe and conservative, to a fault. I keep telling people I feel like I did when I moved out of my parents house to go to college. This is new and exciting, and a little scary and right now it all feels a little like a dream.
Although I’m not really leaving to work on my own, I feel like this opportunity also gives me the flexibility to really grow and revive my own creative spark. In addition to designing and developing, I love working with clients, talking, writing and sharing stories and experiences, so I hope this new opportunity will also give me the energy and focus to grow our blog and share more.
So that’s my big news. I have to thank Neil, my parents and in-laws and best friends Rachel and Patrick. They are all the voices of reason, encouragement and rationality that I need probably far too often. I also have to thank those who spoke so kindly of me and the work I’ve done while here at Mizzou. I’m sure my new team is relieved to hear I do well with sexual harassment and that for several years I’ve consistently misspelled the word definitely. I also have to thank you guys, for your continued motivation and inspiration.
Have any tips for the newly-working-from-home?
