Pure joy!
Oct 12
Weather: Cool 60 degrees and sunny
Goal: To complete my first ½ marathon (in 2 ½ hours or less)
Result: 2:19:49
Fans: Sami, my Mom & Dad, my sister, Rebecca and her husband Gary
Once again I have to admit that I did not ever think I would do a ½ marathon. I had maintained the whole time I was doing events through this season that marathoning was not for me… “too boring” was my response when asked if I would contemplate it. I had liked the variety of the triathlons I had entered. The training mixed it up and the triathlon event itself offered a regular change of pace. Running long distances just seemed boring.
But then a funny thing happened. At the Providence Rock ‘n’ Roll ½ Marathon (where I had just run the 5K) I found myself feeling jealous of the runners who I watched complete the ½ marathon. They were all shapes and sizes and ran at different paces. I really started to think about whether this was a distance I could do, especially if I could run with music. For me, music would be the key to keeping me going.
I didn’t share my thoughts with anyone but Kara. She is my running friend and had seen me run a number of 5k and was familiar with my training. “SURE!” she said, “You can totally do it!” She suggested that if I wasn’t 100% sure I should do a long run (10 miles was her suggestion…my longest had been 7 miles) and see how I did. That seemed like a reasonable idea.
The tricky thing to make my crazy idea work was I would have to switch my entry in the Hartford Marathon event from the 5K to the Half and that race was only two weeks away. “Run the 10 miles this week,” suggest Kara. “I am sure you can do it!” I really wanted to but I dragged my feet. I went for my normal runs and kept rescheduling my long run. It wasn’t till the Sunday before the Saturday of the race that I finally committed the time. The 10 miles went well and I felt good. I decided I was ready. I contacted the Hartford Marathon organization and they were more than happy to change my entry.
Bushnell Park
I was excited all week leading up to the race. I traveled to Hartford the night before with my daughter Sami. We didn’t get to Hartford till 9:30pm. My parents were so excited which added to my excitement. Their condo overlooks the Bushnell Park where the race started and ended. We spent some time looking out at all the tents, stages and port-o-potties as we talked about what time I would need to get up. The race started at 8am I figured if we headed down at 7:15 we’d be good. I finally fell into bed at 10:30pm.
The morning was cool but the sun was coming out and it was easy to tell that it would warm up. I chose to wear shorts, a long sleeve shirt and my lucky Michigan hat. This ended up being the perfect combination. I was never too cold or hot. My dad went down to the race start with me so he could take my sweatshirt and sweatpants. I chose to start with the pacers (2 ½ hours). There weren’t any corrals you just had to decide what you personally thought would be an appropriate time or pace. I wasn’t sure I jazzed on this but it worked out fine.
The one thing I found annoying was as our group moved toward the starting line we had to navigate around a huge number of sweatshirts that racers had left behind; right in the middle of the road! You had to be vigilant in order not to trip: Image blowing your race before even getting over the starting line. I thought that showed little disregard for your fellow runners but I am guessing this is normal during the cooler months of the year. I will remember this in the future.
Having learned from my Calmer Choice race, I set up my music well before I got close to the starting line. Luckily (not by design) a great song came on while we moved slowly toward the race start. Listening to the music with an upbeat tempo allowed me to relax and get into a running frame of mind.
I had studied the course map all week leading up to the race. I grew up in the Hartford area so I was familiar with the roads. In fact the half marathon went through my hometown of West Hartford which I know like the back of my hand. This was very helpful in creating mental goals. I knew where the mile markers would be and what landmarks were there as well. The 6 mile mark was right around the corner from my sister’s house. I knew she and her husband, Gary, would be at that mile marker and that was huge motivation to keep going in the first half of the race. When I got close to the spot I took off my headphones and searched for them in the crowd. My sister had made a sign and Gary was ready with his camera. I was so psyched!
My Sister, Rebecca
After passing them the next hurdle was the 6-10 mile chunk. There wasn’t much to look forward to during that stretch. I did by body checks (recommended to me by my husband) and continually re-focused on my music when my mind wandered to those dark thoughts that tell you to stop ‘cause you really are crazy and not a long distance runner.
Getting to Elizabeth Park, a major park that spans between Hartford and West Hartford and also the 10 mile maker, was a huge accomplishment. I had successfully done 10 miles; I knew, the excitement factor would get me through the last 3! That is until I realized that mile 11.5-12.5 was almost completely uphill…not a steep hill, rather a long, slow incline…the type you think might never end. I had my landmarks and I kept myself going thinking “just a few more steps to get to the Mark Twain House…to the church…to the YWCA”.
The Finish Line
Then it happened. The train bridge that marked the edge of Bushnell Park appeared and it was all downhill and into the finishing chute. As I rounded the last turn I saw the magnificent arch and nearly stopped breathing….well, I did stop breathing; I was hyperventilating with joy and suddenly realized I was at risk of passing out just before hitting the finish line! I re-grouped and did a quick body check and a mental breathing exercise and powered over the finish line.
The crowds were going crazy! How fun it would be to think it was for me but, in truth, the Marathon winner had just crossed the finish line seconds before me! No matter I was bursting with joy and took in all the enthusiasm of the crowd as I walked back toward the greeting area to meet up with my family; finisher metal and all!
Finishers Metal
Ugh Moment: There were a couple; nearly tripping over the discarded sweatshirts at the beginning; colliding with a fellow runner at a water stop; hyperventilating at the end of the race but none of these were really bad moments.
One thing I didn’t mention was that about ½ way through the race I realized I was starving. I have never run with gels so was not inclined to try them. I convinced myself to ignore the hunger pains but noted that in the future when I do a ½ marathon I will do a better job of fueling prior to the race. Oh, and yes, I have decided that there are more ½ marathons in my future! Stay tuned!
