(I'm gonna add pictures to this post when I get around to it, so stay tuned.;)
Today I ran my long awaited, 4th half marathon. Okay, so maybe I haven't been waiting that long to run it but the past few weeks have gone by SO slowly. The esposo usually drives me to my races, but I was "supposed" to be in the parking lot at 4:45am this morning so I let him and Baby J sleep in. I don't run in the morning, and I had never gotten up to run a race that early in the morning, so this was a new thing for me.
I got ready, had a piece of peanut butter toast, started drinking a Powerade, and took an Immodium. I couldn't find the stopwatch I usually run with, so I used an old one that I didn't know how to work very well. (Yes, that was blatant foreshadowing.) I got to the start of the race and their were several buses lined up. I got on the second one and we were off pretty quickly. My fellow runners and I were taken up the Provo Canyon and then past Vivian park, which was about 5 miles up a steep hill. It was still really dark outside, but I saw about 40 people standing around next to a bunch of porta-potties. We then waited for what seemed like forever. I popped about 3 blackberry shot blocks while standing there. I've been fighting off a cold, and it was really cold for August, so I also made frequent trips to the porta-potties to blow my runny nose and pass time. I started worrying that my immune system was gonna slow me down during the race but knew there wasn't anything I could do about it now. (Just to add a fun fact, I read recently that you're 6 times more like to get an infection after running a marathon because your immune system is suppressed.) So, cheers to recovery time I guess.
Per advice I received on the Marathon Mommies blog, I started taking Immodium before my last two half marathons so nature wouldn't call while I was running. In the Provo City half, it worked like a charm. The second time I ran the Salt Lake half, it worked well too, until after the race when I started getting sharp pains in my stomach. After realizing that the race wasn't gonna start when I thought it was, I started worrying that I would start getting the sharp pains this time during the race, since I took it so early. Having to wait so long sure gave me a lot of time to second guess myself.
The race finally started at around 7:05. I was off to a quick start, but screwed up my watch at the start, and consequently, wasn't able to time my race. You'd think with a college degree I'd be able to figure out how to use a stop watch, but I guess I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box. I even practiced last night because it wasn't my normal watch, but I started the timer too early and then tried to stop it, and never got to the right screen again. I figured I'd just try to judge how fast I was running from the markers and people around me, and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I didn't see any mile markers until mile 5, which was a major bummer. I thought I was running at a good pace though, so I wasn't too concerned. Around mile 7 there was a turn-a-bout where we ran back up the canyon, uphill, for probably a little less than a mile. I also wasn't expecting that, but it didn't turn out to be a huge deal to me.
I was bugged that there weren't as many aid stations as I thought there were gonna be, because I felt thirsty a lot of the time. I took my Vanilla Powergel around mile 7 with no water until like mile 9 I think. (I don't remember.) For the next few miles I was feeling okay. Then around mile 11 I started getting sharp pains in my stomach, reminiscent of those I felt after the Salt Lake half. I slowed down significantly and was moaning out loud. (So embarrassing.) A girl running next to me looked at me with a concerned look and I started feeling like I wasn't gonna finish the race. I'm glad there weren't a lot of people on the trail running the other direction because my face must have looked so sad. I started feeling like such a loser thinking about facing my husband and brother at the end waiting for me. I didn't want to let them down. I started speeding up and just decided to fight through it. (I don't usually get too many pains in my side while I'm running this distance, so the only thing I could think of that was causing my pain was my stupid Immodium.) I'd say about half way through mile 12 I started feeling a better and the pain subsided. I wasn't sure how far it was to the finish, but when I started seeing more people surrounding the path, I decided to kick it in. Even though I was unsure on what my time was going to be, I felt really cool because people started cheering me on because I was giving it everything I had. My official time was quickly posted on a tree at the end, which I thought was super cool. I finished the race in 1:42.35. (That's a 7:50 pace.) I met my goal and set a new PR, so I was happy about that, but somehow it felt a little anti-climatic because of the way I struggled the last few miles.
But anyways...it feels great to have met my goal. I feel like I'm starting to tap into something I haven't found before with my running, and I'm excited to set the bar a little higher and run another race.
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19 hours ago
way to race, speedster. I love the Provo river half. I ran it a few times back in the day. I know several other runners who ran and enjoyed. Great job
ReplyDeleteSorry about the tummy troubles (talk about ruining the mood!) but congrats on a seriously fast race and PR!
ReplyDeleteSuper time!! Amazing how fast you went especially considering the tummy troubles!! Way to go lady..keep up the good work
ReplyDeletegreat job! you certainly overcame those stomach pains and watch malfunctions :) i'm glad you didn't have any issues like mine! ;) be proud of yourself and a great new pr! it's just going to continue to fall now.
ReplyDeletetake it easy - enjoy some rest!
Awesome time! I ran the race too-- it was a really fun one, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou are SO FAST!! Stomach pains and all, you rocked it! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteLaura-- great race time!! I can only dream of times like that. Maybe back in the day... then again, maybe not. ;-) Way to go. What's on the schedule next??
ReplyDeleteYou are my hero! I ran 5.95 miles this morning and half way through my foot started to hurt at my heel because my shoes are for sure on their way out and I get to get new shoes, but I need your assistance...after my heel was all bloody when I took my sock off this morning, i need to buy new shoes, and just don't have time to research or find where to get those ones you mentioned, can you help me out??? i love you and am so proud of you. i thought of you this morning while i ran. you inspire me!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME job!!! congrats on an amazing time :)
ReplyDeleteHey are you OK?? Just checking in.. FYI I have a shorts Giveaway on my Blog if you are interested..
ReplyDelete