Hartford Half Marathon Race Recap, Part 2

Catch up on part 1 of the recap here.

I don't remember too much about miles 7, 8 and 9, except that I started to notice my GPS was off from the mile markers.  Each mile, my phone would announce "X miles completed" progressively further away from the actual mile marker.  By the end of the race it was close to 1/3 of a mile off, which made it increasingly difficult to track my pace.

I also remember playing back-and-forth with a guy who looked like my dad-- he would pass me, I would pass him.  I kept saying to myself as I went, "Don't let Dad get too far ahead!"  It was pretty good motivation.  (Sorry if that offends the real Dad :)

I also remember still feeling occasionally queasy from that Gatorade, and thinking I probably needed fuel but knowing that I couldn't stomach it.  So I just kept on going without it.

Just before mile 9 the course wound into Elizabeth Park on a running path there-- it was a nice change of scenery.  As I passed the mile 9 marker there was a timer, and it read 1:30:30 as I passed it.  I felt pleased, and it was at this point that I really felt I could start to relax... I said to myself, "Even if you run 11-minute miles for the rest of the race, you will still meet your time goal.  Just coasting now."

And without fueling, my body was feeling pretty ready to just coast.

There was a lot of downhill in mile 10 so I enjoyed that.  I got a text from M who had just finished, saying, "There's beer in mile 10!  And I had one!"  I looked around for it but since I was nearing mile 11 by the time I got the text, I was pretty sure I had missed it.  Not really sure if I actually would have had a beer with three miles to go still, but...

Mile 11 was the biggest hill of the race-- it was really nothing compared with most of the hills I tackle on my long runs at home, but it was enough to slow my un-fueled body down quite a bit.  I think I was at close to a 12:00 pace for that mile... gahhh!

Mile 12 we came back to downhill, and I was able to speed up a little, but my heart started to race again every time I pushed myself, so I kind of gave up a little in that mile.  I think the mile 11 hill had done me in-- and I was finally starting to feel the rain and the cold at that point.  I didn't want to push my heart too much so I hovered around a 10:30/11:00 pace for the last mile (super slow for a downhill).  I kept thinking of M waiting for me at the finish and getting hypothermia, so that helped spur me on a little.

I totally missed coming through the soldier's arch, which is the icon of the race, just before the end of mile 12.

Afterwards I kept asking M where it was, because I have no memory of it.  That kind of shows you how fatigued I was in that last mile, I guess.

I passed the mile 13 marker and only then did I feel I could really sprint to the finish.  I had a mental image of .1 mile in my head-- from my house to the beginning of the first hill on my usual long run route at home.  I started the sprint at the mile 13 marker, and my heart was racing but I just quickened my breathing and pushed to the end.  I crossed the finish line as the clock was rolling over 2:16.

So I knew I had achieved my goal... just under 2:16!  I DID IT!!!!

(Official time was 2:15:47 :)

I walked it out through the finish chute.  About 30 seconds after I finished, cheers started ramping up behind me and the announcer started shouting that the winner of the full marathon was about to come through.  I whirled around just as he crossed but I couldn't see anything because there was a wall of people-- apparently he collapsed as he finished and had to be carried away immediately.  (He was okay... just really pushed it.)

Mayyyyybe it was a wee bit deflating that an elite runner completed twice the distance I just ran in about the same time... but I shrugged it off.

Volunteers were handing out our medals and water bottles as we came through the (very long) finish chute.

 

 I really love my keepsake water bottle!!

 

Just as I was snapping the above pic of my medal it started to really pour.  I hurried to the end of the chute and kept trying to text M and tell him where I was, but my phone kept garbling the texts because it was pretty wet.  I tried calling him and my phone wouldn't work to call.  Finally we found each other, and as he approached I could see that his lips were blue.  So there weren't many high-fives or congrats at that point, we pretty much just raced to find the car and turn the heat on full blast.

 

Here I am in the foggy car with the heat on, shivering and changing into dry clothes.

Because we were in such a hurry to get to warmth after finishing, I missed my free post-race beer from the beer tent.  My little coupon is still attached to my race bib.  Wahhhh.  My only regret of this race!

As it turns out, though, we did snag some $3 Dunkin Donuts gift cards that were being handed out as we walked through the finish, and that kind of sounded more appealing to us than cold beer.  So we made a Dunks run on the way back home.

....and then we both felt extremely nauseous for the rest of the day.  Long runs usually mess with my stomach a little, but this was different.  I'm pretty sure that the yogurt we put in our overnight oats must have been tainted, or maybe it was the Dunks coffee.  It wasn't until the next morning that I felt like eating, and so my body took a little longer to recover than normal, I think, because I wasn't able to replace calories right away.  And I didn't re-fuel during the race.  I was still sore 3-4 days later, and it's not like I really pushed beyond what I normally do on a long run.

So basically, this race was a lesson in letting go of the things you can't control-- like tainted yogurt, and the weather.  But you know what?  I still look back on it fondly and remember it as being a really fun day.  I met my goal despite yucky conditions, and... any day I can get out there and work hard with some folks who also enjoy running... well, that's a good day.