I woke up at 5:30, drank a bottle of water, got dressed, slapped a healthy spoonful of peanut butter on a bagel and headed out the door with a groggy but always cute Tayler.
Overall, I really loved this race! My recovery has been quick and Tayler even commented "You seem a lot less dead after this race." Hahaha thanks babe:) I finished a lot faster than I expected given my lack of training. Remember those noble plans I made a month ago to run 4-7 miles a day? That went down the drain when I started a new job that scheduled me for 30 hours a week in addition to my 17 credits of good ol school. I ran 5 miles twice a week and that was it, so I was pleasantly surprised that I even made it through!
After picking up my running partner and our 5K running friends, we arrived at the course and had about 30 minutes to prepare for the race. The morning was IDEAL, 60 degrees, perfect running weather. Just cool enough to make you comfortable, but not cold. I followed the "dress like it's 20 degrees warmer" exercise rule and was pretty content the whole race!
Shedding the sweats and warming up Michelle Jenneke style;)
The course was stunning-a flat seven mile trail called the "Chessie Nature Trail" that goes alongside the river and through a few cow pastures. To be honest I didn't notice how pretty the course was until I saw the pictures Tayler took after! Haha I tried to appreciate the scenery while running but I think I was too concerned about pace and breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.
As for the race! The first 7 were break in miles; we struggled to find a good pace that wasn't too fast, but after mile 8 something just clicked for us. We decided it felt like our bodies went into cruise control and things became more effortless. Just as we were celebrating this new sensation mile 9 came around the corner. Only it didn't. Ever. Seriously it felt like they crammed 3 miles in between mile markers 8 and 9! Haha mile 9 has ALWAYS been a tough one for me and this course was no different! Eventually we did see it though and after that, the miles went by pretty quickly. Once we hit the 11 mark, we were off. Our splits were around a 7 minute mile for the last two. Our legs were burning at this point but I was happy that we'd saved enough in the tank for a fast finish!
Bobbe and I crossed the line together earning us 4th and 5th place for women and 1st and 2nd in our 19-29 age group. Which was fun because we got a bonus medal and a picture in the newspaper. (I'll try to clip one for you mom;)
Things that helped in this race:
1-Bobbe. She was the PERFECT running partner. Literally like a ball of sunshine floating along the trail next to me, she was so encouraging every step of the way.
2- Stopping at the aid stations for a drink. In previous halfs I've been too concerned about my time to stop for a few seconds to get a drink, but this time I really tried to listen to my body and stop when needed. Usually we'd just stop for water, but at the halfway point on mile 7 I drank some gatorade to restock some electrolytes and I felt much better after.
Although I love running, I'm excited to get back into normal fitness routines instead of just putting in mileage. Kayla Itsines I'm looking at you;)
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