Urban Bourbon report

Today was the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon! This was the first time Nathan and I have ran this course, and it's a great course overall. Yea there's a few hills In the park, but not as bad as I was expecting. I wish I could say my race was as great as the course, but I can't. This is my 5th half marathon and I honestly did not appreciate or respect the distance or the amount of training that's required to run 13.1 miles. I was very undertrained for this race and I knew that going into it. I stopped going to my Pilates class a couple of months ago to save money and it wasn't until this week and today I found out how weak my core has gotten. With the weakend core, lack of running and distance training this was by far the hardest half marathon I've ever completed. I walked a lot more than I usually would and just wanted this race to be over. 

Nathan ran/walked right beside me the entire time! This is the first time we've ran or raced together more than a few miles. I wish I could've ran stronger and really enjoyed this race. I was so tired after 3 miles and by mile 5 was ready to be done. Honestly if it wasn't for Nathan I would have skipped this race, but we paid for it and I was healthy enough to run it even if I was going to be at a slower pace. Nathan didn't give me the option of staying home (I would have regretted it) so we went and met up with my tri peep, Connie. We always take a pre race photo and I'm still smiling at this point, and really wishing I had a short sleeve shirt. The temps were perfect and the rain held off mostly except for a light drizzle here and there. I was splotchy by mile 2 or 3 because I was so hot. For now on I will pack an extra top if I decide I need to make any last minute changes. 

The run started off and as usual I ran a little too fast. I tried to pace better because I knew I couldn't hold a 10:30 so I slowed it down. Miles 1-4 ticked away and other than tired I was doing okay. Once we hit got into the park I wanted to jump over to the other lane and take a shortcut, but I didn't and Nathan said we're going to go the full distance. I was really struggling with staying positive, not thinking that I was holding Nathan back, some discomfort in my foot, an occasional side stitch I think from crashing into that table earlier this week, and the other demons that haunt me. An officer said "looking great guys, enjoy your walk". I nearly burst into tears at the point because I wasn't walking, I was trying to run a little and we were going up an incline. It made me think about a deep rooted memory and how I wasn't good enough to be on the track or cross country team back in high school. I probably was good enough, but was told some awful things by the gym coach and it shut me down from running for over 10 years. It all came back to me at that moment because I was struggling with this race and wondering what I was doing out there. I fought back the tears and cleared my head with the help, love, support, and encouragement from Nathan. I considered quitting several times over the next few miles but Nathan reminded me that I had the strength to finish and I didn't want to quit because he knows I don't give up even when I want to. I hate it when he's right sometimes. 

I don't really remember miles 6-10 except how I was having more pain in my feet. The joint by my big toe ached and I was getting hotspots and maybe a blister. I was also concerned because I hadn't ran more than 6 miles at once in over 6 months (the Derby half marathon). I ran the Starlet Challenge last month but I had a little rest between races. My number one concern was not getting injured, so I kept the pace slow and steady as I could. A lot more walking the last few miles but it was nice to be with Nathan. I would run some and I would have some stomach pains (my feet and Achilles ached no matter if I ran or walked) I just wanted to be finished with this race! I drank a couple of gatorades and didn't like them so I wonder if that was part of the stomach issues. I don't  think I over drank on water and had the slosh. I ate my usual applesauce here and there just like the Derby Mini so that wasn't anything new. The only thing I changed was new running tights (I'm going to get another pair of those). I remember breaking the last bit up and just trying to keep going... Less than a 5k to go! 

The finish line was getting sparse because I was at the back of the pack. My pal Connie told me she would be waiting for me at the finish line but I figured she would be long gone by this point. I heard our names called out and we were almost FINISHED!! I heard my name yelled again and it was Connie!! I was so touched and happy to see her and the fact Nathan was with me the entire 13.32 (??? It's what my Garmin said) my heart was filled with joy. 

We didn't have time to get the free food, beer, and bourbon at the end. Nathan had to get home to get ready for work. I did get my chocolate milk at the end and that's all I wanted. I didn't bother to look where the bagels came from, but Nathan shared one with me and it was mighty tasty. I was so happy to be finished, but it also taught me a good lesson. Nathan and I had a nice chat about getting a plan together and training, and of course better nutrition to help fuel me. I still don't want to eat fish- that was a conversation for about 1/2 a mile or so. 

We didn't take a post race picture until we were home. 

I will come back to this race again but I will be prepared. I have a renewed motivation. I have my tentative race schedule posted above in the tabs section. I'm still working on finalizing but I will have a plan of attack. I am looking forward  to training with Nathan and my gals. I do all of my training alone so I want to try another approach. This was my 2nd slowest half marathon but I did it and I'm proud I won the battle against the inner demons and never quit. I am going to lose a toenail from this race, but i feel pretty good overall right now (7 hours later) and once I rest a day or so I'll be ready to train for my next adventure. CHEERS! 

Oh yea here's a little irony to make you smile- I received a new tech shirt from BarryS Coaching this week in the mail and it's been awhile since I've talked to either Coach Mike and Coach Barry. Today in the mail I got both October and November issue of Runner's World magazine. Ha!! That will be great to read while soaking my feet. 

I usually don't post splits or times, but it will be nice to have for my own record. I'm trying to get to a point where I don't give a damn what the numbers or other people say- I did it and went the distance. I already had someone (non runner) comment today about my time and I had to stuff my face with fruit to avoid spitting any venom on her. 

Race details

13.32 miles (Garmin) -------- 13.1 official 

3:05:07 (Garmin)  -------- 3:04:52 official  (Nathan crossed the line beside me and somehow his chip time is 3:07:04- not sure what's up with that!) 

Average pace 13:53 ----- 14:06 

Splits-11:53, 13:12, 12:52, 14:22, 13:13, 14:31, 15:08, 13:25, 14:02, 13:57, 14:14, 15:02, 14:43

I'm all over the board. You can really see where I was riding the struggle bus and after mile 10 I was walking most of each mile.