First Half Marathon!

“That was rough” was the first thought that passed through my head as I finally crossed the finish line of the two rivers pikermi (half marathon). I really do not know what I was expecting; I was not expecting the last two miles of the half to make my legs feel like they had been hit by sledgehammers numerous times.  In the feeling of pain, the last two miles felt like what I typically feel like in the last two laps of a steeplechase (Though I was a bit less fearful, there is a less of a chance of me falling into a pit of water).

I woke up early after a late night working on a paper on King Lear (first mistake) and I was barely able to stomach a cup of coffee and oatmeal (second mistake).  I somehow managed to leave my watch in the locker room at RW (the reason I buy cheap watches). This meant that I ended stopping by Walmart at 5:30 in the morning. There are some strange folks in the store that early in the morning but no lines. Without problems and few strange looks, I was able to purchase a watch ($7.95) and make my way to Danville, PA.

Danville is located about 1:45 away from Emmaus and it is a small town located in the mountains. I was able to arrive in time to grab my race number and warm-up. Warm-up was not great; I should have run a little longer. The chip that was handed out was semi-odd, it was an ankle bracelet with a chip. I felt like I had been put on house arrest like Paris Hilton. Take notice here, that I did not eat anything.  The race director ushered us to the new start at around 8:30. The reason I say new start is because they changed the course 2 days before. The whole pack of us walked back and forth trying to find the line. About 10 minutes later, we finally found it. I positioned myself midway into the pack; I did not want to go out too quickly. The race website had told us that chips would start when we passed the start line. The odd bit of this was that there was no mat or sensor near the start. Come to find out the chips started with the gun.

I made it through my first mile without going crazy (7:20) and the next five miles came smoothly over rolling hills. I came through mile six in 43.42 which was about on the pace I was looking for. I just kept repeating to myself to relax and race the mile that I was in. It was a small race but there was enough people for me to catch runners and provide motivation. I was running strong and felt really good. The only problem was that I had the hardest time at water stops, I had practiced taking liquid about every twenty minutes or so. I guess I got too wrapped up in the race and did not notice that I only took fluids maybe twice within the race.

I happily approached mile eleven right at 1:19.55. I was right around where I wanted to be and was quite happy to only have two miles left.  The race went into a trail and that is where they decided to build a wall. A wall knocked me flat.  No, I’m not talking about a real wall that would just be cruel but a wall for me. I had not eaten/drank enough for the 88 degree day and suddenly my paced slowed to 10 minutes and I was crawling. My feet clumsily found every root and rock possible on the trail and the mile marks seemed further and further apart (there were rumors that course might have actually been long due to course change say closer to 13.6). When we were told that there was a mile left I nearly cried.  Within that last mile I reverted to a slow shuffling pace with slight pick-ups. Everyone that passed me was encouraging but I felt like rolling into a ditch to take a nap.

I finally hit the finish line in 1:41 (according to my watch that I started when I crossed the start line). I was covered in salt and needing some water.  I finished off two bottles before I even got on the bus.

Overall, I loved the distance and I’m already planning my next. I made some rookie mistakes that I should have known better (interning at RW should have taught me something about this).  I still think I can hit that 1:35; I might need to add in some longer runs and maybe some longer tempos. I haven’t done real speedwork in months.

Question is how do I go about my summer planning starting in June (the month of May is about to get crazy!). I would like to race a 10k and couple of 5ks and maybe another half marathon (pikermi) before Chicago in the fall.  Any recommendations are welcomed.

I forgot to mention one the biggest mistakes, I forgot sunscreen. Thank goodness I just tanned and no sunburn. I think I will permanently have a sports bra outline on my back.