Half Marathon #5, State #4

Y'all, I ran my fifth half-marathon, and hit a total of three states I've run in this year. This was more of a run, than a race (more on that later), but I am still so, so, happy and grateful. So let's get into it, shall we?

How I Decided on the Race

My husband wanted to go to Salt Lake City, Utah for a concert with friends. He wasn't sure if he wanted to leave me behind, so I found a reason to go--a race! The Traverse Mountain Half-Marathon looked pretty and more low-key. It wasn't too expensive, so I signed up! I thought this race would be easy, one I could run while training for my next big hurrah. After the Nationwide Columbus Half-Marathon, though, I was not sure. I had some initial soreness and then felt depleted. I had a few good runs prior to this race, though, so I decided to go for it. I also carb-loaded like a boss (or at least I think I did)!

The Days Before the Race

I was really hungry the week of the race, so I just ate and ate and ate. Maybe I overate, but at this point, I just wanted my body to have what it needed for the race. Although I might not have needed a three day carb-load, I did one anyway. I hit way more than 400 grams of carbs a day (but I also ran seven miles Wednesday, eight Thursday, and one with a walk on Friday). I was curious what would happen with only one mile run on Friday (I usually run an easy 5K), but I was not really racing this race, so I still don't think I fully know.

The week of the race was fairly stressful. I tried to get to bed at a reasonable time each time, but struggled with that. I also felt like I had so much to do, and not as much down time, or time with my husband as I would have liked. We made up for that Friday with a bit of a busy morning, but then a complete rest after our flight. Our midday flight to Salt Lake City was only about an hour, and once we got to the hotel, we chilled with a Christmas movie (our Halloween tradition), ate carbs for dinner, and then I sat in the hotel bed scrolling my phone, planning for the race, reading, and eating more carbs.

Race Morning:

We got up at 5 am. I dawdled around the room doing PT, reading, etc. until 6 AM, and we left shortly thereafter. I made coffee and drank that (with my RNWY) in the car. I also ate a strawberry bagel. (Pretty much, I followed my Nationwide Columbus Half-Marathon fuel strategy.) It was dark and cold, but looked like it would be a nice day: with lows in the forties and highs in the sixties, with clear skies overall. The forecast was accurate, but man was a I glad for gloves, arm warmers, and long pants. Since the sun rose at 8 am, I only needed my sunglasses on the way back.

I had to pick up my packet race morning. That was not a bit deal, except that it was dark, and I did not necessarily know where at the park to go to pick up my bib. My husband found a parking lot, and we traipsed up a hill, across a road, and through some grass down into the park, at which we found closer parking spots. I suggested that we move the car, and we did, but it was a bit of a slippery walk to do so, with frost on the ground. 

I got really frustrated trying to clip my bib on my shirt. I couldn't get it even. My fingers did not want to work my bib boards. Thankfully my husband threw the shirt over the steering wheel and managed it for me. That is love right there, and saved me a lot of what would have been wasted stress and energy.

I stayed in the car until about 7:30 am, at which point I went and ran an 0.6 mile warm-up (since 13.1 plus 0.6 equals 13.7, and I am 37.) I went to the bathroom again and went out for the course briefing. Apparently I did not listen as well as I thought I did, which I will go into later.

Goals:

My training plan said to do a 12-14 mile aerobic run this day. I initially read that as "easy run, which would have been 9:10-10:30/mile. But I misread. It said aerobic, which was 8:40-9:55/mile. Whoops! I still thought I could do that, but it might be a little bit harder.

I had no official A, B, or C goals. My goals were to run the training pace if I could, and somehow run under two hours.

Strategy:

This race had some hills, and I knew those might be hard. Looking at aid stations, I decided to fuel at approximately 4 and 8 miles so that I would have fuel. That meant taking a gel right before the start, which I did.

Course:

Miles 1-2 The first mile was pretty easy. Then we hit a massive downhill. I am a flatlander, so going up or down hills is not my speciality. Lots of people passed me on this hill, but who cared? I was running, not racing (and that is what I repetitively told myself). Mile one came in at 8:31/mile and mile two at 8:40/mile. Right on the money.

Miles 3-4 The race followed the Murdoch Canal Trail and was a little up and down, but overall, a beautiful run. We could see mountains and trees with fall colors. A few people came out to cheer on their loved ones. One mom's kids were in this stretch. That was so sweet to see. I played cat-and-mouse with her the whole race (more on that later), and enjoyed seeing her fan club.

"This is awesome," I thought around mile three. "I should run more races in more places for fun." And then I hit mile four and thought, "Why am I doing this? This is long." I see that I broke down some around this point at Columbus, too, so maybe I need to gel at mile three, like in a marathon, instead of at mile 4 or 4.5, like I did here. Something to ponder. Mile three came in at 8:07/mile and mile four at 8:08/mile. Maybe I was also just going too fast....

Miles 5-10 We switched to the Utah Rail Trail somewhere in here. There was another long hill around mile five. I just told myself I could do it and kept running up it. Thankfully, I was not racing, so I could just go at my own pace. As things flattened out, I could see a hang glider training area. It was pretty awesome to watch the people soaring up, down, and around. We descended a little bit into Shadow Ridge Park, and there did a loop. This is where the catch came in. I heard, "Do a loop." My husband told me he heard that we were supposed to do two loops. Well, I did not see any indication of that, so I just did one and kept going. I felt like my effort was about 4/10 here and felt great!

I have decided that I really like out-and-back races, because of the ability to cheer people on coming the other way. Maybe I am that annoying positive person, but you know what? I like runners, and I think it is a way I can contribute to the community, so I did it.

We went down that big hill, and then up and down a bit more. I gelled again at eight miles. At ten, I passed a gentleman who was struggling at little bit. "Just 5K more," we told ourselves.

Mile five came in at 8:15. Mile six was 8:36/mile. Mile seven was 8:19/mile. Mile eight was 8:07, mile nine, 8:41/mile, and mile 10, 8:23/mile.

Miles 11-12 Things were going pretty well here, I ended up passing the mom who I saw with her kids earlier in the race. She appeared to be cramping up a big, as I saw her stop and stretch a few times. I thought I could pass her, and , I did. I felt a little bit bad, though, as I was not racing, and I wondered if she was. "Should I let her back past me?" I wondered. I yelled back that I was going to pull her along. She said I might need to.

Then came that big hill I had run down. I knew it was coming. I said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and went up it (Phil 4:13). I was not pushing. I didn't want to push. Strong mom passed me, which I expected she would do. I passed her again on the flat, but as we rounded the course into the finish line, so got ahead. I didn't try to keep up. I didn't want to hurt, and I wanted her to beat me, especially if awards were on the line, and I thought they might be. Mile 11 was 8:12, and mile 12, 7:53.

Mile 13-13.1 The race course was short, and I came over the line somewhere around 12.89, if I remember correctly. I threw my hands up as I went through the arch and yelled at my husband that I was going to keep running. I am that runner who wants the full distance. Mile 13 was 8:26/mile and mile 01.0 7:59/mile. My finish time was 1:49:11, 8:20/mile. 

After the race: 

I went back for my medal, which the person graciously gave me. The Happy Trails company makes all of their medals locally, and this was so cool: engraved tile on wood. I asked my husband to take some finish line photos and then went for the goodies. I had forgotten my water bottle, so had several Dixie cups of water, and then grabbed a banana, rice krispie treat, Bobo bar, and Great Harvest bread. I had my husband hold all of it while I checked my finish time. The race website said 1:47:24.

Sure enough, strong mom had placed--first in our age range. I had come in seven seconds behind her which sounded about right. I could see her, but not reach her. I high-fived her afterwards and told her what a great job she did. Hooray! I was stoked for her. I got second for my age range and other wooden medal. So cool! I chugged some more water, and having eaten my banana, I grabbed another one, plus some more snacks I hadn't seen, and we headed out.

I wanted to recover well from this race, since it was just supposed to be for training (but sure enough, I went out faster than that), so I had brought my protein shake powder with me. I asked my husband to stop at a coffee shop to get hot water, and we sat there while he had coffee and I had my shake. Then back to our hotel for stretching, foam rolling, and a shower. (Yes, I packed my small foam roller. It takes up half a carry-on suitcase, but it is so worth it!) We grabbed burgers for lunch (a post-race tradition) and then I napped and otherwise sat in the hotel bed the rest of the day. Rest and recovery make for gains, right?

Final thoughts: This was such a cool experience! I am thankful to God for a body to do it, grateful to have had the time, space, health, and monetary resources to do it, and appreciative of a husband who supports me in my sometimes crazy, off-the-wall ideas and pursuits. Running a race during training cycle, and I think I would like to do it again if we have funds to do so. Utah is also very beautiful and I think I want to come back again to visit! All in all, such a great experience!

Eats and Empties (Week 44)

The Eats:

Apple cider  sourdough with cider spice swirl (Crave the Good)

Crusty no-knead pizza bread (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Oatmeal pumpkin cookie muffins (Jenna Fischer Nutrition)-frozen for future me

The Empties:

Apples
Five pound bag of carrots
Frozen Asian chicken "stir fry" with ramen (Meal Prep in an Instant)
Frozen Instant Pot barley and vegetable risotto (Hot Rod's Recipes)
Two pound bag of frozen peas
Five pound bag of potatoes
A bag of Kettle Heroes aged white cheddar popcorn
Can of pumpkin
Queso fresco
The last of our loaf of regular sourdough bread
Sourdough discard rosemary salt bagels (This Jess Cooks)
Sourdough discard strawberry bagels (This Jess Cooks)
Sun dried tomatoes
Bag of flour tortillas
Mesquite smoked turkey breast

What went to waste:   

Just a few bad spots of bananas

Everything I Read in October

I once again had trouble reading this month, just struggling to get into books, as well as struggling to pay attention to them when I read. I did get in a few longer bouts of reading in the airport, and on the plane during my travels, and I also passed 100 books for the year, so less books this month or not, I want to be grateful....

97) Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself: 5 Steps to Banish Guilt and Beat Burnout When Your Already Have Too Much to Do by Dr. Morgan Cutlip —This book is exactly what it says it is: a simple guide to trying to ground as a mom, or otherwise overextended women. (While the author gives examples in terms of mothering, I think the principles apply to women from all walks of life.) There is a little bit of science, but mostly encouragement to value self and learn to recalibrate when not in a great place. The two mottos that stick out to me were, “Balance is baloney" and "Go mom [take care of] yourself." Women can take up space in the world. They don't have to be doormats or small. In fact, women who take care of themselves can be better wives and moms than those who are martyrs. This idea is not new, but it needs reinforcement, and Dr. Cutlip's book does a good job of that. I listened to the audiobook, but I think reading the physical book could be beneficial, too.

98) After She Falls by Carmen Schober —I am torn about this book. It was very well-written and engaging. It contained great depictions of the importance of spiritual truths like forgiveness, freedom, and sanctification. The main character Adri “La Tormenta” Riviera, though, is a boxer/MMA fighter, and there are violent depictions of her fights, as well as of the domestic violence she endures. The romance kindled in the book happens when Adri is not quite divorced. Gym owner Max Lyons has some less than savory relationships. Overall, I think I am glad I read this book, but I am hesitant to recommend it to others. I have the next book from this author on my shelf and hope it might be more recommendable.

99) Run the Mile You're In: Finding God in Every Step by Ryan Hall —This is not necessarily a linear memoir of marathoner Ryan Hall’s athletic journey, but rather a tale of all the things running taught him about faith. In this book, mile by mile and chapter by chapter, he shares with readers about his start at running in Big Bear, California, his retirement from professional marathoning, and hanging up his shoes altogether (at least for a time) after running the World Marathon challenge of seven marathons in seven continents. Hall shares about how comparison stole his joy and how the ultimate victory is in Jesus and is conquering sin on the cross. This is an easy-to-read and inspiring book--probably more for runners than everyday people, but I think anyone could benefit from learning to seek out the Lord and His presence in every step of life.

100) Pretty Little Pieces by Carmen Schober —This was a good book, but not as good as I had hoped. Design show maven Georgina Havoc, well, has had havoc wreaked on her life, and she needs the Lord. That much is clear, but the speed of her relationship with Cassidy Stokes moves a bit fast, and feels like missionary dating. There is also just a lot of hard stuff in this book like her broken relationship with her father, her sister's mental health struggles, and war. I see a piece of really good writing in this story and a lot of important issues raised. This is just something missing in the resolution. As with After She Falls, this book makes me want to see more from the author in hopes that the missing pieces will fall together.

101) Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone —Another audio book, and I really enjoyed this one! I have long admired Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from afar, and this book only increases my respect for her. In it, she bravely shares her struggles with anxiety and fear of what others thought of her, her unlikely journey to faith through her now husband (whom she met through Instagram), and how she sees her running as a platform for sharing about her saving faith in Jesus. Her path towards greatness has not been easy, but she’s been committed, and now’s she’s using her greatness to preach her commitment to Jesus as Lord. Bravo, Sydney, and may you keep seeking Jesus and living out bold faith in Him!

102) Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh —This is a really sweet book. It starts out a little bit cheesily, in Loves Park, Colorado, a town know for romance. Longtime resident and bookstore owner Abigail Pressman gets into a fight with her new landlord Dr. Jacob Willoughby and it seems like the story might get slapstick, but then it gets serious. Abigail tries to unravel the mystery of who writes and sends paper hearts to the town. Dr. Willoughby battles demons of guilt, shame, and unforgiveness. The conclusion of the story tugged at my heartstrings and nearly brought me to tears. There’s a lot to say about loving selflessly, about accepting God’s love and forgiveness, and about trusting in God’s plan. This book includes all of these and reading it will encourage hearts in them.

103) Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe —I really do not know what to think of this book. The writing style is good, reminding me of Harper Lee's writing in To Kill a Mockingbird and To Set a Watchman.There is definitely an understanding of southern culture. The book is all about hiding, though, about a farm where mental illness hides, about a town where a man was falsely accused of crime hidden under a magnolia tree. I like the conclusion to the story, about how beauty comes out of the ashes, and how mental illness deserves to be acknowledged and treated, about how mentally ill people have worth and can still bless others. The over and over hard of the story, though, bothered me. Was all of it really necessary to make the point? “Truly, we have survived, and we live to tell the tale” is not just the kind of story I want to read, I guess.

104) With This Ring, I’m Confused by Kristen Billerbeck —Ashley Stockingdale has the most superficial, dare I say, ridiculously silly life. She is a lawyer with time management struggles and a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is very into fashion, bad with money, and not always a great friend. Her wedding planner/sister-in-law to be Emily is a ridiculous and dipsy woman herself. That dynamic controls about 90% of the book. The last few chapters hold meaning and purpose and dare I say, heft? (Well, I guess there are a few moments of meaning sprinkled throughout the rest of the book.) Basically, with this book, I am confused. While most of it drove me nuts, I appreciated the ending sentiments. I am going to try to read at least one more book by this author to see if it is any better.

105) Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor —I have seen this book on my runners' “must-read” lists, and now I have finally read it. A little bit of a different memoir, it focuses on how Deena Drossin Kastor changed her thinking in order to change her performance. Yes, the book is a lot about running, but also a lot about thinking about running, about using gratitude and positive thought to get out of the body and run freely. I am not in agreement with Kastor's somewhat universalist presentation of the environment, but I am into recognizing the gift it is to run, and to appreciating the creation of God through which running carries me. This book especially helped me as a I prepared for a race with adverse conditions. I will definitely carry with me some of Kastor's lessons as I, Lord willing, continue to run.

106) A Better Share: How Couples Can Tackle the Mental Load for More Fun, Less Resentment, and Great Sex by Dr. Morgan Cutlip—This is a really good book about mental load. Different than Fair Play by Eve Rodsky, it encourages partners to take responsibility for how they show up and communicate. It provides a more gracious perspective on the differences between men and women and provides practical suggestions for how to better share the load of the home. This is truly a great book, one I’m considering buying and asking my husband to read with me, because of the great conversation starters it offers.

107) The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck—Ugh. This book annoyed me. Haley Cutler is throwing herself a pity party after her divorce from a mogul Hollywood producer. She wants big time revenge. When she starts going to the Trophy Wives Club Bible study, however, she finds Jesus and wants to do good. But then she falls for the lawyer that set up her pre-nup? It’s just irritating and infuriating. This is not a trophy for my book list.

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And that's all for this month, but maybe some more reading this weekend?

Strong(er) in October

Well, at the end of the last round of my pull-up program, what do you know, but I can actually pull myself a little higher on the pull-up bar. While I am not there yet, this was encouraging. Now, can I get to one full pull-up (my goal), by year's end? I am still progressing through the program, but admittedly also doing less strength work overall, because it's race training season, baby!

My first race of the "season" was a bit of a slog, but by God's grace, I eked out a PR. I am learning what it means to be strong in mind, as well as in body. Thanks, Deena Kastor for the timely book on this subject.

Marriage has been hard, not necessarily bad, but hard. My husband observed that both of us are stressed right now. I have not been communicating well. I am struggling with some bitterness and resentment. Maybe we are having growing pains. Whatever the case, by God's grace, may we get through this season and come out stronger in the Lord on the other side!

I did a few word studies with my Bible reading this month. I also subscribed to the new TBR Deep Dive podcast that covers some topics more in depth. I have been catching all of the sermons from church, but with illness all of our travels, we have not been there in person as much. We need to get back to that.

And we're on to November. Only two more months of the year remain to grow stronger in body, marriage, and spirit. I need to be intentional, but will I?

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Five)

What time is it? Pumpkin time. Less new pumpkin products this year...

Favorite Day pumpkin spice trail mix

Trader Joe's pumpkin butter

Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's

And lots more pumpkin recipes...

Blended pumpkin overnight oats (Well Plated)

Cottage cheese pumpkin spice cake bars (Poulef Recipes)

Easy pumpkin Greek yogurt biscuits (The Athletic Avocado)

Flourless pumpkin protein pancakes (Kim's Cravings)

Moist pumpkin muffins (Jo and Sue)

Protein pumpkin overnight oats (Jenn's WW Journey)

Pumpkin baked oats (That Spicy Chick)

Pumpkin bagels (Healthy and Delicious)

Pumpkin bread (All Purpose Veggies)

Pumpkin chocolate chip overnight oats (Art From My Table)

Pumpkin cream cold brew overnight oats (Kneaded That)

Pumpkin healthy overnight oats (IFoodReal)

Pumpkin mug cake (The Kitchn)

Pumpkin mug cake (The Local Sprout)

Protein mug cake (Run Eat Repeat)

Pumpkin overnight oats (Fit Foodie Finds)

Protein overnight oats (Fit Mama Real Food)-Pumpkin pie version

Pumpkin overnight oats (Plant You)

Pumpkin pie blended overnight oats (So Fresh 'N So Green)

Pumpkin pie overnight oats (Nourished by Nic)

Pumpkin pie protein overnight oats (Matt's Fit Chef)

Pumpkin pie spice English muffin (Devotion Nutrition)

Pumpkin protein muffins (The Clean Eating Couple)

Pumpkin protein mug (Nutritionist Mom)

Pumpkin protein mug cake (Bake it Paleo)

Pumpkin protein pancakes (How Sweet Eats)

Pumpkin spiced oatmeal (Feasty Travels)

Pumpkin spice latte overnight oats (From My Bowl)

Pumpkin spice milk (Back to the Book Nutrition)

Pumpkin spice overnight oatmeal (Big Delicious Life)

S'mores pumpkin mug cake (Plant Based RD)

Sourdough discard pumpkin bagels (This Jess Cooks)

Sourdough pumpkin muffins (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

The best sourdough protein pumpkin bread (Unexpected Gardener)

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We're not done with pumpkin season yet, either (but these are all the recipes I have made this year up to this point).

Eats and Empties (Week 43)

The Eats:

I was gone for most of this week, so other than some new overnights oats recipes, it was a week of freezer meals and repeats!

The Empties:

Apples
Bag of baby carrots
Two pound bag of cheddar cheese
Carton of eggs
Frozen easy pumpkin Greek yogurt biscuits (The Athletic Avocado)
Container of Greek yogurt
Two pound bag of Mexican cheese
Half gallon of milk
Frozen onion
Sour cream

What went to waste:

Nothing that I know of!

Nationwide Children's Columbus Half-Marathon

How I Decided on the Race

I registered for this half-marathon long before I ran the Bay Bridge. Fresh off my first marathon and fastest 10K, I was hungry for more. I had also started entertaining the idea of running out of state. Knowing that this half-marathon supported the hospital that served my best friend's baby (now a preschooler) made me want to run it more. The only problem I saw was that the race was around on my bestie's anniversary, ironically the last time I was in Ohio. When I approached my friend about the race, she was enthusiastically supportive. "No problem," she said, and so February 22nd, I registered for the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus half marathon.

The Training

At the time of registering, I thought I wanted to go for a sub 1:50 half, given that my last finish was 1:52:52. I downloaded Run to the Finish's 1:45 plan and thought I would go with it. Well, I got my 1:45 at Bay Bridge, but still decided on this plan. It was more miles a week and more speed work than I had done before, so I thought it would be a good fit.

Spoiler alert: An October race meant training through the summer. Thankfully I did all right, at least in terms of surviving the heat. I sweated A LOT, but with enough hydration, salt, and showers, it was bearable. What I did not do was hit the paces prescribed in my plan, ever, that is until I pulled out my racing shoes on week 10/12. I finally got close, which was encouraging, but also humbling.

The Days Before the Race

I stuck with my three day carb load plan. As seems to be my pattern, the first day I was super hungry and enjoying all the carbs; day two, not so much. Day three, I was ready to be done! I ran one mile and walked and did yogalates Wednesday. I did a total of four miles Thursday (three with four strides). Saturday, I ran 3.1 miles and flew to Ohio.

My time table was tight on Saturday. I flew out at 9:55 AM, arrived at 4:35 PM, and had to get to the expo to get my bib by 6 pm. I pre-booked an Uber and everything worked out, but phew, it was stressful! Between the airport, the huge convention center, and a walk to the start line, I probably did a little bit too much, but que sera, sera. I laid out all my clothes, pinned my bib, took my flat runner photos, and tried to chill. I had a beautiful room in which to do so, and eventually got myself calmer. I was in bed around 9:05 and shut my phone off at 9:15 PM to hopefully allow for seven hours of sleep.

Race Morning:

I set my alarm for 4:30 am. By 4:45 AM or so, race corral opening was already delayed to 6:45 AM. That did not seem to bode well, so I delayed getting ready a bit. I went and refilled my water bottles. I read my Bible and some of Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor. I did my arm and leg PT. By 5:50 AM, I ate a bagel and drank coffee with RNWY. I left my room about 6:30 and arrived at the race start around 7 AM. It was already sprinkling, but I had tied grocery sacks over my shoes and wore a rain poncho. Immediately after finding my corral, I went to the porta-pottie line, did an 0.21 mile warm-up and lined up. I took my gel at 7:15 AM, only to have them delay the race start until 7:45 AM. Sigh on that nutrition timing. I took off the rain poncho and grocery sack shoe covers 5 minutes before the start.

Race Day Conditions:

The night before the race and when I got up, it looked like rain would start at 7 am. Sweet, I thought. At least I could walk to the start (0.5-1 mile away from my hotel) without getting wet. Then things got delayed. Sigh. I bagged my shoes, put on my poncho, and went for it. The rain was steady, but light, and at least the temperatures were warm. That helped a lot.

Goals:

As usual, I made my goals in reverse order-

A-Run the race.

B-Finish the race.

C-PR of 1:43

With all leading up to the race, and then how tight my flight was to even get into Ohio, I knew that getting to race day would be a huge blessing. With the rain and possible delays or cancellations, I just wanted to finish. I was not just running for me, but running for my friend and her daughter. That mattered a lot to me. If I could squeak in a PR, great! (Or at least that's what I told myself.) If I wanted to PR, I figured my splits would need to be

Miles 1-2 8:01/mile

Miles 3-4 7:51/mile

Miles 5-10 7:51/mile

Miles 11-12 Speed up if possible

Mile 13-13.1 Fast!

Course:

Miles 1-2 This truly is such a great course! The day started with the national anthem and fireworks. The streets were packed with people cheering, from the start to the finish. (The road was also packed with runners-more on that later.) There were ample porta-potties on course (which thankfully I did not need to use), plus plentiful water stations. Really well done, Columbus.

With such a packed course, I had to do a lot of bobbing and weaving (which you're not supposed to do, as it takes energy and adds distance). I also could never figure out which side of the road the water stations were on, which meant weaving through people to get there. I had not brought a hydration pack, so I needed the water. Mile 1 came in at 8:01/mile, and mile 2, at 7:57. Sweet.

Miles 3-4 I waited until mile 4 for a gel. That seemed to work well. It was raining, but not too bad. I hit 7:49/mile, dropping to 7:55/mile for mile (probably due to a hill).

Miles 5-10 Things started to fall apart a little here. I was not exactly out of energy or flat, but just feeling how long the race was and not wanting to push. My hat flew off once. I was on pace for miles 5 and 6 at 7:50/mile and 7:46/ mile, but then mile seven was 8:07/mile (maybe the second slow hill). Mile eight was good-7:50/mile, but even after another gel, mile 9 was 7:57/mile, and then my watch turned off. I got it back on, but am not sure of exact splits from there. What I do know is that I just had to somewhat race by feel.

Miles 11-12 It was not exactly miserable, but I started wanting to finish in here. I was able to drop the pace some. I caught up to and passed the 1:45 pacer, but not my much. I heard him from behind me for quite a while and if he was on pace, I knew that did not bode well for my 1:43 goal. I started coming into the finish area and tried to give it a little more gas even at the half mile to go mark. 

Mile 13-13.1 I told myself to open up, and I did, but then I started feeling light headed and nauseous, so I think I slowed down a bit. I saw the clock at 1:44:51 as I was coming through and hoped my chip time was faster. I was panting as I came over the line. I did not even see my friend watching.

After the race:

Again, this is a well set-up race. They moved finishers quite a bit down the line to get medals, gave out heat blankets (which I didn't think I did, but spoiler alert, I did!) and then moved us to food alley. I took a bag from the beginning, and man was I thankful for it! I got a bottle of water, a bottle of Propel, pizza, a bagel, a cookie, Oreos, two bags of chips, Boba oats, an apple, a banana, cheese sticks, and chocolate milk. Seriously, I just took one of everything. 

With the help of texting, I found my friend. I checked my time and was shocked to see a PR of 14 seconds in my 1:43:33 time. I was shocked! My friend asked if I wanted to go ring the PR gong, and that was so thoughtful, because yes, I did! I got us a bit turned around, but we got there. I rang the bell while she filmed, and then we convinced her daughter to ring it with me. That was really sweet, as I ran the race for that little girl. I stopped by the merchandise tent to get a 13.1 magnet, and then we went to get my gear check bag. I really could have skipped this. It was so far away from the starting chute, that gear check did not really help me. All I left was a protein bar and some extra garbage bags, but waste not, want not, so I grabbed it on our way out.

The plan was for my friend to drive me back to the hotel, but by the time we got to the parking garage, we figured it was better for me just to walk back to the hotel. I did that, but then I kind of stagnated. I turned on the heat for warmth and managed to get in more water and a protein bar, but I probably dawdled for about an hour before finally peeling off my wet clothes and getting into the shower. There I saw how really wet I was. My clothes were completely drenched, and even with wearing socks in my shoes, my feet with dirty. Yuck. That shower felt amazing, though!

I managed to get downstairs and checked out of my hotel. Finding my friend was another issue, as she could not get out of the garage, and then could not get to the hotel. I tried to walk towards her, but walked the wrong way. Eventually we caught up, but I was a little wet again. I always forget the work I put my friends and family through. My work is done at the end of a race, but that is where theirs begins!

Final thoughts:

I am sore after this race! I am not sure if it is how I sat in the car after the race, the race itself, or both. I felt some tightness in my hip flexors while running, but it was my quads and knee that felt it after the race. I went up and down stairs at my friends and was like, wow, I guess I worked harder than I thought? I also slept nine hours that night!

Overall, this race was what it set out to be: a fundraiser for the hospital, a race out of state, and a good reason chance to visit my best friend and her family. Yes, I missed my  goal by 33 seconds, but I still got a PR, and now maybe I have room to hit 1:43 in another race. Overall, I am just thankful: thankful for the opportunity, thankful the race happened, thankful to be with my friend, thankful for a body that lets me run. Columbus half-marathon dusted and done. Hallelujah!