This Saturday I ran my 7th half marathon! I gotta tell ya, I had low expectations. The day before the race, I did a few things that are normally pre-race no-no’s for me. I didn’t drink as much water as I normally do, I got a pedicure, I had a frappuccino and ice cream, and I didn’t get enough sleep. It was too late to change any of that the morning of the race, so I just decided to give it my all and let the chips fall where they may.
The race course was at my fave place: White Rock Lake.
It was a beautifully but chilly morning. Thankfully, chilly = good running weather. My mom, who was walking the 5k, and I sat in my car (where it was warm) for a while before the race. With only 5 minutes to the start, my mom gave me a good luck hug, and I made my way to the middle of the pack.
My goal going in was to finish in under 2:05, but I wasn’t sure how realistic that was. I planned to aim for splits between 9:15-9:30 if I could.
- Mile 1: 9:38
- Mile 2: 9:06
- Mile 3: 8:58
I felt great those first three miles! I had warmed up, the wind wasn’t too bad, the course wasn’t crowded. I was in the zone. I think the fact that I expected to suck and I didn’t boosted me to do even better. I somehow managed to take my phone out of my spibelt, take a few pictures, and still run really fast during mile 3. High five!
I call this: Mile 3 Self Portrait
- Mile 4: 9:19 <— I took some gu halfway through this mile.
- Mile 5: 9:30
- Mile 6: 9:12
Around mile 4, I started running with a girl in pink shorts. I don’t actually know this girl, and we didn’t speak, but she was running at my ideal pace, so I tried to stick with her. When I took my gu break, I walked for a little bit, but quickly caught back up to Pink Shorts. There was some rough hills on the course! I remembered what my DRC pace leader had said about hills (shorten your stride and use your arms to propel you) and kept running hard. I was still feeling strong mentally and physically.
- Mile 7: 9:12
- Mile 8: 9:09 <—More gu.
- Mile 9: 9:27
Around mile 9, I did the math and realized that if I kept up my pace, I could PR. That gave me the confidence to push myself even more. I knew that I might hit a wall, but I decided that I’d rather give everything I had than go for slow and steady. I ditched the Pink Shorts Girl and took off.
- Mile 10: 9:01
- Mile 11: 8:40
- Mile 12: 8:40
The last few miles actually circle the finish. It was tough to see it so close but know that I still had miles to go before I could be done. I pretty much zoned out and focused on fast, fast, fast.
- Mile 13: 8:47
- The last .27: 8:13
The finish line was at the top of a gnarly hill. It helped that I knew this ahead of time, so I planned to save a little extra for the final push. It was hard, but I wanted a great finish time so badly that I just powered through.
Race Stats:
- 13.27 mile finish time: 2:00:58
- Average pace: 9:07 per mile
A new PR! I’m shocked that I ran that fast on a hilly course on a day that I didn’t feel 100%. Not to mention, I took 7 minutes off my half marathon time in under a month. Boo-yah!
My mom rocked her 5k! I love it when we participate in races together. She was there cheering for me at the finish line. Not to mention, we went out to eat afterwards and she treated! Next up: The Livestrong Austin Half Marathon in February. I’ve heard the course is hilly, but I plan to kick its ass anyway!
Do you run well even if you don’t do all the things you should before a race? Is the only way to get better at hills to run on them more? (I really hate hills!) *
Good work, congratulations!
Cheers
Thanks!*
Yes, run those hills! I’ve only ever lived in hilly places, so while they make me groan, I know there’s no way around ‘em.
Ugh! I know you’re right, I just don’t want to accept it! Hills are hard!*
The Austin half was great — I ran it last year and loved it. But yes, miles 3 – 6 are a constant uphill, but you’ll be rewarded by miles 6 – 9. There’s one painfull hill around mile 11 that you should watch out for because that’s the real killer.
Congratulations on your PR!
Oh no, you’re making Austin sound even harder than I anticipated! I guess it really is time to put in some serious hill work.*
Girl, you are AMAZING! Look at you! You are rocking these races hard core. I’m gonna have to think about you during my next halves I have coming up and maybe that will inspire me to stop being such a slow poke.
Thanks! I honestly don’t know how I managed such a good time this go around. And you are far from slow!*
awesome awesome job on the PR! and I love that cute purple running top! who makes it?!
Thanks, CJ! It’s by Helly Hansen. (Never heard of ‘em! I had to look at the tag and google them b/c I still thought it sounded crazy.) Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://shop.hellyhansen.com/US/item/48580/?partner=6005. *
Awesome! I love how you can expect to be meh and then have a great race. Some of my best runs have come after having a terrible night of sleep.
Congrats on the huge PR!
Also, as far as hills go, I keep my head down. I’d rather not see how high I have to climb!
Congrats girl! Way to rock it!! I love the medal too. Super cute.
Congrats Amy! I have no idea what works for me and what doesn’t; it all seems random! ha. sad.
My running buddy tells me the same thing about using my arms to propel myself forward on hills (and make sure they’re not swinging across your body because that’s energy wasted) and also tells me to lift my knees. Form at least gives me somethin to think about besides “man this really sucks.”
Maybe Stephen could teach you a cadence and you could recite that in your head on hills? It might be like he’s there with you, pushing you along!
Wow, way to go! I’ve notice that when I up my weekly mileage the hills suddenly seem easier. It’s a lovely feeling.
YAY!!!! I am so proud of you. What an amazing race girly! You have been training hard, so it’s no surprise to me that you rocked this race. Congrats!!