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March 13, 2005
Didn't Achieve My Goal...
...but very satisfied, nontheless. Today was the half-marathon held every year in my hometown. My secret goal had nothing to do with what kind of time I wanted to run. Don't get me wrong, there was a range of times that would have made me very happy, but that was not the objective. My secret goal was to win this race. No woman from home has won this race in a number of years, and I wanted to be the one to do it. There are usually a few ringers in this race, since many people use it as a tune-up for Boston. There are people who drive two hours or more to run it. I guess that the course kind of lends itself towards Boston training.
I woke up about two hours before the race starts to get moving some. I packed up a few last minute clothes, just in case, since it is better to have too much than to not have enough. I made the short drive and then had to drive around the block a few times to find a parking spot. I wanted to be as close to the start/finish area as possible. Once there, I got out and walked around some. I hooked up with some of the guys who I train with and eventually went out on a short, easy warm-up to get the blood flowing. We warmed up for about ten minutes and then I went back to my car to get racing clothes on. I ended up racing in shorts, a long bra top, tube socks over my arms, a hat, gloves, and socks over the gloves(which were discarded after about two miles). The temperature at the start was about 35 degrees with light wind, but as it got warmer it got windier, so it was not the most pleasant racing conditions. I had on sunglasses which was a smart move since much of the race was into the sun.
I lined up near the front and saw A, who is a true stud runner. She claimed that she wanted to run 6:30s since she wasn't racing today. I hardly believed her, although she did have on training shoes. The first mile is very downhill, so even holding back it tends to be too fast. I went through the first mile in 6:05 but didn't panic since I knew that it would be fast. Right about now a woman who I didn't know passed me. I did start to freak out, but really tried to keep my wits about me. It is a long race and there is no reason to panic before the two mile mark. A few other women came close to me during this part of the race, but they fell back. Around the four mile mark, the course starts to climb out of the city. I felt really strong on the climb out of the city and did catch the unknown woman right around the seven mile mark. Just before I passed her, J and M were riding their bikes alongside me. J advised me to find someone to latch onto for the "wind tunnel" and to open up on the last 5K. I didn't find anyone to latch onto since at this point in the race I was mainly catching the men who had gone out too fast and were absolutely dying. Coming back down the "wind tunnel" I thought that I was putting some distance on the unknown woman, which J did confirm, but the furthest I could get away from her was about 15 to 20 seconds. I was a little bit disappointed because on the downhill back into the city I could not open up my stride and let loose. I think this was partly because of the cold and the wind, my legs were feeling a little bit tight. As J was riding by me leading into the 12 mile mark he kept telling me to go with the men who were pounding down the hills and that I'm an excellent downhill runner, to which I responded "no I'm not". The killer on this course is the finish. It is about a 2 minute steep uphill. After racing a somewhat hilly 13 miles already, there is this steep uphill right into the finish line. Even after having run this race several times and doing hill workouts, it kills me everytime. I was heading up and J kept looking back and checking where the woman was. He kept telling me, you kicked my butt doing those workouts, you can do this, she's gaining on you and I'm not shitting with you, you gotta go, ok she's not going to catch you make a surge for the light. During all of this, when he told me that I had to go, I told him "I have nothing left". Going up the hill, there was a strong burst of wind which nearly knocked me off my feet, so he knew that I wasn't kidding. I managed to hold on for second in 1:23:57.
I did run pretty even splits. I didn't look at my watch at all. There was a mat at the five mile mark, which I hit in 31:34. There was also a clock at the ten mile mark, which I went through in 64:20. When I looked at the results I saw who the unknown woman was. She is a consistent 2:47 marathoner, so I didn't feel all that bad that I wasn't shaking her, she is the real deal.
I warmed down for about 14 minutes and then got on some dry clothes to go to the awards, which had already started. I got a plaque, a sweatshirt for winning my age group and a $75 gift certificate to a new steakhouse in town. I think that the gift certificate was for being the first local runner, but I'm not too sure.
When I talked to J later today, I told him that I was very happy with how I ran today. I did not feel sharp, but that was not the key. This was my fastest time on this course by almost 3 minutes. You really can't compare this course to the Philly Distance Run. That race usually has ideal weather (50s, little wind), is virtually pancake flat, and has an awesome field. This race usually has lousy weather (cold and windy), is slightly hilly, and the field has some major gaps. He thought that my time today is at least equivalent to my PR from Philly. The times that would have made me happy today were anything in the 1:23-1:25 range. One day soon, I would like to take a crack at getting under 1:20, but I knew that today was not the day for that. Now I need to start thinking about the rest of my races for the spring.
After the race, my stomach was really upset almost all day. This is usually a sign of giving a very hard effort. I managed to drag myself out the door for a two mile walk-jog this afternoon so that I could stretch some. In all, I am very happy with how I did today, even if I did not achieve my secret goal.
Posted by Blondie at March 13, 2005 06:01 PM
Comments
The half-marathon really seems to be your distance right now. Congratulations on a great race! Though it's nice to win, your place in a race is so dependent on who shows up. If you broke 1:20 but Deena Kastor beat you, you'd still be a stud. Likewise, there were hundreds of races around the country you could have won this weekend. So I hope you achieve your "secret goal" someday, but I'm also glad to hear that you're pleased with your strong run, regardless of place. (And nice job in holding off the third place runner!)
Posted by: Alison at March 14, 2005 09:12 AM
Great job Blondie! I am sure you can go under 1:20 soon but it sounds like that was a great effort. I hope your recovery goes well!
Posted by: Barb at March 15, 2005 12:34 PM
Blondie, You had such a great race. You were in control and managed to stay within yourself. I really enjoyed reading your account. I know you will run sub 1:20 someday whenever you decide that it is time - you will be there. So glad you took Monday off, that is nice! Hope your training continues to go well.
Posted by: Mary at March 15, 2005 01:04 PM