At the finish (photo credit: MarathonFoto)
On May 15, 2016, I ran the Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredricksburg, VA (my 4th half marathon). This race was not in any way my target race for the season and was barely on my radar from the beginning; but it was AWESOME. I will race this race sometime in the future but after 2 half marathon PRs this season and a tough (almost PR) 10 miler a few weeks earlier, I was EXHAUSTED going into this race, then circumstances leading up to the race sealed my quest to just have fun with this one...
RACE WEEK:
The week leading up to the race was a tough week and I abandoned all hope that I was going to reach my 3rd Personal Record of the season. For starters, the weekend before the race was Virginia Gold Cup and I skipped my long run to watch the horse races and hang out with my friends. Sometimes as runners we have to make a choice to prioritize friends and social obligations over our runs and try not to feel guilty about it. I am the type of person that feels guilty about not running when I feel that I am "supposed to be" or not giving a race my all, I am working on this and practiced this at the Marine Corps Historic half this week.The Monday before the race I decided that I was going to go for a hilly run to prepare for Hospital Hill and knocked out 3.5 hilly miles. When I got back from my run, I looked down to see that my ankles were super swollen, about an hour later (after freaking out and putting on compression socks) they hurt like I had just run 10 miles. Ughhhhhh... that was another indication that racing this half was NOT going to be a smart idea. The next day was spent icing my ankles (which still hurt) and convincing myself that I was not going to run because preventing injury is more important than a run (my weekly mantra). I decided that my ankle problems were probably from the shoes that I bought online (from a not so reputable shoe retailer) and they were probably factory rejects. So I headed to Potomac River Running to try on different shoes. I ended up buying a pair of Asics (I am a Mizuno girl all the way, but they felt so good on my feet with the extra cushioning) and am super happy with my new purchase.
By Wednesday, I was finally feeling better and decided to join the Potomac River Running 101/201 training group for a short run. I managed to knock out 2.5 miles with no swelling and no pain. I felt good like I could go a couple more miles but did not want to push it. The next day I took off to go out to dinner. Friday, Cristina and I went for an easy "shake out run" of 3.1 miles and it was HARD (even though we tried to keep to a relatively flat course)! Why is it that some runs are so hard when two days earlier you felt like you could run forever?
This leads me into Friday night before the race and the reason that I had to squash any time goals that might have been lingering in my head for this race... MY SISTER HAD A BABY on Saturday morning, but I was woken up at 1:30 in the morning to go to the hospital for labor support. This is probably the BEST REASON to not race a race!! I was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to leave my sister and my niece's side but decided that I was going to go an treat it as a 13.1 mile fun run.
THE EXPO:
Rachel, Natalie and I having fun with 13.1
I picked Natalie up on Saturday around 3:00 pm and had to run home to feed my little monsters (they were already not happy about being left around 1:30 am) and pack for the race. I was seriously so sleep deprived that I almost forgot my running shorts... I'm not sure how decent it would be to run in just a sparkle skirt, but I'm glad I didn't have to find out.
We were on the road to drive the 100 or so miles to Fredricksburg around 4 pm and the GPS was showing some heavy traffic, luckily we still had a good buffer because traffic was terrible!!
We Arrived at the race expo at 6pm (plenty of time to get our bibs and shop a little while), Rachel got there about 45 minutes before us so she had already done her shopping. All in all, the expo was ok, there was no line to get the bibs and shirts (they had plenty of sizes left), the other race merchandise was marked down and really picked over. I was ok with there being a limited selection of race merchandise, I do not need any more race shirts. I bought the obligatory race pint glass (I started collecting them at MCM), a pair of sunglasses and body glide (I forgot to grab mine in my rush to pack and get out the door - also, sleep deprivation).
After the expo we headed to downtown for dinner and ended up at Jay's Downtown Sport Lounge. Without going too far into details, we were there for over an HOUR AND A HALF and by the time we left we had still not eaten dinner (even though we did order... TWICE). We ended up stopping at the Panera by our hotel on the way to check in. Upon check in we were given a welcome bag (it had a Gatorade, two granola bars and a water), and we were immediately offered a 1 pm checkout... it was probably the first time anything had worked in our favor since leaving NOVA and we were so happy to not have to worry about packing up before we left in the morning.
Flat Emily ready for race day - I changed
hydration on race morning for some reason
THE RACE:
During the race I used a 2:1 run/walk interval... except when I got distracted and/or the hills were too much. Like I said, I did not take this race seriously I was out there to have fun and fun is what I had.
Pre-Race
The alarm went off at 5:00 am on race morning and, unfortunately, I woke up feeling like I had not slept AT ALL. After not sleeping on Friday night and the ladies in the connecting room next to us being extremely loud until midnight, all I wanted to do was skip the race and sleep. I finally peeled myself out of bed and began my pre-race ritual... body glide feet (I don't chafe but if it's humid I get blisters), chug a Gatorade, get dressed, fill water pack (why I thought that the marines wouldn't have enough water is beyond me... I was delirious). On the way out of the hotel I grabbed a blueberry bagel to eat in the car.
Thankfully I grabbed my old OBX sweatshirt as a throw away because it was CHILLY! We parked across the street from the start line and headed over. Marathonfoto was out in full force and they were offering free downloads on all photos so we totally took advantage of FREE PHOTOS!!
Heading to the start (photo credit: MarathonFoto)
We arrived at the start line with just enough time to use the porta potty and meet up with our friend Jen before the howitzer fired.
Obligatory Pre-Race Selfie
miles 1-3
Nutrition:
- Clif Shots - Razz before the start and at mile 3.5
- Sips of water on walk breaks and Gatorade at water stops.
The start was pretty chilly on race morning, but I opted to not go with my throw away pants as planned since I was wearing compression socks. I was glad that I didn't wear them and ditched my throw away sweatshirt within the first 1/4 of a mile. The temperature seemed a lot warmer than when we were standing around waiting for the gun to go off.
The first two miles of this race are run through strip mall after strip mall and it was really hard to get my mind into the game. It was especially trying at Mile 1.3 when the Semper5 racers where passing by and only 1.5 miles to the finish.
After Mile 2, I FINALLY reached my comfortable stride and started feeling pretty good. Then at mile 2.8 (or so) came the first HELL HILL... I decided that since I was not racing this race and I was sleep deprived and just out there to have fun, I would take the hill at a slightly faster pace than a walk (but not as fast as I could've or normally do take my hills).
Starting at Mile 3, I started taking selfies with the marines at the mile markers to give me something to look forward to and as motivation to keep going - a DNF is never an option for me, but this race was trying that rule.
Right before the Mile 3 marker a family was out in the road with a hose that they were spraying up in the air, I was so hot by this point that I ran through it and it was probably the highlight of the race thus far... it's the little things, really.
Favorite Sign: 4 More Houses Until Downhill (this was about 1/2 way up the first hell hill).
The start was pretty chilly on race morning, but I opted to not go with my throw away pants as planned since I was wearing compression socks. I was glad that I didn't wear them and ditched my throw away sweatshirt within the first 1/4 of a mile. The temperature seemed a lot warmer than when we were standing around waiting for the gun to go off.
The first two miles of this race are run through strip mall after strip mall and it was really hard to get my mind into the game. It was especially trying at Mile 1.3 when the Semper5 racers where passing by and only 1.5 miles to the finish.
After Mile 2, I FINALLY reached my comfortable stride and started feeling pretty good. Then at mile 2.8 (or so) came the first HELL HILL... I decided that since I was not racing this race and I was sleep deprived and just out there to have fun, I would take the hill at a slightly faster pace than a walk (but not as fast as I could've or normally do take my hills).
Starting at Mile 3, I started taking selfies with the marines at the mile markers to give me something to look forward to and as motivation to keep going - a DNF is never an option for me, but this race was trying that rule.
Right before the Mile 3 marker a family was out in the road with a hose that they were spraying up in the air, I was so hot by this point that I ran through it and it was probably the highlight of the race thus far... it's the little things, really.
Favorite Sign: 4 More Houses Until Downhill (this was about 1/2 way up the first hell hill).
miles 4-6
Nutrition:
- Sips of water on walk breaks and Gatorade at water stops.
Mile 4 was the slowest mile I had, I realized after running through the hose that I had to stop and use the dreaded porta potty. I lined up with 10 of my new BFFs and waited, and waited, and waited for my turn. This was painful even though I was not trying to beat or make any sort of time in this race, I knew that the longer that I waited in that line, the harder it was going to be to get back into the race.
FINALLY, I got back to the course (after about a 10 minute stop) and was finding my groove when all of a sudden THIS HAPPENED:
For anyone who knows me, I am a HUGE sucker for a feline and I will stop and pet a cat (or a dog - I pet plenty of dogs during this race too) any day. This cat was super sweet and he gave me the "where the hell are you going? I didn't say you were done petting me" face when I had to run -- thankfully I spotted him on a walk break and my watch told me that I should keep moving or I would've sat there all day.FINALLY, I got back to the course (after about a 10 minute stop) and was finding my groove when all of a sudden THIS HAPPENED:
I name thee OSCAR
At the end of Mile 5 for about a 2 block radius there was a wonderful fresh donut smell wafting down the block. Anyone who has run a race with me knows that I crave donuts while I'm racing and this was absolute blissful torture. If I had had some cash, I may have stopped and ordered one... I'm kidding... sort of...
Miles 6-7 were pretty uneventful. They were through downtown Fredricksburg and the streets were pretty quiet. There were some people in amazing costumes, my favorite was this kid:
Mile 8 was the blue mile and as usual with any race with a blue mile, I removed my headphones and ran in silence while looking at every photo of every fallen soldier featured in the first part of the mile. The blue mile ALWAYS gets me and I always tear up thinking about the fallen, how young most of them were and the sacrifice that they (and their families) made for our country. The second half of the blue mile is always volunteers holding flags and cheering you on, I try to high five and thank every single person holding a flag.
Headphones out, time to run in silence and contemplation
mile 9 - 13.1
Mile 9 was one of my favorite miles of the race. I was feeling beat up and tired entering into it and at about the half mile marker I saw the (what I would later realize) Team RWB giving out bottled water. As I grabbed a bottle of water, I told the guy handing it out that I loved him (and at that very moment, I did). Then (my new friend) Thomas called me over and asked me if I wanted a beer (Do you think it had anything to do with the "How Far To The Bar?" headband that Rachel got me at the expo? Me neither.)... DID I EVER!! I stopped long enough to drink half a Bud Light and chat for a minute and take a selfie with Adam:
The Team RWB crew really helped me keep going
FINALLY I hit mile 12 and all I wanted to do at that moment was be done running the race, shower and have brunch. This meant a final push to the finish at my normal race pace to finish strong. Even though I had not hit anywhere close to my race pace the entire run (and I was ok with that). Unfortunately my body had other plans for me during Mile 12... about 1/4 mile in I had to PEE again!!! Ugh. So I did what anyone would do... I stopped at McDonalds on the corner, ran into the bathroom with the whole restaurant staring, and begged the woman at the front of the line to let me go first because I was still in the race... I told her I was going to win (she had already finished).
After my unexpected bathroom break, I finally hit my stride for the last 3/4 of a mile and finished at a pace that I'm proud of. All of the Marines at the end were so awesome and encouraging, giving me high fives and cheering me on. I finally crossed the finish line THIRTY MINUTES SLOWER than my first half marathon (which was a terrible - but fun- trail race that ended up being a "run when you can" type of race). I am not going to reveal my finish time right now (I probably will for other races) because there are a lot of haters out there that may get angry to know how not seriously I was taking this race... However, I did cover the same distance as everyone else and I earned my medal just like everyone else and I am displaying it proudly as my second favorite medal (the 40th MCM medal is my favorite... that one is dope).
FINISHED!!!! (photo credit: MarathonFoto)
This cutie marine gave me my medal
Our friend and training buddy
JEN HILL getting TWO
personal hotties escorts to the finish line.
All in all this race was awesome. I will be back to actually attack Hospital Hill head on in a year or so. Before I make plans that far in advance, it's time to take a few weeks of rest before JUNE 18, 2017 when I start training for the 2016 TCS NEW YORK CITY MARATHON... STAY TUNED.
Have you ever just run a race to have fun? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments below.
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