Unplugged Half Marathon Report - The Race that almost Wasn't

I started out for my race on Saturday morning running a bit late. I was about 10 minutes down the road when I realized I had left the bib at home. I had picked it up Tuesday night - when I got my new bike - and it was overshadowed a bit by that purchase.  So I high tailed it back home not at all sure I would make it in time. There was a bus to take you to the start of this point to point race.  I called my son who saved me 3 times:

• Last weekend he showed me where the bus would be so I knew right where to go.
• When I called him in a panic he told me he would give me a ride if I missed the bus. 
• He had left his safety pins from the race he did with me in my car. He knew right where they were. When I went back to get my bib I had no clue what I had done with the pins and didn't take the time to look. I still don't know where they are.

I knew it was going to be close.  As I got closer I pulled the stuff out of my bag I would want to take with me to the bus.  I didn't bother with anything I didn't need. Throw away shirt - I could be cold, oh well.  Ipod - no time to fool with it.  I grabbed my car key, camera and sunscreen. All of these fit in my hat or skirt pocket.  I made the bus as they were calling last call and closing the door.  Another minute and it would have been gone!  

I did find Christa and her friend Becky at the start.  I really didn't recognize many people but there was a good crowd. The race had two waves - two hours  apart!

The weather was perfect and I dressed just right for it.  It was a gorgeous day which made racing by our beautiful lake so much more pleasant!  The route was not the same as last year as it had been changed last year because of all the snow.  The start was in a different place and we didn't double back on the road but took a path alongside the road on the way back. We did all this winding around through the neighborhoods.  It felt like a lot more winding than last year but I could be just not remembering it.  

There was a woman beside me who was very annoying in that she was making the loudest noises as she ran.  And we seemed to be running the exact same pace. I couldn't get ahead of her and she stayed right with me.  When we crossed the suspension bridge it moved a lot because of all the runners on it. She exclaimed, "Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" over and over again all the way across it.  She had gotten a little ahead of me at a water stop and when I came up beside her she was thrilled to see her "pacer" again. She was so pleasant I decided I needed to get over her noises and be pleasant back. But then I got ahead of her and that was it. I never saw her again.  Later there was another lady in the ugliest dress wearing a fleece headband that just looked wrong together. We were together forever and then after a water stop I never saw her again.  I was a bit worried she got hurt or something.  Then there was one more lady that I thought I should turn into my running partner because we ran so perfectly together. Then she got ahead of me and I thought that would be that but later I passed her and never saw her again.  I guess I have some endurance from all those miles I put in!  

I felt great the first ten miles. At the ten mile mark I was about 3 minutes ahead of where I had ended my ten mile race two weeks earlier.  But once again those last 3 miles killed me.  I need to get over that and keep it up for them!  

But overall I loved this race and felt great about my outcome.  Out of my last 5 half marathons it is my fastest time. The last fast one - this race last year!  

Here are my goals I made before the race:

• As always to have fun and have a positive race YES
• To have my best time for the year (one good thing about a slow half in Feb. is it makes this more possible)YES by more than 5 minutes
• I want to run all my miles under 10 minutes including that hilly one near the end (last year my last 3 miles were in the tens) NOPE, not miles 11 and 12 but back in the game for mile 13
• I want to be as close to 2:05 as possible YES I'm saying 2:06 something is
• I want there to be the same delicious brownies as part of the post race food that they had last year NOPE there were some cookies but not the same .....at all
• I want to end it thinking I do want to run the two halves I am already registered before the end of May YES (I think)
• I want to have enough energy left for a bike ride in the afternoon YES at least I went, I don't know how full of energy I was
• I want someone to say to me as I am running, "Aren't you the amazing swimmer I have seen at the pool at 5:45 a.m.? YES and NO, there was nothing about a swimmer but a woman approached me and asked me if I was the lady blogger. I said maybe thinking she was mistaken but she said she reads my blog all the time and recognized me and her family goes to DC a lot too so hey!  I was recognized!  
• To celebrate the fact that this is my 20th half marathon YES, in fact I had a funny post of facebook about this that I think got the most comments anything I've ever put on there has gotten

I always like to put my mile splits as much for me to refer back to as anything.

Mile 1: 9:01

Mile 2: 9:09 (I didn't catch my time on either of these miles)

Mile 3: 9:27

Mile 4: 9:27

Mile 5: 9:35

Mile 6: 9:46

Mile 7: 9:27

Mile 8: 9:37

Mile 9: 9:25

Mile 10: 9:46

Mile 11: 10:17

Mile 12: 10:13

Mile 13: 9:52

.15 8:58

So my 20th half marathon is in the books. I'll do a post later about my bike rides this weekend and my sweet sweet sweet new bike!  

Here are my workout stats for the week. I finally feel they look like a triathlete in training because I have added in the bike.

Swim: 3900 yards

Bike: 45.5

Run: 19.6

The reward at the end!