I had been wanting to run another half marathon for awhile now, but between being pregnant, having babies, moving, living in extreme humidity, having 3 kids at home, working, etc. I kept coming up with too many excuses (though most of them very valid). So, I told myself that when Rowan started Kindergarten I was going to start training, since I technically could push my double and Boden would also be in school 2 days a week. I started my official training only about 9 weeks out, but I followed the schedule pretty faithfully and I knew that it would set me up for success.
I looked for half marathons near me and found one in Annapolis that had good reviews. Alexa decided she would sign up too and although we didn't do a lot of training together, it was still fun to have someone with a common goal.
This training calendar is something I am so proud of. I worked hard to make all those runs happen and really this is why I sign up for races more than the actual race itself.
Grant and I decided that it would be fun to make a weekend of it, so we left Friday after work and drove to Annapolis. We ate some pizza when we got there and then checked into our hotel and hit the pool! The kids were so excited to be swimming and we decided we need to make trips like this more often. It was a fun little overnight adventure and everyone even slept really well in the hotel (thanks to the pool :)
I laid my running gear out for the next morning...my entire outfit was from Athleta and I loved it. The pants were amazing with a pocket that perfectly held my phone without me even feeling it. I had created a new playlist and was ready for the next morning.
My sweet friend Sharon hooked me up with a pre race goody bag which included some snacks and these fantastic socks!
At the starting line with Alexa and Courtney.
Some race shots. I didn't get my phone out much for pics because I was trying to run well but wanted to get a few pics. It was a gorgeous day. Sunny and low to mid 40s which I originally was worried was going to be too cold but ended up being perfect running weather.
It was fun to run through the streets of Annapolis because I have walked them several times as we have shopped and eaten this area around the harbor and Naval Academy. The first half of the race was through downtown Annapolis and the second half went over the huge Naval Academy bridge and through a more rural area.
Apparently something happened with the volunteer staff very last minute and huge mistakes were made which resulted in the race finishing at the 12 mile mark instead of 13.1. There was supposed to be a turnoff that no one knew to make. Luckily, I had my phone and watch mapping me, so I crossed the finish line (with what seemed like an amazing PR) and kept on running. I did 1 huge lap around the stadium which allowed me to complete my full 13.1 miles! I was disappointed that the course was wrong but I was still very proud of the pace I had run and finished with a PR of 1:56:50 which was a 8:55 min mile pace. My total time was 6 minutes faster than any race I had previously done and it was the first one I had run since having kids. I felt great and was super excited.
At the finish line in the stadium parking lot (where we had been in our formal clothes for the dental birthday ball just a few months before ;)
Thanks to my little cheering (and training) squad. I'm convinced that all those double stroller runs were what made me feel so fast without a stroller to push. And big thanks to Grant too who made it possible for me to do several long runs on Saturdays to prep for the race. I rain the entirety of rock creek trail on different occasions, oftentimes I would run 8-10 miles in one direction and they would all come pick me up at the end so I didn't have to run and there and back which made for much more fun training runs. I was also so grateful for rock creek and the great path it was for training.
After the race we headed back to the hotel for a final round of swimming. I don't know what happened but I started feeling SO sick. On the drive back to the hotel I was really cold, but thought it was just because I was sweaty and it was cold. However, once back, I was in the hot tub, and teeth chattering still. I felt awful. I had a sore throat the night before the race and a little that morning but I had really felt great through the entire race and didn't feel like I pushed too hard, etc. But, for the next 3 or so hours I was miserable.
We had grand plans to go to Cheesecake Factory for lunch (it is kind of a half marathon tradition as that is where I ate after all my derby half marathons and I so look forward to that post race meal) but those plans obviously changed. After returning home I started to feel a little bit better, we went to Rowan's last soccer game and I started craving CAVA, so we picked up a bowl on the way to soccer, and I enjoyed every last bite!
No comments:
Post a Comment