So the Pittsburgh Half Marathon is one week away. Husband asked me if I was nervous this morning and (for now) I'm not. The first half marathon I did last fall was to finish and I really wasn't sure if I was going to see the finish line. The difference in how I feel between then and now is vastly different. Last fall, my legs were aching, and was only able to hit double digit runs 3 times, 11 miles being my farthest run. This time around, i've hit double digit runs countless times while incorporating tempo runs, intervals, and some hill work. I feel like I'm really ready, and I really want to hit my goal, which is finishing under 2:10. My first half was 2:27, which sounds like I'm being overly ambitious (seriously, I want a 17-20 minute PR), but I know I can push it.
Pittsburgh does have me nervous in that this will be my biggest race, people wise. 16,000 people will be there. My biggest race has so far been 2000 people. I'm nervous about parking and getting out of there. I do have the tendency to get migraines after really exerting myself, which means I get nausea with vomiting (non stop) , my vision goes, and I get confused, which is really scary. The last thing I need is to get confused while trying to navigate the maze of Pittsburgh. Those are basically my biggest fears for this next half. If I don't reach my goal, well, there will be other races, so I'm just not nervous about it.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Short Run!
So the night before the race, I finally decided that I needed to wear my running tights. A good thing too since it was in the lower 20s with a slight wind chill. Brr!!
Don't let the sunshine fool you, it isn't even the 30's yet. Oh, and the guy behind me is giving me the stink eye.
I got up early and headed off to the race, which was about an hour away. I arrived at the perfect time to find a decent parking spot and a shuttle bus waiting for me. I had enough time to use the bathroom, get my chip number, and find my friend's van. We sat in there until the race started, a little too long since we found out 10 minutes before the race started that we were 1/2 mile away from our starting line. Oh well, a little warm up didn't hurt anyone.
Since there was a 5k, 8.1, and half marathon race all at this starting point, I decided to line up behind the 9:55 pacers. I told myself to stick with them for the first three miles and then pass them. Boom! The race starts. I was told that the worst hill in this race is within the first mile and as we made our way down the road, we made a sharp left turn and hidden behind the trees was the hill. Since the field was very crowded still, I couldn't really see what was going, so I went with it. I told myself to not look up, kind of like not looking down when you're high up. It worked for the most part, the hill was rough, but then the cruel longer incline after steep hill was mean as well. Finally, we made a right turn and went sharply downhill. Phew! This downhill was steep! I was worried about falling down a couple times, but it was all over before we knew it and the course was now just rolling hills from here on out.
I found the 9:55 pacers and I passed them. I made myself so worked up about that pace team for the rest of the race tho. I thought at any point, I would turn around and they would be at my heels. I've never tried to keep pace for a race longer than a 5k, I wasn't sure if I could keep it up for the next 5 miles. Oh, I don't have a Garmin or even wear a watch while I race. I go strictly on how my body feels.
The next 5 miles were a nice rolling course around a lake. It was pretty and pretty cold still. On the uphills, I was sucking in air, on the downhills, trying to recover. At mile 6, I was ready for this race to be over. Luckily, the amazing volunteers were cheering us on and I told myself, "two miles, make it work, and lay it all out on the road."
Finally, I made my way back to starting point and had the .1 miles to go and I tried to push as hard as I could, but it wasn't really much faster than what I was going.
I made it! 8.1 miles in 1:14:44 (chip time) which was a 9:13 pace. I was totally proud of myself. I came in 20th out of 68. I use to be a bottom of the packer, but with several months of hard work, I'm a top middle packer. :)
Next big race....the Pittsburgh Half Marathon!
Don't let the sunshine fool you, it isn't even the 30's yet. Oh, and the guy behind me is giving me the stink eye.
I got up early and headed off to the race, which was about an hour away. I arrived at the perfect time to find a decent parking spot and a shuttle bus waiting for me. I had enough time to use the bathroom, get my chip number, and find my friend's van. We sat in there until the race started, a little too long since we found out 10 minutes before the race started that we were 1/2 mile away from our starting line. Oh well, a little warm up didn't hurt anyone.
Since there was a 5k, 8.1, and half marathon race all at this starting point, I decided to line up behind the 9:55 pacers. I told myself to stick with them for the first three miles and then pass them. Boom! The race starts. I was told that the worst hill in this race is within the first mile and as we made our way down the road, we made a sharp left turn and hidden behind the trees was the hill. Since the field was very crowded still, I couldn't really see what was going, so I went with it. I told myself to not look up, kind of like not looking down when you're high up. It worked for the most part, the hill was rough, but then the cruel longer incline after steep hill was mean as well. Finally, we made a right turn and went sharply downhill. Phew! This downhill was steep! I was worried about falling down a couple times, but it was all over before we knew it and the course was now just rolling hills from here on out.
I found the 9:55 pacers and I passed them. I made myself so worked up about that pace team for the rest of the race tho. I thought at any point, I would turn around and they would be at my heels. I've never tried to keep pace for a race longer than a 5k, I wasn't sure if I could keep it up for the next 5 miles. Oh, I don't have a Garmin or even wear a watch while I race. I go strictly on how my body feels.
The next 5 miles were a nice rolling course around a lake. It was pretty and pretty cold still. On the uphills, I was sucking in air, on the downhills, trying to recover. At mile 6, I was ready for this race to be over. Luckily, the amazing volunteers were cheering us on and I told myself, "two miles, make it work, and lay it all out on the road."
Finally, I made my way back to starting point and had the .1 miles to go and I tried to push as hard as I could, but it wasn't really much faster than what I was going.
I made it! 8.1 miles in 1:14:44 (chip time) which was a 9:13 pace. I was totally proud of myself. I came in 20th out of 68. I use to be a bottom of the packer, but with several months of hard work, I'm a top middle packer. :)
Next big race....the Pittsburgh Half Marathon!
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