This past weekend I ran my 5th half marathon when I completed See Jane Run Half again! It marked the anniversary of my very first half and I wanted to try out the same course with a new perspective.
I’ve been training and was hoping to best my original time of 2:05:31 by 13:10, meaning I’d take off one minute per mile. I knew finishing in 1:52:21 would be a challenge, especially considering my most recent time in San Diego was 1:55:35, but I was hopeful the flat course would be in my favor. I made sure to get lots of sleep and put good fuel in my body for the week leading up to the race (beer counts as fuel, right??? Carbo loading!).
The weather was almost identical to last year: overcast and about 60 degrees – perfect for running! I could have done without the 10mph winds though….
For races like these, your official time doesn’t start until you cross the start line. Well apparently not everyone knows that, and the start was a bit of a cluster. The race “officials” were trying to tell people to wait, so we could go in waves, but walk/runners will start when they want dammit! So I just went with the flow until it go overly annoying and I took off on the grass.
 |
| You go. No you go. No *I”ll* go! |
I set my new Garmin 610 watch pacer to an 8:34 mile and set off. I tried to keep it slow in the beginning, but kept creeping closer to the 8:30 mile pace, and decided just to go with it. The weather was good, and I was feeling great!
 |
| Powered by my shirt – it reads: Does this shirt make my butt look fast? |
About mile 6 my watch said that I had passed my pacer. Really? I thought. Aight, SWEET!
I picked it up about 12 miles out, and just enjoyed crossing the finish line without anything left. According to my fancy pants watch, I peaked near the finish line at a 6:13 pace on flat ground. If you had told me a year ago I would be doing that I’d call you crazy!
 |
| Finish line baby! |
I crossed and was completely gassed, but recovered quickly and was feeling absolutely fantastic. So what’s the final verdict? How’d I do?
Awwe yeah! 1:50:12!!!! I surpassed even my wildest expectations and completely surprised myself! The official results were just posted, and it looks like I was 13th of 132 in my age group (25-29) and 92/895 overall! This result was shocking, and I’m just elated about it. Here is my Garmin race tracker if you’re interested.
A huge shout out needs to go to the Seattle Anti-Freeze Runners, who inspire me to run and come out to the Thursday gatherings every week! I raise this champagne glass to you!
 |
| Champagne and chocolate. Delicious at 10am! |
And yes, I could barely walk on Tuesday, but that was probably more due to playing catcher in a softball double-header than running the half marathon…or at least that’s what I choose to tell myself.
