A half marathon, and a PR!!!

Today was an awesome day! I ran the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in DC. Last week, I briefly mentioned that I was hoping to PR. Going into the race today, I was very nervous because I had looked up my best time and it was a lot faster than I had thought (2:12, or 10:22 minute pace). That was back in November of 2009. Since then, I have focused more on running longer, not faster. I have done 3 marathons and a half marathon where you run slow to run far. While I have done some shorter distances, they are typically with my dad and I run his pace (slow). I love running with my dad, but I was really excited to see what I could do. When I signed up for the Ironman, I briefly considered trying to change to the full but then I realized there would be plenty of time to build up the run during the summer. I am quite happy with that decision!

After the Marine Corps Marathon, I was running pretty darn slow. I signed up for this race just to have something to train for, not even really thinking about trying to run it fast. Then I got my heart rate zones tested and have spent the last month and a half running much faster than I had been. That's when I got the idea in my head that maybe I could just push it and see how it goes. I only briefly mentioned it in my blog, because I didn't want to be disappointed if it didn't happen. My "plan" going into the race was to push it conservatively at the beginning and just see how long I could hold it. Honestly, I don't really know why I make plans because I usually change just make it up as I go along.

I was feeling pretty good until this week, when my first trip to the dentist in four years (I know, I know, shame) had me riddled with anxiety. I went to do a shake out run (just a 3ish mile run the day before to loosen up) during lunch, only to realize I had left one of my sneakers at home. Luckily, my coworker came through and I managed to get in a decent run which felt pretty good. That made me more confident heading into today.

I met up with my friends from high school Liz and Kim on the way to the race at 6am. I haven't seen Kim in a LOOONG time so it was great to see her again and catch up. Her dad was with us and had his spectator plan all detailed out. He knew the course better than us! We got to race around 7:30 (the metro was pretty slow because of the crowds) and managed to sneak in a bathroom run before heading to the start line with about 3 minutes to spare. That was much better than marine corps when I made it after the race had started.

Kim and I decided to run the first bit together (Liz was waaaay ahead of us, finishing with about an 8 minute mile pace). We also randomly met another Team Zer who introduced himself to me and will also be training for the Ironman with me all summer. I love the random connections that come with being on a team.

I knew I was doing well when our first mile, the one that is typically slow because of the crowd at the start was 10 minutes. Our next 4 miles ranged from 9:06-9:36 and I was feeling good. Unfortunately Kim was not (her knees were killing her) so we parted ways at mile 5 and I was just determined to hold onto that pace as long as possible, despite the heat that was building. I just kept thinking, if I blow up at mile 7, I can run 10 minute miles and PR. Then after mile 7, if i blow up at mile 8 I can run 10:30 minute miles and PR. This went on the whole race, but luckily the blow up never happened! And trust me, in two of my 3 marathons it definitely came.

I crossed the finish line after a strong, sub-9 minute mile in 2:02.43!!! A TEN MINUTE PR and a 9:22 minute/mile!!!!!! I was so happy that not only was I able to start off strong, but I finished strong as well. And I can promise you, I was quite happy not to be running 13 more. The half course was awesome, traversing through dupont circle, adams morgan, and around howard which provided some different scenery than just the monuments. The Rock'N'Roll series signature is bands at every mile, and they had a good mix. It was just overall a really fun race. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and the crowd support was awesome. The race, and my performance, really have me excited for the coming season.

Oh, and I was also super excited when my mom called me after the race and offered to bring me chinese food for lunch! What a surprise treat!

Below is a picture of Liz, me, and Kim at the finish. We all had fun and it was a great way to celebrate St. Patty's day.

Final Results:

2:02.43

Overall: 5,409 out of 16,291

Division: 877 out of 3,025 (top third!!)

Gender: 2,657 out of 10,707 (still top third!!)