Last Saturday, after 10 weeks of training, I ran and finished the Sweet Tea Half Marathon – the first ever in my hometown. It was a gorgeous route, a freezing cold day, and a very fun run.
A few days before the race, my best friend arrived from Florida to run the 13.1 miles with me. We spent the entire day before preparing: breaking in shoes further, picking up our packets, carb-loading, and adjusting to the old weather aka buying more long sleeve shirts. We both organized our Raceday Gear: for me it was setting out my outfit for the morning, packing my fuel (sport jelly beans and Gatorade chews for me) in my fuel belt, and organizing my playlist. Then I went to bed around 10:30pm, because I knew there was an early morning ahead of me.
Early mornings like this s-t-r-e-s-s me out!! When I wake up early, I have stomach pains all day. TMI, its a digestive thing, like I haven;t had the night to finish digesting the day before and so my stomach just hurts. Something that does not work well on a regular day, but definitely not on a day you have to run for 13.1 miles. Any stress or nervousness I felt over the week boiled down to that very thing – I knew I could run, I knew I could finish barring any random accidents, but the early wake up call had me freaked out. I even felt sick all day Friday. Luckily, my body and mind synced up and I woke up at 5:45am, feeling awake, energized, and free of stomach pains.
I fueled with my usual breakfast: hot lemon water, smoothie (banana, coconut water, and chocolate protein powder for race day), and half a cup of coffee. I drank a little water on the way to the race and ate a pack of sport jelly beans. Just enough fuel to not have to pee during the race 😉
We headed to the start line at 645am, while the sun was rising. It also happened to be the coldest morning of the year, setting record low temps at just 32 degrees – which for the Southeast in November is unheard of (except that today it is even colder!). We lined up, the race started, and we were off.
The course was perfect – I was worried it would be boring, since it went along a bike path and I am more of a city/in-town runner, but it wove in an out of the path, neighborhoods, and into the downtown area. There were water stops along the way and plenty of people out, on bikes, in the neighborhoods, and at the water stations, cheering us on. The fun part about it being in my town was seeing people I knew encouraging us all to keep moving.
Around mile 7 I used my first chew, drank some water, and headed through a neighborhood I had never been in. I knew I was more than halfway, but also there was a long way to go (the blessing and curse of mile markers!). We ran through the neighborhood, crossed a main road into our downtown, and then next thing I knew, we were at mile 10! Only 3 more quick miles to go.
I made a decision to “throw” my coat at mile 12, near a little library that I knew from my training. I wasn’t overheated, but my bib was under my coat. i wanted to make sure it read my time and didn’t want an unzipped coat slowing me down at the end. I threw it and the cold hit me hard. The last 3/4 of a mile were a little rough, but manageable because the finish line was so close. The last little bit went up a tiny hill, with the finish line a straight shot from there. I ran steady up the hill, put my game face on (and seeing the pics from race day, oh what a face that is, haha. PS I did smile as I crossed the finish line, I had no idea the camera was a few meters behind, but looking at the pics, neither did any one else. Good for laugh for sure! ), accidentally ignored my husbands cheers and jumping up and down, and sprinted to the finish line. 2hr 3min.
I got my medal, grabbed a few bananas and water, found my hubby, walked back to my coat, cheered people on, grabbed some coffee, hit up a yard sale, and watched my bestie cross the finish line.
Then a cold bath, hot shower, and lots of food called my name.
Overall, it was an awesome race.I felt good running. I consistently passed people, without pushing myself too hard. I forgot about time and just enjoyed the run, which absolutely made all the difference. Last time I ran, I was burnt out by the end of training. After race day, I only ran one more time that year, and the race was in January. It took me almost three years to get back into running consistently, because I just didn’t feel like it anymore. This time, I can’t wait to get back. After my final long training run, I was a little sad – I would miss spending a few hours to myself, just running around my town, checking out the beautiful homes and trees, and listening to music. My challenge now is to figure out where to go next and how to find some balance.
Any tips on post-race running or what to do next? Do you usually take breaks or set new goals once you have finished a program (running or otherwise)?
If any of you are running soon – best of luck!
Peace and Love,
Jessi
