Do Over! A.K.A. Blue Moon Half-Marathon Race Report

Chip Time: 1:53:08 - new PR by 3 minutes! :)

If I could have gone back out last Sunday and run that race again I promise I would have. I was so hungry for a do-over that I started searching for another race from my phone on the way home. First I looked at the weather for today: 50 degrees? A near thirty degree difference in a week? Hmmm...

Next, I remembered the time change.

And finally, I remember the Blue Moon Half Marathon, 30 minutes from home, one week away.

A mulligan.

There are two things that can happen when the stars line up that beautifully for a race - you can either completely bomb it and have no excuses for why you did, or you can thank God for perfect racing conditions, remember that those only happen once in a... ahem... blue moon, and go for it.

There were lots of friends at this race, which made it especially fun. We hung out for a bit before the start and then lined up in a tight-nit pack for the start. I wasn't the least bit nervous. That always makes me nervous. It seemed bitter cold but as someone pointed out it was because we had baked for months on end. Truly, the conditions were perfect.

The race started late (as always) and was pretty packed at the start. About a quarter mile in the half marathoners turn right and the 5k-ers turn left, thinning out the pack quite a bit. I settled into a pace that I felt was comfortable and checked in at mile 1. 8:16. Perfect. That felt good and was well below my goal pace (my 2nd tier goal was under 1:55, my first tier goal was the 1:52 Mark had told me I was capable of last week). (8:46/8:32) Since I've raced this route before, I knew to be prepared for an onslaught of "hills" in the form of a bridge we ran up, turned around and ran up again all within a quarter- to a half-mile. When we approached the bridge my mind relaxed; it was *nothing* compared to the hills of San Francisco 3 weeks ago! I tore up the bridge just for sport, passing quite a few people along the way, and wondered if I'd suffer the consequence on the flat part. Nope, my legs handled that quite nicely. I relaxed on the down, got to the turn-around, and tore back up the bridge again. On the turn-around, we faced a wind I hadn't noticed when it was at my back, and had to re-adjust to that.

I felt good through mile 5. At mile 6 my perceived rate of exertion went up, and so did my time. I started thinking that I'd need to talk to Ma'am about this; how could I feel so good the first 6 miles and not feel good now? I know it's not endurance, because I have endurance. I started running through the possibilities: Longer speedwork? More tempo? About this time they were handing out Gus so I took one, but switched it out for the Hammergel I had in my pocket, and took that instead. That didn't sit too well and required a potty stop, dammit. But this time I picked out a runner, sped to the restroom, went quick (I am good at this!) and then ran back out. I told myself I had to run my heart out the next two miles to make up the difference and then after those miles were locked in, I could dial down the pace if I needed to. I caught up to my runner "marker" and knew I hadn't lost too much, as long as she hadn't slowed down.

At mile 6.55 (half way) I looked at my watch and saw that I had a 56:00 flat. If I continued on the pace I was I could get my first tier goal of 1:52. I decided to just push as hard as I could; if I fell apart so be it, I'd be a lot closer to my goal than if I didn't. About this time the fuel started kicking in and whatever was falling apart at mile 6 was renewed. I had a lot more energy and just felt good ... and was having a ton of fun.

I missed the 10 mile mark time (5k to go so I could figure out my projected finish time). At 11 I knew that if I finished in 20 minutes I'd be at 1:55. I was cautiously optimistic that I might get a PR since I was feeling VERY strong even still. At mile 12 I checked again, and started to feel even more like this might be it...!! The course turns off the trail, down a street and turns into the park, going by the finish line first before turning back in to the finish. I was starting to feel exhaustion set in at this point, but then the crowd bolstered my spirits. I started looking for Chuck - I hoped he was paying attention because I was coming in earlier than I think he'd have predicted - and there he was. I squealed (yes, squealed) and he said, "Well hurry up, go faster!!" and I DID. Where that kick came from I do not know, but I cheered for myself all the way in by a clock that read 1:53:18 (or something). Not sure what my chip time was but I was so flipping ecstatic I did not CARE.

I had so much fun during this race! It was absolutely perfect from start to glorious finish. I felt like I ran smart, ran comfortably, but most of all enjoyed just about every bit of it. I am feeling like I am really starting to make strides and really inspired to make this one of my best racing seasons yet!