The time is now

The past couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy.  A very long story summed up in a couple of brief sentences: My doctor thought I might have a stress fracture in my left tibia.  Waited over a week (stupid insurance!) to get an MRI, which showed I do NOT have a stress fracture.  
 

Obviously a ton went on in that time span,including of course tons of tears from yours truly when it seemed I might not be able to race in the Columbus Marathon on October 19th, but the most important thing is that I have been cleared to run.  Not that I ever stopped... oops, that was supposed to be a secret.  I did take five days off from running, and I do think that period of rest helped a great deal.  I got back into the pool a couple of times, which was a lot of fun.  I tried to keep the miles that I did run short and easy, and promised myself that if I had any pain at all, I'd stop.  Fortunately for me, I didn't have any pain while running after that five-day rest.  That being said, running AMA (against medical advice) is NOT something I'd recommend to anyone.  I'm really good at giving advice, and not so great at taking it.  

Moving on, though... something's happening in just six days.  Oh yeah, I'm running a little race.  *insert scream* I can't believe it... the time has come.  The time is now... well in less than a week.  Soon enough.  I will be joining 18,000 other runners who are running in either the half-marathon or the full like me, and marathon #2 will become a reality.  I first started thinking about marathon #2 before my first marathon was even finished.  In my darkest moments of that race, right around miles 22-23, I said to myself, "Yes, this is awful.  Yes, I hurt worse than I imagine.  But yes, I will do this again."  I knew I had more in me than I had given on that day.  Now, when I crossed the finish line, there was no more left to give.  But I realized during that race that I indeed could train harder, run faster, and give more of myself to this beast that we call a marathon.

Me smiling (FAKE!) just a minute or so after finishing my first full

After my first marathon, my husband texted Jen (my coach/cheerleader/training partner) and told her that I was only 16 minutes from a BQ (Boston Qualifying time).  When Jen relayed this to me, I was surprised in two respects:  one, that my husband even knew what the BQ time was for my age group, and two, that I was only 16 minutes away from it.  I really didn't even know what the Boston Marathon was all about until the race was ran in 2013, and the horrific events that took place put the race at the forefront of everyone's minds.  I instantly decided that I would someday qualify for and run the Boston Marathon, even though at that point I still hadn't even raced in my first half-marathon.  After I raced in the Cap City half marathon less than a month later, the idea of racing in a full marathon was tucked deep into the recesses of my brain until I was finally prepared to face it again about 7 months later.  Following the Glass City Marathon, many of my running friends told me that Boston was definitely within my reach.  Jen's husband (a seasoned runner and triathlete) laughed when he heard I spent the first 20 miles of my marathon chatting it up with my new MIT runner-pals. "That's a good 5-10 minutes right there!" he chided.  

My chat-buddies during my first full--they made those first 20 miles fly by!

All of the people who I felt knew more than I did about these things were saying I could BQ... that's when I let the thought actually seep into my head.  Me... BQ.  Wow.  For my age group (35-39), the time standard is a 3:40:00.  What that means: I have to actually go a 3:39:59 or faster to achieve BQ status.  And that's just to qualify... once a person gets the time standard, they can attempt to register, but typically it takes a time that is a good two minutes or so faster than the actual standard to actually get accepted to run in the Boston Marathon.  Putting it another way, I'd have to shave off about 40 seconds per mile to earn my BQ.  For you non-runners out there, that is a LOT.  Like, a LOT LOT.  However, training hard all summer has given me the confidence that I need to believe that maybe, just maybe... I might have it in me.  Despite a PR in the half marathon that, when doubled, is only a 3:39... despite my lingering sore calf that Dr. Bright said is "something" (but nothing to stop me from racing--his words, I promise!)... despite my own fear that taking out a marathon in the kind of pace that I'll need to do in order to BQ will lead me to crashing and burning by mile 20... despite all of these things, there is this little fire in my heart that says, "But Marcie... the time is now."  

And, indeed, the time is now.  It is time for me to put my money where my mouth is. I haven't been all that vocal about trying to BQ.  It's been a dream that my close running friends know about, yes, but I haven't made it known to many others.  Well, here I am, putting it out there.  I know I usually start with my C goals and work my way up... not today.  My A goal is to qualify for the 2016 Boston Marathon (registration has already ended for the 2015 race) by running a sub-3:40 marathon.  There, I said it.  Seeing it in print makes it all the more real.

My B goal is to PR.  A PR is nothing to sneeze at, and especially given the fact that just a few days ago I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to race, I will be very happy with a shiny new PR.  

I have this shirt :)  Love it!

And my C goal?  Yep, to finish.  Again, my almost-race-ending-injury has caused to really reevaluate things, and I realize that finishing a marathon is no small feat. I will be grateful for the chance to do so.  My heart is filled with gratitude--that is, in fact, what mile 1 says on my mantra band from Races2Remember.  On Sunday, I will run with gratitude, thankful that I am able to run.

 

Akron Half Marathon Race Recap

2014 has definitely been a year of firsts for me when it comes to running.  First time running over 1000 miles in a year.  First marathon.  First winter of snow-running.  And last weekend, it was the first time I've ran a race for someone else.  I did the "Run for the Health of It" 5K last month, and while I certainly didn't race it, I ran it for fun.  The Akron Half Marathon was totally different.  

Back in the spring, my running pal Jen mentioned that a friend was running in the Akron Marathon for ALS awareness.  She thought it'd be a fun race to do together. I of course agreed--after all, half marathons ARE fun!  At that time, we both knew we'd be racing in the Columbus Marathon just three weeks later, but I had done the Xenia half marathon 3 weeks prior to Glass City, so I knew I could treat it as a training run just as I had with Xenia.

As the race day approached, Jen and I both went back and forth with how we wanted to run this race.  Should I run it like the first half of my marathon, getting in some race-pace miles?  Should Jen push herself to a PR?   Should we just take it easy?  Our decision was made about two weeks before the race.  We got an e-mail from the Trample ALS team leader, Adam Bracken.  He mentioned that if anyone wanted to run with him and his wife as they pushed Adam's father Steve (who has ALS), that we'd be welcome to.  Immediately, Jen and I knew exactly what we were going to do.  This race wasn't going to be for us, it would be for Steve and for ALS awareness.   

 
Just like she did about 5 months ago, Jen picked me up at my house shortly after lunch for our trek up north. Such a different ride, though... last time, I was a ball of nerves, hydrating enough to have to make two pit stops on the way to our hotel.  This time, we laughed and munched on the delicious Dove chocolates and Cool Ranch Doritos that Jen had surprised me with.  (She knows me way too well LOL!)  Of course, the trip was over before we knew it, and we arrived at the awesome Hilton Fairlawn.  It was just a teeny step up from the "outside door" Days Inn that I had booked for Glass City ;)  We stowed our things in our room and headed over to the race expo.  It was a decent-sized expo, with lots to look at and buy (but no awesome deals).  I did get some Hippie Sweat bands (just like my Bondi Bands), but that was it. The best part of the expo was at the end.  There was a chiropractor selling his pain-relief cream.  Jen mentioned to him that I'd been suffering from tendinitis in my right calf, and consequently had a sore left ankle.  He offered to do an adjustment.  I was wary, but he seemed to know what he was talking about, so I went ahead and let him work on me.  I was elated when he was done and I had zero ankle pain!  I couldn't believe that two little pops would make it that much better.  My calf was still a little sore, but I knew that would warm up once the race started the next day.  After we picked up our race t-shirts, we headed to the Charity Village area and found the Trample ALS table, where we got the shirts we'd be wearing the next morning.  This made us even more excited for what we would be doing during the race!

Expo!

By then we were both ready for dinner. We had noticed a Bravo (Italian restaurant) right by our hotel, and decided it would be the perfect pre-race dinner locale.  And it was.  YUM!!!  Jen had her wine and I had my Peach Bellini, and we both gorged ourselves on delicious bread and yummy pasta dishes.  

Malbec for Jen, Bellini for me :)

I so enjoyed the time that we spent just chatting and laughing... I don't get to do that too often, just hang out with a friend and eat and enjoy myself without the interruption of kids!  

#dinnerselfie

Once we were finished, we headed back to the hotel to chill for a bit before bed.  I ran into Jen's' friend Jennifer at the ice machine (unbeknownst to me, that is... we chatted but didn't realize who the other was LOL), and she came over to our room and we all talked and watched Dirty Dancing.  Such a great movie!  Lights out at 10:00, and I was able to easily fall asleep and get a great night's rest. 

Deliciously soft bed and tons of pillows!

We were up bright and early at around 4:30 AM so that we could get ready, eat our bagels and peanut butter (what else? LOL), and catch the shuttle bus at 5:25 AM.  We'd decided to take advantage of the free shuttle service, and we were so glad we did, as it made everything much less stressful as far as parking goes. At 6:00 AM we met up with the Trample ALS team and took some group pictures. We finally got to meet Steve, Adam, Kim, and the rest of the runners who were dedicating miles to this amazing cause.  Jennifer, Jen and I camped out in the nearby College of Business building, taking numerous bathroom breaks and just chilling.  Jen found a woman running in memory of her sister, who recently died of ovarian cancer.  This is another cause near and dear to Jen's heart (note the blue streak in her hair from her recent 5K for ovarian cancer!)--and look at the awesome bracelets she gave Jen to wear! 

Fellow Flower that I gave Jen ("Fierce. Beauty. Strength.")

 

Teal blue for ovarian cancer awareness

At around 6:45 we headed out to the starting line. We weren't able to actually start with Steve's team, as they were starting at the front of the A corral with the wheelchair racers, one minute before the actual start.  We figured we'd quickly catch up, as they were planning on a 10:30/mile pace.  

Ready in the corral!

The race started, and the first mile was almost entirely downhill.  I was upset that almost immediately my ankle (which up until that point had felt great) started to hurt.  As we sped through the course, holding a pace somewhere in the low 9's, I tried to stay focused on running and not what was going on with my body.   Truth be told, I was scared. I was supposed to run 26.2 miles in 3 weeks, and I could barely handle the pain just a few miles into this half marathon.  Luckily I had Jen by my side and a mission: to find the Trample ALS team!  

After 3 very hilly miles of running at a pretty strong pace (we were in the high 8's/low 9's for the entire first 5K), Jen and I were ready to throw in the towel. We asked a spectator if they'd seen the Trample ALS pushchair team, and they told us the team was about 5 minutes ahead of us.  We were so confused... we should've caught them by then, unless they were really going fast!  Finally, right around mile 4, we at last caught sight of the maroon shirts.  They'd just taken a restroom break, which is why we were able to catch them.  It was such a fun reunion, even though we'd just met everyone only an hour earlier!  Jen and I were relieved to slow down a bit.  Adam explained to us that their goal of 10:30/mile included rest stops for bathroom and stretch breaks for his father.... ahhh, it finally made sense to us why we hadn't caught them for the first 4 miles!

Jen and the team!

The next 5 miles absolutely sped by.  We talked, I complained, it was wonderful :)  After a short break at around mile 9, Jen and I were asked if we wanted to take a turn pushing Steve's chair. We were elated... what a special gift!   We were so proud to be taking part in this amazing race with these amazing people.  

Truly, the best race moment ever...

At mile 11, the course split for the half and full, so we sadly had to leave our teammates (who were running the full).  Jen and I turned off and headed towards the finish.  I tried to soak in every last minute of this race... I was in pain, but I didn't want it to end.  

Mid-race selfie!

We ran into the Akron football stadium to finish the race, claim our medals, and get our post-race food.  The charity runners got to chill in a special area after the race.  

Post-race happiness

After some photo-taking and chatting with other Trample ALS members, we found the shuttle pick-up and headed back to our hotel.  We had lunch at an awesome hamburger joint before heading back home to Columbus.

Nom nom nom...

My takeaway from this race: it's not always about racing, or PRs, or feeling great while you are running.  It's about doing something for someone else... Jen and I both agreed that the mile or so that we pushed Steve was the easiest mile of the race. It was like once our hands were on the chair handles, we were flying.  It made me think about Hunter, and how very much I would love to get him a chair like this, to fly with my own son.  I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.  This race... it was so much more than a race.  It was a moment that I will never, ever forget.  I'm so grateful that I had the chance to participate with the Trample ALS team. 

Right now, I'm going through my own personal health issues.  I have *something* wrong with my ankle.  I've been resting and icing, and my doctor is worried I have a stress fracture.  I am still hopeful that I will be able to run in the marathon in two weeks.  If I can, I will be dedicating a mile on my "grace band" to Steve and the amazing Trample ALS runners.  If I end up not being able to race, you'd better believe that the next marathon I do will have that dedication mile in there!  Meanwhile, I'm taking this advice from my Dove Chocolate wrapper to heart... 

#taper #rest #horseisinthestable

T-minus 29 days... eeeeek!

With school (work) starting back up for me this month, the Columbus Marathon has kind of snuck up on me... well, not really.  I knew it was coming, but when I counted the days and realized there are only 29 days remaining till I run in my second marathon, I got goosebumps!  

Me after my first full LOL...

Training has gone well for this race.  I have gotten in some great long runs, some fast tempo runs, and some super fun "just running" runs, all with friends.  I'm so lucky that I really have my pick of friends to run with on a daily basis with the Moms Run This Town group.  

Run for the Health of It... such a fun race!

 

 

Amanda, Allison and me after a hard tempo run

Two of my best running friends, Ashley and Jen, on my birthday run

Andrea, one of my mentors <3

Running peeps actually coming to MY house to run, wow!

Steph... she's one of my favorites.  We had so much fun running this race!

Today was a big day, the day of my only 20-miler in this training cycle.  I only did one when I trained for my first marathon in the spring as well.  Many plans recommend running 2-3 20-milers, and I did consider it, but for various reasons it just didn't work out this time.  Maybe for my next full ;)

This 20-miler happened under less-than-ideal circumstances.  I typically run long on Sundays.  However, my husband left to go camping today (Saturday afternoon), so my Sunday runday wasn't going to happen.  Running on Saturday is really no big deal to me, but throw in the twins' 9 AM soccer game (and since I'm a coach, I have to be there)... plus a soccer tournament for Joey... and you've got a pretty crazy day.  I knew I'd need to start my run early in order to get in all 20 miles, and I decided to start at the game's location (the Westerville Sports Complex), so that I could finish there and run onto the field to coach when I was done.  Unfortunately, my plans to run with Andrea for this run didn't work out, as she's not an early/dark runner, and she's also nursing an injury.  Luckily, another (newer) running friend Paige had messaged me yesterday to see if she could tag along on my 20-miler, and my weekday running friend Amy and I had already planned to run the first 10 together, so things ended up working out.

I will spare you all of the nitty gritty details of the run... basically, it was two 10-mile loops around Westerville.  The first loop was DARK.  We had headlamps, but it still was really dark in some parts.  And part of the route didn't have sidewalks, so we had to go on the road... which is fine, but the cars weren't being so nice, and it was a bit scary.  Other than that, loop #1 went fine.  THEN the fun started.  Long story short, Paige lost (and found) her keys prior to starting loop #2, and with about 3 miles left in the loop she gave me the incorrect time and I freaked out, thinking we needed to sprint back to the sports complex as we only had 30 minutes till game time!  Fortunately, we figured out with about a mile to go that we had more time than we thought, but those last three miles were still pretty fast. Running long and fast like this really, truly gives me hope that I can pull off a BQ in 4 weeks!

This week is the peak of my training... I'm going to end up with around 170 miles this month!  My furthest ever was 170 in March, so I'd love to best that.  From here, though, things go downhill as far as the miles go.  Jen and I are running the Akron Half Marathon next weekend for ALS, and after that the long runs really do decrease in preparation for the big race.  I know I've trained a lot harder for this race than I did for my first full, as I feel stronger and faster... but I also am feeling kind of done with training! I've got a tweaky right calf that would love a week or so off from running.  I'm really, really looking forward to the month after the marathon, when I can recover and just run for fun without regard to much else. 

Emerald City Half Marathon race recap

It was an epic day, an epic race, worthy only of an epic blog recap :)  I apologize in advance, as I included a ton of minute details in this one. I've also been working on it bit by bit for a week now!  Going back to work severely limits my blogging time :(  But I digress...

Things started out early, of course.  I woke up two minutes before my alarm went off, at 3:48 AM.  Since I'd gone to bed just after 8:30 AM, I had actually had more sleep than I am used to getting, and felt great upon waking.  Well, as great as one can possibly feel at 3:48 AM!  After my breakfast (half a bagel and a banana) and getting dressed...

Flat Marcie!

...I was ready to roll when Christine picked me up at 4:25 AM.  We headed to our friend Erin's house and were on the road by 4:50 AM.   Crazy early, yes, but we wanted to avoid the traffic issues from last year.

Andrea, my newest running friend, is a true sage of running knowledge. She recommended I drink a Slushie before the race in order to cool down my inner core (due to the prediction of extreme humidity, which was pretty accurate--66 degrees at race start with 94% humidity!).  I figured it couldn't hurt, so at 5 AM, Christine, Erin and I made a pit-stop at Speedway for my cherry-and-blue raspberry Slushie. Picture three very hyper, race-ready women storming into Speedway, laughing the entire time... I think the cashier, Frances, was honestly afraid of us LOL! 

Speedway Selfie!

From Speedway, we headed on to Dublin for the race.  Just as we'd planned, we were early enough that we could bypass the shuttle, and found a parking spot a mere 3 minute walk from the race start.  Score! From that point, the real fun started.  Christine pulled out her tailgating chairs, popped open the back of her van, and our friends from Moms Run This Town started to arrive.  

 

                                         Our friend Kim was the first MRTT peep to spot our tailgate!

I sipped on my Slushie, we made more than a few bathroom runs to Kroger as well as Tim Horton's, and Erin and I did a short mile or so warm-up jog around the parking lot.  Oh, and of course--pictures and selfies galore!  

Most of the moms who met up pre-race

Bathroom selfie with Erin and Heather!

The hour or so that we were there flew by, and in no time at all Erin and I decided we should head over to the race.  We did make a quick stop at the Fleet Feet tent so that I could get my pre-race hugs in from my awesome MIT friends who were all pacing the race. I was super excited to find out that my marathon-buddy Steph and I were shoe twins for the race!  It's the little things that get me pumped LOL...

Shoe-fie with Steph!

Then, the craziest thing happened on the way to the corrals... I got hit (nudged, really) by a golf cart!  It was backing up, and totally took me by surprise.  I put out my right hand (the one holding my water bottle) to stop it, which was silly, and thank God the driver stopped when he heard my scream.  My water squirted all over my leg, but other than that I was just fine.  It was more scary than anything, thinking what could've happened!  The race director was right there, and he was very concerned, but I was fine.  My angels were watching out for me, for sure, and we were able to make our way to the corrals.  Erin was in corral B, and I was in corral A, but she agreed to move up and start with me.  At most races this isn't really allowed, but this is the first year that they even had corrals at Emerald City, and no one was policing anything.  

 Erin and I in the corral!  We are soooo nervous at this point!

Our friend Amy N. found us in the corral when we got there, and after that our friend Felicia came over.  Then Jon, who I've ran several times with on Tuesday mornings with Tamara, found us as well.  A few other friends arrived--Amy H., Catherine, Tamara C.,Tiffany... I loved all of the pre-race hugs and chatter!  It made the time pass by quickly.  Last year, the race start was significantly delayed... this year, it was right on time, which was fine by me. 

So... my original race plan had me starting at 8:15-8:20 for miles 1-3.  With the weather the way it was, most of this plan had flown out the window.  I was thinking more like 8:20-8:30 for the first few miles, but I figured I would play it by ear.  Amy N. and Tiffany agreed that this sounded like a good strategy as well. Erin was unsure of going out that strong with us, but she felt really good and eventually decided to stick with the rest of us. 

It always takes me a couple of miles to really get into a run, but this race was by far the worst yet.  I felt okay during mile 1... but by mile 2, I was wondering what I was even doing.  The pace was right around what we'd said we'd stick to, and I knew it wasn't too hard for me, but for whatever reason, I felt awful.  My legs didn't feel strong.  My breathing was off.  I was so mentally just NOT into racing, into the moment, it wasn't even funny.  I listened to my music (I had one earbud in during the entire race), and I responded to my friends when they would say something funny, but mostly I just sulked inside my head.  I honestly was very scared.  How was I ever going to make it 13.1 miles if I was feeling this bad during the first few miles?  Oh, one funny thing did happen during mile 1 or 2... the course had cones along the center of the road we were running on (every 10-20 feet or so, I think).  I knew they were there, but again, I was the #1 guest at my own personal pity party, and all of a sudden, I was almost on top of a cone!  I did the most amazing hurdle to get over it.  I mean, I felt like an Olympic hurdler at that second!  I gasped in shock, and quickly looked around to see if any of my friends had seen my big moment.  Tiffany was right behind me, and she was my witness, laughing at my glee and agreeing it was really cool!  I was totally proud and had a big adrenaline rush... which lasted all of 20 seconds before I was back to feeling miserable again.  My friends chatted to me every now and then, and I tried to put on my best "race-happy" face, but all I wanted to do is run over to the side of the road and walk. The worst part was when we passed the signs where the quarter marathoners split off from the half marathoners.  How very easy would it be for me to simply turn left here, and finish my race in just a few miles?  I somehow found it in me to turn right, though, and continued on. 

I decided that I would slow down to a very easy jog during each water stop, taking two cups of water and throwing one over my head and drinking the other.  I quickly began to live for those water stops, where I knew I would a) cool off, and b) get a short reprieve from keeping the pace that seemed so grueling to me.  By around mile 4, my friends were all a good 15-20 yards ahead of me.  I kept them in my sights, but realized that I just didn't care if they finished ahead of me that point.  My only thought at that point was, I just hope that I can finish.  I saw Erin take her first GU gel at 4.6 miles, and decided it would be as good of a time for me as any to take my first GU.  Eating that gel ended up being the best thing that had happened during the race thus far.  Within a half-mile or so, I felt the surge of energy that the gels tend to give me.  I still felt hot and sweaty, but my discomfort with the pace started to fade a bit.  I realized we were getting close to the halfway point (6.55 miles), and I started to actually believe I might be able to continue on at my current pace for the rest of the race. 

 Maybe starting to feel a LITTLE better?!!  I do love cameras LOL!

I passed Amy at around the halfway point, and Erin at around mile 7 or so.  Erin and I ran together for a short period, but I definitely had started to hit my groove (at last!) and decided to go with it and push the pace a bit.  I was still counting down the minutes to each water stop, but I no longer felt that finishing strong was out of my capabilities.  I actually started to look at my splits, and make finishing time projections for myself.  I realized that a sub-1:50 was actually still do-able.  My half split was a 55:23.  I figured I could at least maintain that pace and get a 1:50, but as the miles ticked by, I knew that I had more in me.  I took my second GU at mile 9.3, and by mile marker 10 I was feeling the rejuvenating effects.  Andrea and Erin had both told me prior to the race that in a half marathon, the last 5K is all about racing, and I told myself that it was indeed time to let myself actually race.  I didn't want to take off too quickly, though, and die in the last mile.  

I caught up with the 1:50 pacers at mile 11.  The conversation went something like this...

Me: "Good to see you guys!" (there were 2 male pacers and a crowd of men running with them, plus one lone female).  "I've been looking for you!"  

The lead pacer: "We've been here all along."

Me: "No, you've been far off in the distance!" (Then, after about a minute of running with them...) "I'll see you guys at the finish line!" (running ahead)

The lead pacer: "You do know we have a rule?  Once you pass us, we can't pass you again!"

Me: (nervous smile) "Umm... okay!"

At some point in the next mile or so I passed my friend Carolyn's husband Steve.  This gave me great confidence, as Steve is a super runner and a great guy.  I said hi as I went by, noticing that just up ahead was my friend Tiffany, one of the women I'd started the race with.  She'd taken off at around mile 5 or so, and I hadn't seen her in ages.  I felt a surge of energy.  The twelth mile was my best mile by far, both time-wise as well as how I felt physically and mentally.  I felt strong as I gained ground, reaching Tiffany right at the 12 mile marker.  She gasped at my hello. "Come on!"  I said.  "I know you have a sub-8 mile in you!"  She agreed that she did.  "We'll finish together," I said to her as she picked up her pace to run along side me.  I started feeling not as strong during this final mile, but having Tiffany by my side was motivation, and I wanted to finish with her.  Every tenth of a mile or so, my right calf would twinge like it was going to cramp up on me.  I would do a short stutter-step, which would relax it enough to keep going.  I kept thinking to myself, "PLEASE don't do this.  Not with less than a mile to go."  I do remember glancing at my watch when it read 13.1 miles and seeing 1:48:02, and I mentally made a note of that time, as I knew my final time wouldn't reflect the actual distance (typical in a race where there are a lot of turns and tangents to run).

We caught up with the quarter marathon walkers during our final mile, and it was a bit tough to get around all of them, especially the ones running 4-5 abreast.  We turned the final corner after what seemed like an eternity, and I was never so happy as to see that final stretch to the finish!  That last mile was sooooo long!  As we ran by the cheering crowd, I heard one of Tiffany's friends cheering for her, "You can get her, Tiffany!"  I realized they were talking about her getting ME, which of course spurred me on even more. I know I had friends cheering for me as well at the finish, but I tuned everything out at that point.  My friend Kim took two amazing pictures of our race to the finish...

Tiffany and I hit the timing pad under the finish arch at the exact same time. Tiffany's friend Vanessa captured this cool shot of me reaching back to her just after we finished. 

I was so exhausted at this point, and I just wanted to tell her how awesome our finish was. My watch read 1:49:23.  Sub-1:50... an HUGE PR... what a phenomenal feeling!

Tiffany and I got some water and food and walked around the finishers' area for a bit.  We ran into my friend Kim, who I was so very excited to see, as well as my friend Jon from corral A.  I called Jen to let her know how my race had gone, and then I searched for Erin.  We finally found each other; she had finished just a minute after me, with a 4-minute PR for herself!!!  I was thrilled for her.

We decided to do a cool down jog, but after a few minutes it was clear that it wasn't going to happen. I was already so very sore, and had to keep stopping to walk during our job, so we just stopped.  Erin left with her husband and kids at that point, and I decided to try to find my MIT friends.  I was so happy to see Steph and Linda!  

 
We cheered for the racers a bit together, and we watched the firefighter relay finish, which was totally awe-inspiring.  

We ran into a few more friends, exchanging sweaty hugs, before I headed back to Christine's van, where she was waiting.  After donning my 110% compression sleeves and ice pack inserts, we were on our way back to Westerville.  Such a fun, amazing morning! 

So, how did this crazy race split out?  Here is what my Garmin said (I had to include the crazy humidity graphic as well):

I know for a fact that my watch went wonky at around the 8th mile.  I looked at it during the race and it read 9:30-something, which was totally inaccurate. We were in the woods at that point and it clearly wasn't picking up the satellites.  I think mile 5 might have been off too.  Overall, though, I think it was a pretty well-split race.  If I were to do it again, I might have slowed down at the start a bit.  I think the humidity affected me more than I expected it to. I figured with hydrating so much prior to the race that I'd be just fine, but I definitely wasn't feeling well at first.  I'm so glad I got into gear eventually and was able to pull off a 5-minute PR. My final results...

So... what's next, you might ask?  Of course, I'm deep into the throes of marathon training.  Taper the week before the race plus a recovery week this past week equals lower overall mileage for the past two weeks, but I will resume my higher mileage again this coming week.  This half marathon gives me some confidence for my upcoming full marathon, but not as much as I'd like.  I would have to maintain the same average pace that I ran at this half marathon for another 13.1 miles in order to qualify for Boston with 3:40.  The race conditions will be much different, of course, with the biggest thing being the temperature/humidity differences in October.  Columbus's course is a little less hilly than the Emerald City course, also.  That being said, I'm just not sure that that I'm ready to put it all out there in less than 2 months.  I will get in some good solid training over the next 7 weeks, and decide before the race what my plan is going to be.  Meanwhile, I have a "fun race" tomorrow (a 4 miler) that I don't plan on racing at all... just going to run with friends and enjoy myself!  I also am running in half marathon in Akron with Jen in a month that will be a training run, similar to what I did in Xenia three weeks prior to my first full.  Lots of miles coming up with my super-awesome friends, and I plan on fully enjoying the training leading up to my next full!