US Air Force Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Started the race at the back of the pack with mostly walkers. Even though I started out running, I noticed that I was falling behind some of the walkers and decided it was stupid to expend so much energy just to lose so much ground, so I started walking. Good move on my part. My body relaxed and I had a really comfortable pace going even going up the first large hill, which was about 1.6 miles long. I talked to some people as I went, and then passed them and talked to the next person. My name was printed on my bib, so everytime I went through a water station, volunteers and spectators cheered for me by name. It was incredibly motivating! We finally crested the hill and started downhill, and I started running again. Felt much better this time and it sure helped having the momentum to increase my speed. Passed one guy who I had passed earlier, but he passed me back. We ran together for a little while then started walking on the next uphill section. He became my pacer since he was moving just a little faster than I was comfortable with. Whenever he got too far in front of me, I sped up. I walked through the next water station, and when I looked for the guy, he was probably a quarter mile in front of me. This was at the 4 mile mark, and I never did catch him again, but just the motivation of trying to catch him made my race much faster than it would have been otherwise. He was in my sight until the final two miles, but just far enough ahead that I couldn’t catch him.

I started playing the game of choosing someone in front of me and picking them off. I came upon a group of 10 airmen carrying 45 pound packs, and wearing full uniforms and combat boots. Man, you’ve got to have respect for the guys who finished this race loaded down. It was humbling to have them in front of me to begin with. They would run a few hundred feet and walk a while. One of the guys in formation fell down and a couple others picked the guy up and kept him heading in the right direction. It was pretty amazing. When I got past them, it was my goal not to let them run over me! I started talking to a girl who I had passed half a dozen times. She was stationed in England and the air force gave her permission to take off to run the race. Pretty neat. We passed each other several more times before the finish and laughed with each other every time. I walked through a water stop, talking to volunteers and high-fiving spectators, :) then continued to pick off one person at a time in front of me clear to the very end.

With less than 2 miles left to go, I was very tired and didn’t think I had much more left in me. My right achilles was screaming, my knees were on fire, my left calf felt like it was getting ready to seize up. I didn’t want to pass people then have them pass me back, so I selected carefully. I was walking and contemplating passing a group of four girls when I saw a lady on the sidelines who had already finished the half. She was holding her medal and waving it in front of her, showing it to us. She was yelling at us in her best drill sergeant voice: “You want this? It’s waiting at the finish line! You move those feet and get to the end. You’re almost there, don’t you slow down, you move those feet!” On and on she went, but it was just what I needed to keep moving! I passed the four girls and set my sights on the next person. I turned the corner off the main road and knew I only had two more turns before the finish stretch, probably little more that half a mile. I settled into a slow jog remembering that I wanted a little energy for the final sprint to the finish line. I rounded the corner and heard someone yelling my name – I looked around and it was Scott (wsm9363) and his family. (Thanks Scott, that was terrific!) Then I saw my husband and the video camera. He positioned himself so he could shoot pictures of me running to the finish line.

The finish stretch at this race is simply amazing! You run though 8-10 retired airplanes. This year, they had added the “Hanoi Taxi”, the plane that was used to evacuate POW’s out of Vietnam. They had the plane positioned so you ran under the wing. It was so awesome! They also had a C130, the plane that my husband flew when he was in the air force. I managed to passed a couple more people in the final stretch. I finally crossed the finish line and a General put a medal around my neck. I was so emotional, I couldn’t even see him through my tears. I was so happy to finish the race.

I did so much better than I thought I was able, and I learned that I could push myself farther than I thought possible. I gave the race 100% effort. I couldn’t have done any more than I did. I finished the race feeling so proud knowing that there were no regrets, no what ifs, no I should haves or could haves. I poured everything I had into this race. What a great way to finish the season!

Not a thing! Had a ball!

Was really disappointed in the post-race party. Last year, everything was free for runners, families, friends, & volunteers. This year they charged for everything, which was a let-down! There was lots of racer goodies, but it's not the same when you can't share and relax with family and friends.