Hashers and Mashers - Closed (Page 20)

Mel, Great pic and great report! Glad the weather held out for you.  You had an awesome time as well, great finish! 16 out of 106 is great in my book! So happy for you!

Well, I did it! 37 degrees, windy, rainy, miserable but I made it through! It was pouring when we got up, and I never did get some appropriate rain/running gear, but we made it over to the race site and just as we were parking the rain started to fizzle out.  It rained lightly for the first mile, then stopped, still cool and overcast but better than pelting rain. The run was at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, we ran one whole lap of the nascar speedway, then all around the complex, down the drag strip, winding and weaving.  The rain started around mile 6, just as we got to the dragstrip and it was pelting.  I was quickly soaked, thank goodness for my baseball hat.  There was some pretty good rolling hills and I had to walk up some because once the rain started, my muscles REALLY stiffened up.  By the time I got to mile 11 I was hurting, major blister pain on one foot from the wet socks, and bad cramp in one glute. I was pretty miserable to DH at that point, but he took it in stride. More walking than I would have liked in the last two miles but I finished and got my medal, I'll try to post a pic cause it is cool and huge, with led lights and a spinner DH is a huge nascar fan and is in awe over it.

All in all, great race, cool to go around the speedway, not sure I will EVER do another race where the weather is that cold and wet! Finished in 2:49 so I have some work to do but overall I'm happy, and now, after soaking in the hot tub at the hotel, finally warm again!

Yvonne

(NCHalfMarathonMedal_1.jpg)

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So glad you got to run your HM!!! It is awesome that you went through with it despite the weather!! Great job and very cool metal!!

Yvonne - I have a long and rambling story for you.....

So, yesterday I was at a barbecue with some friends who are extremely fit, but don't do any endurance sports. We don't tend to talk about running, marathons, triathlons, etc, but one of my 'older' friends, who is an avid cyclist, showed up and asked if I had any big races on the agenda. I told him that I was going to take this year off, and make a come back next year. The other really fit guys overheard our conversation and started talking about how they would never run a marathon, you know "that's just crazy". Then one of them said "I had a buddy who was trying to get me to do a half marathon with him. I don't even like to drive 13 miles, why would I ever want to run that far?" I was so tempted to tell them that I had a friend completing her first half marathon today, but I figured they wouldn't be interested, so I just stayed quiet. Anyway, I was thinking about you all afternoon, and I was so proud of you, because I knew you were going to do it. You have done what soooooo many people will never do.

Don't ever worry about your time. I know we all keep track of our times and are always trying to beat them, but especially for your first half marathon, don't even think about your time. You finished a half marathon. When you are on BT and hang around people who do endurance sports it feels like everyone has done one, but the reality is: not many people have completed a half marathon, but YOU have!! So take this week to gloat and be proud. In the end, whether you ran it in 1:45, 2:45, or 3:45 makes NO difference. You finished it. YOU ARE AWESOME!!

Thanks Sarah! It's true I felt so miserable yesterday that I had to force myself to look back and see the crazy course I had already completed, it IS far!

This was actually my second half marathon.  I did one Waaayyyy back in 2006 with Team in Training, Kiawah Island SC, fantastic experience.  I had tried to train for others after that and always got injured, so I'm pretty happy that I made it through with no major injuries finally!

The irony is that even though this one felt much harder, it only took me 3 min. longer this time, and being 20 pounds heavier now, and in my 40's, I am happy with it overall.

I know a lot of people can't fathom running that far (I for one can't fathom doing a FULL marathon)...I think the worst thing is when I mention it to someone that doesn't run, and they say 'oh, good for you' like it's no big deal!

But now that it's done with, I have to re-focus on S/B/R for my upcoming sprint!  Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and support, it really does help!!

Wooooo hooooooo!!!!   GREAT job and you earned every single mile.  Be proud of yourself.  I always feel like Wonder Woman when I finish a big race, don't you?!  So proud of you!!

Jax

I can't be the only one for whom the hardest part of long run day isn't actually doing the long run, it's the temptation to do the last mile as a time trial, just to see...

Edit to add: lest this be read as me being very cocky, I should point out that I am being sarcastic.  I mean I do get curious on that last mile, but my legs are usually not happy with me by then so I wouldn't really call it temptation.

At the end of my HM last year I tried to speed up for the last mile but the tank was pretty empty. That is until the last 200 yards. I would't have called it a "sprint" but something kicked in and I passed a bunch of people. It was surreal and not really intentional. It was like my body took over and said "Here is a last burst of energy just get this over with NOW!"  I felt kinda bad watching the finish line video because I looked like a runaway train darting around and in between people. Opps.  

Yes!!! Close to the finish line there was a watcher shouting"Finish Strong!! Finish Strong!!" and it felt like he was hollering just for me (though I'm sure he was not- I have no idea who it was). I was tired, but I knew it was almost over and it felt so good to turn it up a notch.

I am a very novice runner. One thing i am noticing I do not run consistently at all. Speed or technique. I like to push it speed wise- my legs will hold out fine(for the distances I have done 4 1/2 miles max). Is it bad to change your stride if both ways feel comfortable? And is it bad or wrong to not use a consistent pace? Go faster for a bit (not full speed) and then slow down for a bit?

My lungs or aerobic capacity are my main problem. I was a heavy smoker for about 18 years (it has been 10 years since i have smoked YEA!) my lungs have come along way,but they still have some room to improve.  

In talking with my son on  the way home -he said his legs were feeling the pain by the end of the run but his lungs were fine. I was the opposite.

So is this something that will improve for both with consistent training? And is it necessarily bad it give it all you have got left for the last bit??

OK, so someone PLEASE school me on race etiquette. Seriously.

Are you NOT suppose to bob and weave to get around ALL those people blocking your way? It is a race after all...

Just to clarify... I didn't feel bad for passing people. It is a race and even though i am slow my goal is to finish as fast as I can. I think I would have charged the finish with or without others around. What I felt bad for was passing between two gals just before the finish and then doing a fist pump in front of them. It wasn't because I beat them but because I finished. It looked lame on tape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj2Rodd4d2c#t=91m29s  <--- I'm the big guy in white... well, you'll figure it out. 

So as far as etiquette, I say pass as many as you can until you cross the line. Just be careful with the celebrations. 

Pacing is definitely something I hope to get a little better at with every race.  The HM I did last fall, the last mile was definitely my fastest.  My legs were roughed up but I had enough left in the tank to push it pretty hard that last mile or so.  I was happy with my time but I think I could have spread out that energy more and done a little better.

That last mile was pretty crazy actually because it was really two half marathons that started 15 minutes or so apart, and went different directions, but then the paths joined back up again for the last mile.  The HM I was doing was the second to start, so even if I hadn't run that last mile faster, I was still joining up with racers whose pace had them finishing >15 min slower than myself to begin with, plus the people from my race I was passing because I was starting to pick it up for the last mile.  It was a pretty cool way to end a race.

I don't know- looked like a perfectly acceptable celebration for a HM finish to me!!!

I would probably be doing an over the top Harlem shuffle (anyone watch Biggest Looser?) if I had enough energy. Just kidding (I hope). But Seriously I did not think it was offensive when you went between the two runners or your celebration.