Sea Turtle Half

My virtual friend, Elizabeth, always posts the best race reports. She organizes her thoughts very well, and views the race with great perspective. No shame here, but I am going to attempt to model that thinking.

Pre race: 

I really wanted to have a great half marathon. I planned to use my time as a goal-setter for Boston. However, as race day neared, weather was looking VERY windy. Anyone that live coastal knows how bad that darn "beach breeze" can be, especially if you are running beachside with few or no tall condos to block the wind. Prior to seeing the forecast, I targeted 6:55-7:05 as my goal pace. I based this off my training and the 5K I recently ran. 

After seeing the forecast, coach and I discussed running for place and as a tempo-type effort, possibly marathon pace. After looking back at my training data and talking with some very fast marathoning friends, I chose 7:15 as my new race goal pace. Disappointing, yes, but with 20-25 mph crosswinds, I didn't want to go out too fast and suck an egg. The new goal was a smooth and even race where I worked hard and placed in top 3 (hopefully).

Race:

Forecasters were correct- winds WERE 20-25 mph. And holy cow. From the gun it was like I was being beat with a  wet mop. Kind of funny, but in one of my race pics, my top has been blown completely over my boob, and my bra is completely hanging out. THAT is windy… you know, when your clothes get blown off. It was even trying to blow off my visor! I kept having to pull it down very close to my eyes. 

I found a guy I somewhat knew who was also aiming for 1:35. He and ran the first half together. There really isn't much to tell. I hit all my splits from 7:12-16, nothing special. The wind made me miserable for 13.1 miles. So that's pretty much that. At the turn around, my average pace was 7:14. I was hoping to pick it up once I got back to the portion of the beach where the wind might have been blocked by condos. And I did grind out a few 7:09 miles from 8-10. AND THEN I ALMOST GOT RUN OVER. See, the road was not closed to traffic, but we did have the bike lane to run in. One section (a bridge) was under construction, and the bike lane was closed. Cones were also blocking part of the east driving lane (the lane we were running in). I had fallen behind the guy I was running with, but I saw him turn back and yell something at me. And then a car came barreling over the bridge, forcing me to jump in the construction dirt, behind a cone. Then I had to wait for it to pass, along with another vehicle! Hello, 7:50 mile. GGRRRRR. 

I was sort of in No Man's Land for the 2nd half. After the turn around, I didn't have anyone to work with. I could see first place FAR ahead, estimating about 5 minutes. (She beat me by 3 minutes, actually). I never was close to her, and 3rd was never close to me. 

I ended up with 1:35:12, 2nd female overall, 1st in AG. 

The Good:

I ran extremely even splits. That means I chose my goal appropriately. I worked very hard, but sensible in that wind. I kept my head in it, even when I was going to get 2nd no matter what, and I was disappointed about not being able to run my A goal. I also stayed it mentally when I was running alone. 

The Bad:

I'm still nowhere near what I used to be. I'm still carrying baby fat. My attitude could use a pick-me-up. I still have no idea what I should aim for at Boston. And I have no desire to do another race. 

And that's a wrap, friends! I'll just continue to plug along...