Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon
My fourth race of the 2017 season
April 1, 2017 at 7:30am
1:33:39.5 *PR of 2 minutes and 4 seconds*
2nd in Age Group (2/120)
7th Overall Female (7/698)
40/1220 overall
A month or so ago, Coach/Hubby Clint informed me that he thought registering for and running the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon on April 1, exactly 3 weeks out from my full at the U of Illinois, would fit perfectly into my training plan. He said that it would make the “perfect” last tough long run with a warmup, race (a “goal marathon race pace” workout) and a cool down. It also happened to be on our second anniversary - and also the same day as the Allerton Park Trail Half Marathon (one of Clint’s favorite events each year). I didn’t register for the race at first because we really weren’t sure what would transpire that day. We tossed around the idea of me pushing Gabe in the stroller in the half marathon (my idea!) so that Clint could go to the Allerton Park races - I had also “made” him miss the race last year. I was largely pregnant at the time and ended up “coming down with” some sort of awful ailment that involved not being able to really walk (much less RUN!) thanks to Baby G camping out on my sciatic nerve. While I didn’t ask him to (and tried to force him to go, actually!), he insisted on staying home with me that day instead of going to the race.
So, this year I felt bad that he would potentially miss this race two years in a row and sent a message to the individual in charge of the Springfield Road Runners Club to feel them out regarding their feelings about stroller runners. It did clearly state on the race website that strollers were NOT allowed. I have also heard, though, that race directors can’t really kick you off the course for having a stroller (maybe?). So, I thought about just taking my chances and going for it. I didn’t want to make anyone pissed, but I also am fairly confident in my stroller-running-and-racing skills and knew I could probably deal with just about anything the course threw my way. I’m not trying to be cocky - just saying, I have been pushing my guy through lotsa runs since June when I started running again post-baby! Not my first rodeo. Crowded paths? I can move to the side or slow down (or, in some cases, speed up). Hills? Great. Pea gravel? Meh - not idea, but I can deal with anything that is temporary.
After a few back-and-forth e-mails with the SRRC contact, I decided not to chance it with the stroller. I wanted to be respectful and safe, not just for myself/Gabe but also for the other participants. Though I am pretty confident running and racing with the stroller, it really isn’t worth taking necessary risks (or making people mad at me - although I guess I might’ve made at least one person mad at a certain local 10k a few weeks ago during which I ran with the stroller and ended up winning overall female…but I digress). Clint assured me that he was fine with this plan and that he truly wanted to go to spectate the race. Even so, I felt bad that he wouldn’t be able to do HIS race. He’s so self-sacrificing, that husband of mine!
The night before the race I ate a Cadbury cream egg. Friend and training partner Holly-Rae makes fun of me and refers to these disgusting little vices “goopy eggs.” Call them whatever you like - I am calling them GOOD LUCK CALORIES! Sure, I try to eat relatively healthily but I can’t say no to those chocolate-y, cream-y delights in the spring! #notpaleo #dontcare
Gabe still isn’t sleeping through the night in our world, so I was up a few times with him after we went to bed - really, I am so used to this after 51 weeks of it it’s really no big deal. Our “final” wake-up came early…TOO EARLY! This mama sure HATES mornings. As usual, Clint got up before me (even though he wasn’t running!)…I rolled out of bed a bit before 5 (YUCKKK) and started the process of getting ready. Clint prepared my breakfast (a gluten free pita with almond butter and salted honey has been my pre-race go-to breakfast this season!) and I got dressed, packed my bag and started to get poor Gabey ready. Gosh, that kid is going to really have grounds to act out as a teenager after all of these early morning races we have dragged him to!
We were in the car around 5:30 and started our trek toward Springfield. After a bit…a familiar-looking vehicle passed us - it was Holly-Rae, also race-bound! We followed her to Springfield and found parking together in the garage adjacent to the host hotel. After parking, we loaded up Gabe in his stroller along with all of the parts and pieces I would need for the race. We made our way to the registration area and signed on the line to run the race. We found "Papa" Mitch and chatted a bit (and, of course, snapped a pic) before heading out on a short-but-sweet warm-up. We had hoped to get in two miles but ended up having time for just one mile (I am tellin’ ya, even though I’ve been wrangling this wee man of ours now for almost a year - I am still astonished by how much longer it takes to do EVERYTHING! He needs to eat more than once per day?! What! ;)). We ran circles around the blocks close to the starting line for a few minutes before it became clear that I should’ve peed before leaving the hotel (the cold plus my post-partum bladder issues are NOT a good combo)! We kept our eyes peeled and THANKFULLY ended up finding a line of porte-potties not far from the start. We stopped our watches (of course), used the potties one last time, and made our way to the start.
We located Clint with Gabe + the stroller, stripped off our “extra” warm layers and put them in the stroller (thanks for being our gear pack-horse, Coach Clint!) before heading to line up with the rest of the runners. As is typical with race starting lines, the energy was palpable. We found friends Mike and Rick not far back from the front of the group at the starting line where they were lined up with the 1:45 pace group sign (they have served as pacers for this event for a number of years - something I would love to do someday!). I had loosely thought that I might start running with them - my goal marathon pace of 7:50 would get me to a 1:42:41 finish, so I figured starting with the 1:45 pace group and then increasing my pace slightly after a while would get me there. We joked around with them for a while as we waited which helped calm my nerves. Speaking of “nerves” - it doesn’t matter that I truly didn’t go into this race planning to “race” it. I was STILL nervous.
Well, once the signal was given and we were off…adrenaline or who-knows-what got ahold of me. I found myself quickly running past the 1:40 and 1:35 pace groups. Somehow, Mile 1 beeped on my watch before I knew it, and the reading really stunned me - 6:46. This is my rough 5k pace…whoops!! I backed things down a little bit and Mile 2 was a more-comfortable but still-too-fast (at least per “the plan”) 7:06. As I continued running I knew I needed to come up with an alternate plan since I clearly had blown the 7:50-per-mile plan out of the water. At some point in the third mile, a guy pulled up next to me and asked me what my goal was. I laughed and told him, “Well, my real goal was to run 7:50s for the entire race, but I realize we’re going a lot faster than that now.” I explained that I would be running a marathon 3 weeks later and was using this as a training run - but also verbalized that the thought of a PR was in the back of my mind. I hung out with this guy for a bit longer, exchanging small talk every now and then, but ended up passing him for good after a while.
Mile 3 was about the same as the one before it and clicked off in 7:03. I was feeling comfortable overall, but started dealing with some self-doubt. I knew I was able to keep up these paces on shorter training runs but I didn’t know how long paces just over 7s were sustainable for me. My brain was going at what felt like a million miles per minute. I told myself that I could always keep pushing and just see how long I could hold it at these faster paces. Then, whenever I “needed” to back down I would. If I hit a wall, I could just slow WAY down and use the time that I had “banked” with my faster-than-7:50 miles by “giving” myself some 8+ miles. Mile 4 clicked off in the midst of all of that inner turmoil - 7:08. Mile 5 was a bit faster as I settled into “my stride,” enjoying the cool temps and the feeling of strength from each stride 7:01. Mile 6 - 7:00. I felt like I was flying and not working as hard as I could be if I was REALLY racing the thing, but I was also just constantly waiting to crash and burn. My PR of 1:35:44 was also dancing around in my head...COULD I shoot for sub-1:35? Maybe?
My pace slowed a bit over the next mile and I definitely felt like I had to start pushing myself to EARN each mile. Around the 6.2 mile point, I was pretty sure I had set a 10k PR (...over my former PR - 44:30 - Run For Hope 10k that I had run just 6 days prior -WITH Gabe in the stroller! Thanks to a nay-sayer stating that I had an “unfair advantage” from using the stroller, attempting to discount my overall female win, THIS 10k time run WITHOUT a stroller WITHIN a half marathon was a sweet “win"). When Mile 7 beeped in 7:16/49:20 I was high on life - never before had I ever run seven miles this fast before in my entire life! You see, my seven-mile “ruler” is the Bix 7. I run this hellaciously hot and hilly race the last Saturday in July every year (this summer will be my 14th consecutive BIX!) and have worked my way down from 1:10:25 to 52:01 (my current 7-mile PR set pre-baby in 2015). I was seriously grinning so hard it hurt at this point in the race. WHY I care THAT much, I have no idea. But for some reason, running that darn BIX is something big and special for me. Seeing 49:20 on my watch at the 7-mile point in the middle of a half marathon when I truly wasn’t even racing as hard as I COULD be felt INCREDIBLE! I knew at that point that I could PR this half marathon, smart or not. It was ON. Woman on a MISSION. Sorry, Clint…
Mile 8 was identical, speed-wise, to Mile 7 - 7:16. Mile 9 was over in 7:14. Steady-eddy. Shortly after Mile 9 clicked off, we entered The Cemetery. OH DEAR ME. It started with a turn to the left and a descent. I let my legs speed up and carry me down before the road turned to the right. Then, it was UP-UP-UP. It was all I could do to keep my pace somewhat steady and told myself the speed with which I was able to coast down the descent would average out with the decrease in speed as I went up and out of the cemetery. Turns out my mental math was spot-on and Mile 10 closed out in 7:12, just slightly faster than Mile 9! I’ll take it! I continued to push and said a word of thanks at my decision to wear my compression socks - placebo or not, they made me feel like they were giving my calves and my sometimes-wonky-right-Achilles some support. Mile 11 was over in 7:10 - sweet, whittling that pace down, little by little.
Shortly before I completed the 12th mile, I saw a familiar-looking top ahead of me - the red and black Endurance Company logo. As I stared forward with squinted eyes, I realized it was fellow BloNo area runner, David Quinn! This motivated me to continue pushing and to try to close the gap on him. Mile 12 - 7:11. I kept gaining on DQ...
As I approached Mile 13, I saw Clint and Gabe! Clint was grinning and had his phone ready to snap a pic. I smiled back, kind of sheepishly and might have even verbalized, “OOPS?!”…as in, “Ooops I am not exactly following The Plan!” Mile 13 was over in 6:56 - slower than that crazy first mile, but the second fastest overall mile of the race. It felt GREAT to know I still had enough left in the tank to push like the for the final mile! Seeing my boys gave me a huge mental boost, much-needed and much-appreciated at this point - it truly gave me the strength to finish strong! As I passed Clint and Gabe, I buckled down and pushed for the finish line - David Quinn was JUST ahead of me and I tried my darnedest to catch him…but alas, he had just enough of an edge on me to hold me off. Darn it all...Way to go DQ!! :) THANKS for the push that final mile and a half!!
The course turned to the left and the finish line then came into view. I know I was smiling ear to ear (sorry, not sorry ;)) and knew that I would be quite a bit under 1:35 as I crossed. I high-fived Abe and turned my watch off as I crossed, then accepted my giant-penny-medal and toasty-warm silvery blanket. Immediately after this, I turned back to find Gabe and Clint.
Final 0.1 (my watch said final 0.21) - 6:28 pace
TOTAL - 1:33:39 (7:08 pace)
Clint, Gabe and I walked back to the 13-mile mark where we watched for Holly-Rae. After she crossed, we went out for a 2-mile cool-down together. After our (slow and creaky!) cool-down (which made 16.1 miles for the day - the next time I will run that far or more will be on April 22 in Champaign!) Holly-Rae headed back home and Clint and I headed to the awards ceremony. Even though I was pretty darn tired and hungry - I wanted to make it to the awards ceremony to collect my 2nd place AG award! The awards were pretty sweet - a copper-colored shiny steel water bottle! I have been using it daily since obtaining it. I can’t help myself!! This was my first time EVER age-group placing at the half marathon distance and I truly am proud of the accomplishment.
Fun facts - I have run the half marathon distance approximately 15 times (Stand-alone - I have also done 3 half marathons within 70.3 triathlon events); my first half marathon was at the U of I event in 2009 in a finishing time of 1:57:25. It's taken some serious hard work and focus, but I have whittled that time down significantly over the past 8 years (*Though it's really been just over two years, as I really started focusing on getting faster and not just "fun-running" in 2015).
Things I learned:
- I CAN PR at the half marathon distance without a pacer (At my previous PR performance, at the half at the U of I Marathon event in April of 2015, Clint paced me to a 1:35:43 finish. Obviously I still carried myself on my own two feet to legitimately EARN this PR…but it felt satisfying nonetheless to smash this PR solo with no support on the course). (*Don’t get me wrong - I wouldn’t trade the memory of crossing the finish line at that half marathon two years ago with Clint for anything! I credit him guiding me to that finish as the gateway of sorts into to the increases in my running skills over the past two years)
- I can hurt at the half marathon distance and run a sub-7 pace while tired (my 13th mile and the final 0.1 were run at a sub-7 pace)
- Having a baby does NOT have to equal slower running times!
- Regardless of what happens at the marathon on Saturday, the past 19 weeks have been full of SO many wins. Many miles with lots of you - and many miles with my mini training partner in the stroller. A 5k PR (with Gabe), a *controversial* 10k PR (with Gabe), and a shiny new half marathon PR…the LOVE run…treadmill miles…learning how to do “real” track workouts…and gaining confidence in who I am and who I can be as a mother AND runner - two things that do not need to be mutually exclusive but can instead be complimentary - I truly feel that each role strengthens the other.
THANK YOU, Mitch, for the opportunity to be a part of the Often Running Racing team and to don the Often Running uniform! THANK YOU, Saucony for the sweet gear - again, those Freedoms are killer shoes. THANK YOU to my teammates for the support and camaraderie. THANK YOU to Coach Clint, my best, for getting me to this point - for believing in me and for pushing me to reach my full potential, which is far more than I ever thought I had. And, of course, thank you to my mini, little baby G, who inspires me to be better and stronger every day! In running and in life, baby, in running and in life.
Here's to this next Saturday's A-Race - I am looking forward to it! May the next four and a half (!!!) days be full of relaxed brains and bodies for each of us who are racing! FIVE sleeps and a wake-up!
~Rachel
