Columbia Half Marathon Race Report

I ran the Columbia Half Marathon yesterday morning. Um, all I'm going to say is I laid the smack down on that course!! My goal going in was to beat my old time 1:58. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it, because I had taken so much time off last month and I haven't done any speedwork since December. Well, I guess "time off" is exactly what I needed. Read on ...

Here I am waiting in the cold before the start. It was 36 and windy. Melanie and I played phone tag, then finally got to wish each other good luck about two minutes before my race started (her marathon started 30 minutes later in Texas).

Megan and Travis came to crew for me at this race. The website said they would have water every two miles, so I brought gatorade (and other goodies) for them to carry just in case I needed it. It turns out they only had 3 water stations and there was powerade at all of them.

Megan played Eye of the Tiger for me on her ipod as I stretched before the race (no pictures...). I think it helped.

Don't be nervous.

We're about to start. I'm standing right behind the side mirror of that truck on the left. I was standing closer to the middle, but I realized I would get trampled so I scooted over moments before we started. There were around 550 runners.

I love this picture. Come on men, follow me! This is somewhere in the first 5k. Just fyi, the man in the orange shorts came in 38 people behind me. And the man pushing the stroller came in 71 people in front of me. If you look closely you can see that it's a double stroller with two toddler-ish age children.

Okay, so I started off too fast. I was in the front of the pack at the start and the first block was completely downhill and it was cold. Three good reasons to go fast. I just couldn't hold back. The thing is, I kept up the pace for a while. I mean, I held off a little, but I knew I was still going too fast (for me). They didn't have any of the miles marked (except 3, 8, and 11) and I didn't realize that. So I kept thinking that I was going too slow. Well, when I got to the man with the microphone yelling, "You're at mile 3!" I looked down at my watch for the first time (thinking I was still somewhere in the first mile) and realized that I had just run the first 5k faster than I have ever run any 5k. What?! At that point I told myself I needed to slow down or I was going to crash and burn and they'd have to find my id (on my bib) and call Travis to scrape me off the street. So I slowed down.

Action shot! Travis and Megan saw me a total of 7 times! It was awesome. I really didn't expect to see them more than twice during the race. So most of the times that I saw them it was a surprise. I say this every time, but it is so motivating to see people who are there especially for you. You really do want to run faster for them. Not that they really care about your time, but it just makes you want to do better.

I kept up a pretty good pace and felt comfortable for the next few miles. The next mile marker was 8. I looked at my watch and I was so beyond my goal time that I didn't know what to do with myself. I think the fact that there weren't mile markers made me go a little faster. And it felt fine. My only fear was that I was going to crash.

This was around mile 11. I knew Megan and Travis would be at this one. Well, they said they would be here and I was really hoping they made it. I knew I only had 2 miles to go and I also knew that the big hill was coming up (from 11.5-13). So I needed major motivation. There was a water stop right here so I was pointing and yelling to them to walk with me through the water stop. I told them I thought I would make it under 1:50, then I dropped my cup and ran. The last couple miles were hard, but I was prepared mentally. I had studied the map and elevation chart before hand, so I knew what to expect. I knew it was right there at the end and I hoped that I had saved enough energy to make it strong to the finish. Megan and Travis jumped in the car and pretty much followed me up the hill (bridge) for half a mile or so. I gave Megan a high five through the open car window. Seeing them right next to me probably took my mind away from the hill. I did notice that I passed a handful of guys and one girl going up this hill. :)

So it was pretty much uphill until right before mile 13. Then we rounded a corner (by the way, I ran those tangents on that course like nobody's business. Apolo Ohno would have been proud.) and saw the finish line--DOWNHILL!! I started sprinting (I don't think anyone noticed). I was searching for Megan and Travis in the crowd. I finally found them right before the finish line.

I finished 1:48:22!
The clock you see is for the 5k (they started fifteen minutes after us). The half marathon clock is to the left behind the flag.

I couldn't believe it. I didn't know that my body was capable of that. I'm excited to run more races with this newfound discovery that I can run fast (well, this is "my" new fast). Seeing my time for this race makes me think that I can get that sub 4 marathon. Hm, I don't know, maybe one day I'll be able to qualify for Boston! Anyway, right now I'm just so excited. I felt good the whole time, and I feel great one day after the race. So for all of those reading who get sidelined by an injury or illness, don't worry. It might be just what you need to reach your running goals. Thanks Megan and Travis for coming and supporting me! And for those interested in Melanie's marathon performance.... I really want to post how she did, but she hasn't posted it yet on her blog. So, you'll have to wait. Her blog is to the right (Rockin' Ralstons).

Official race results here
102/535 overall
25/278 women
8/62 women age 25-29
8:17 pace

Columbia Half Marathon

1 day until the Columbia Half Marathon. I had so much fun during the marathon last week and I'm still on my post marathon high. So I decided to go for the half marathon here in town. This is a new race and I'm excited to be one of the first to run it! I think there's only a few hundred runners. Megan is driving into town, so I'll have both Travis and Megan to cheer me on throughout the race. I'm not really sure what to expect out of my legs on Saturday, but I'm hoping for a PR. My fastest is 1:58.

I've also taken Bel Monte out of the picture for this year, but I'm looking at this 50k in the Chattahoochee National Forest in July.

Good luck Melanie on your third marathon this Saturday! Remember:

"It is the illusion that we can go no faster that holds us back." Did I get that right??

"On, On to that finish line."--Travis

"Run like the wind!"--Dad


You'll do great, Melanie!!

Austin Marathon 2010

Well, this was a most interesting trip. After a long and fun filled day celebrating John and Ally's wedding (see Melanie's blog), several of us headed to Austin in a 4 car caravan. It took about 3 hours and we arrived at our hotel around midnight. You would think that after a 20 hour drive on Friday and all the wedding festivities on Saturday, that I would have been exhausted. Well, I was. But I couldn't get to sleep. Melanie and I stayed up getting all of our stuff ready--shoes, shorts, shirts, fuel, breakfast, bibs, timing chips, etc. We wanted to make sure we had everything ready before we went to sleep. Once we got that all set up, we all hit the sack. I just couldn't fall asleep. I wasn't really nervous about the race. I guess I was just excited like always. Anyway, eventually I fell asleep and woke up a few hours later to the alarm clock. We left Mike, Zoe, and Megan sleeping in the room and met Scott, Dad, and Janie in the hall.

And here we are getting ready for the start.

A little loopy from lack of sleep?

I think by this point, all of the tiredness was gone. We were ready to run on pure adrenaline. Our goal for this marathon was to stick together and help Melanie get a personal best. This was her second marathon.

Here we are passing through the start. I think Melanie might be hiding behind me... It was pretty cold at the start, but we knew it would warm up a little bit. Well, we thought it would only be a little bit. It ended up getting really hot and we all went home with nice sunburns.

Scott took some nice pictures along the run. Isn't this a cool one? There were 4,000 marathoners and 8,500 half-marathoners. We ran together until around mile 8 or 11 or something. There were sooooo many people during the first half. I had to go to the bathroom but wanted to wait it out until the crowd thinned. There were port-a-potties and gas stations along the way, but the lines were too long. By mile 7 I couldn't hold it anymore. I ran ahead a little and found a bathroom at a park along the route. There was a short line, so I thought I would take a chance. As I was waiting in line, I saw Melanie and Scott pass by. The plan was that I would be quick and they could keep running. I'd catch up with them. So, ELEVEN minutes later, I was on my way. I called Scott and he said they had just passed mile 8. So, I had to catch up with them and I was already a mile behind. I put on my 5k game face and sped up the legs. It hurt. But I caught them somewhere after mile 9 and gasped, "Can... we... walk...?" So we walked it off a little and started up again. I thought I would be feeling that sprint for the rest of the race, but I felt fine after a few more miles. By the way, we were taking one minute walk breaks every mile. I still think they're the best!

We met Dad and Janie here around mile 6. This was the first time to see them after the start. It's always great seeing family/friends during the race. We dropped off our jackets and gloves and pressed on.

We met Megan, Mike, and Zoe around mile 18 and got some snacks. Isn't Zoe so cute?!

So close... yet so far away.




You know, normally I would be forcing a smile at this point in the marathon, but we were really having so much fun. I was smiling the whole way! It is so different (and so much better) running a marathon with family. I highly recommend it. :)

Here we are running around the state capitol building to the 26 mile marker. Whoa! We're almost there. Here is where we met everyone (Dad, Janie, Megan, Mike, and Zoe) waiting for us. Only .2 to go!!! This was my absolute favorite part of the race. Not because we were almost done, but because of what Scott did next. Melanie had been struggling for the last couple miles. Scott was doing everything he could to keep her spirits up and keep her moving. Well, as we passed the 26 mile marker, there were hundreds of people standing on the sides watching the finishers come in. So Scott started yelling, "Let's give it up for Melanie! Whoo-hoo!! Give it up for Melanie!!" And they did. Everyone yelled and screamed and cheered for Melanie as we came into the finish. Awesome.

We didn't get any pictures of us crossing the finish line, but you can find official race photos here, here, and here. We were ALL planning on doing a cartwheel over the finish line, but Scott and Melanie chickened out at the last minute because they said people were sprinting in behind them. Whatever. :) But you can find some pictures of me upside down in the official race photos.

Victory hugs from Dad!
We were very excited that Melanie got a personal best by 25 minutes!!!




Seriously, that's what it's all about right there.
Maybe we can add a few more family members next time...

An extra Zoe picture just for good measure.

Lessons learned:

1. Run with family more often.
2. Start drinking gatorade earlier or take salt tablets during the race. My hands and feet were swollen for a few days. That was weird. Never happened before. Maybe it was the heat??
3. Keep doing the walk breaks.
4. Don't get in a car for 16 hours after running a marathon (thanks for driving Megan!!).
5. Go to the bathroom at least 3 times before you start.

7 days...

I love count downs! I'm really excited about the Austin Marathon that Melanie, Scott, and I will be running next week. This will be my second Valentine's Day Marathon! I'm a little nervous about this race, because I don't feel ready at all. Taking off almost a month and then trying to squeeze in some running in a few weeks to get me ready for a marathon. Kind of weird. I think I can make it the whole 26.2 miles, but I haven't had a 20 mile run since December. You know what I mean? Anyway, it'll be interesting and I'm still super excited. And yes, ibuprofen will be my best friend that day.

By the way, this is my first race since last May when Travis and I ran the Paris Mountain 15K. I mentioned before that I love racing. I mostly love just being around all the runners of all different abilities with different goals. And I love seeing all the family and friends who come out to support all the runners. I just love being a part of something big like that. Even the smaller races are fun. Where you're usually running by yourself until you get to a water station. And you have people cheering you on. It's just great!

I've been enjoying the "mild" winter weather we've been having. I know those just north of us have been clobbered by snow and ice, but we've been pretty lucky. It's been perfect running weather. I even get to wear my shorts most days. I should enjoy this while I can, because when it gets hot here, it's hot. And I mean HOT.

Okay, so Columbia has a half marathon that they're starting this year. It's two weeks after the marathon on Feb 27. I really want to run it. There's another half on April 10, the Palmetto Half Marathon, which goes through a cool part of Columbia. I pretty much want to run that one, too. And there's also the Bel Monte Bad to the Bone 50K in VA on March 27. And Dad might be in DC during that time. So, of course I would have to do that one. And the Reedy River Run 5K is on March 6. And I've run that the past 2 years (it was my first race ever), so why skip it this year, right? And then there's always the Nashville Country Music Marathon on April 24, that I wanted to run last year, but didn't. And Crystal said she would do the half if I wanted to go. Right, Crystal?? Anyway, I'm sure I won't actually be running all of these races, but it's fun to think about. You know, whoever said that running is an inexpensive sport needs to redo their math. I figured out that if I do all of these races and get new shoes and pay for a hotel where necessary and get new running socks and buy gels and gatorade and gas money for far away races, it kind of adds up.

Columbia Half = $65
Palmetto Half = $55
Bel Monte 50K = $85-$100
Reedy River 5K = $25
Nashville Marathon = $110

1 new pair Brooks Adrenaline (I already have an unused pair waiting to be broken in) = $100

Hotels = $100-$200

2 new pairs good running socks = $25-$30

Gels/chomps/protein bars/gatorade/etc = $200

Gas for VA and TN = $150-$200

Total = $1,085

So, yeah, this is kind of an expensive little hobby. And this will just get me through the Spring. Of course, I don't have to pay for a gym membership. I don't have to pay for an expensive bike (although I'm thinking about biking and/or swimming for cross training). I don't have to pay for a treadmill (yet... thanks Megan for the loaner!). I don't have other expensive hobbies like scrapbooking, cooking (sorry Travis!), traveling, snowboarding, collecting antique cars, boating, scuba diving, auto racing, or mountain climbing. And really, I don't feel bad spending money on running because it makes me really happy. I enjoy running for myself and sharing it with friends and family.

I wish I had fun running pictures to post, but I just don't take pictures while I'm running. Something to do with my huge, clunky camera. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures from Austin (and John's wedding, of course) to post next week.

Have a great week everyone!