Yes...after all the training...all the dreaded treadmill speedwork runs during our very harsh winter...I finally conquered my third half marathon!! And as they say, third time is a charm!
Again I ran the Capital City Half Marathon and again it was a really good race and is still my favorite half so far. Only negatives I had were that it seemed a lot more congested this year than last year, and I still wish they would have a little more runner tracking than just at mile 5, but overall still a great, awesome race going through some great places in Columbus.
So the morning was a bit chilly...in the high 40s...and I decided I was still going to run in my tank and shorts...ok, maybe not the best idea, but overall it really wasn't too bad. My strategy was to make sure not to start off too fast, which I did pretty well at...of course the little sprinkle of rain during the first 3 miles made it interesting. And as I said, it seemed to be a bit more people this year...not sure if that's true, but it wasn't till about mile 3 when things started to clear out a bit where I didn't feel like I was going to step on someone. There was one point about mile 6-7 where I almost tripped over someone because someone stopped in front of me and the other runner next to me cut in front of me...luckily we all made it through unscathed.
Overall I felt good most of the race. My right knee started bothering me towards the latter part of the race..not sure why...usually my left side is the one that hurts...but oh well. Of course I got to the dreaded mile 11...I have this mental game for some reason with mile 11...struggle getting past it. And God obviously knew that because shortly after I crossed the mile 11 marker, there was a woman standing on the corner holding up a sign, and it said, "Thank you for running for me because I can't...I have cancer." Now Capital City supports the American Cancer Society, and after I saw that sign I just teared up and it gave me the motivation to run those last couple miles. At the end of the race I told my husband about this woman and her sign, and I told him, "And that is why I race." because he always struggles with the cost of race fees....I think he understood a little better after telling him that story.
So I get to High St. and I see that finish line...and though I didn't sprint for it like I did last year, I gave it all I had left and I was able to beat last year's time by over 7 minutes!! My time was 2:14:21!! My goal was to finish between 2:10-2:15 so goal accomplished!!
I think there were several factors that helped me reach my PR this time around. First of all of course God for giving me the strength and determination to do it. Also my new training plan from Run The Edge I believe helped with all the speedwork and goal pace runs. And yes even the dreaded treadmill helped. Also I am a total believer now in strength training. I believe that really helped my running with helping build up my core and glutes and just giving me a stronger body. And Yoga to help stretch things out. It all worked together and I couldn't be more pleased. It was a lot of hard work and I'm not saying there weren't those times I did the workouts begrudgingly. But in the end hard work does pay off...so keep at it!!
So what's next....well I have the Indian Mud Run in June that is a ton of fun so I need to start training on the trail for that. Then I have my sights on my next half marathon in August with the Emerald City Half Marathon and a new friend of mine just asked me about doing the Columbus Half Marathon in October, so I guess I'll kick that one around a bit as well...we shall see. There may be a few 5K's thrown in here or there but for now, this is the plan for the rest of 2014.
I just want to thank all of you that have supported me in my running efforts with your prayers and words of encouragement. I carry them with me when I run a race and it's what helps me get through. You honestly don't know what it means to me. Thank you so much!!
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