What I want to do is give a recap to my recent run in the 2016 Columbus Capital City Half Marathon. This was my 4th running of this half, and my 7th half marathon to date. I'll be honest that I really wasn't expecting much from this half since last year's race was pretty dismal at the end. (See post below for my 2015 Cap City recap). I got way too hot, overheated, had to run-walk between miles 10-13 and I was just miserable finishing last year's race in 2:17:44...wasn't very happy with my race since it was slower than the previous year. So this was to be my year of redemption.....that was until about 4-5 weeks ago when I hurt my hip and had to tone down my training a bit, which really threw me for a loop. I was disappointed and discouraged for a while, but after I prayed about it, I just decided it is was it is and just trained carefully, got a massage and did some exercises to strengthen my hips and glutes. My thoughts of getting a PR were no longer my goal...I just wanted to finish. So with that in mind I went into Cap City with that mindset alone...just finish the race.
So race week I was taking it easy, resting as much as possible and of course eyeing the weather like a hawk. At first it looked like nice weather for the Saturday race, but as the week wound down they began calling for rain. Sigh....really?!?! But it wasn't supposed to start until noon....could I make it before the rain??
Looking at the weather I realized the weather that morning was going to be chilly. I've always run this half in a tank and shorts....calling for low 40s...I don't think a tank and shorts were going to do....I was so confused what to wear. I ended up with a running T and capris with my thin long sleeved yellow Brooks pullover. Honestly it was perfect...with the cold and it being a little windy, it was ideal and I felt good....not too hot or too cold. The weather honestly was almost perfect...no way was I going to overheat on this run! It was cloudy so no sun beating down on me like it did last year. It was ideal indeed.
Overall the race was great! I felt strong and felt good....about mile 10 I saw the 2:15 pacer and hung with them for a few minutes, but ended up passing them and not looking back...I was feeling good. That was a huge boost to the ego :)! Mile 11 is usually my nemesis...the point were I get really tired and want it to be over...didn't feel that this time...which was strange to me...though mile 12 changed that a little, but really it wasn't that bad.
So I was getting towards the finish and honestly I was getting tired, legs were spent but I gave it all I had and the clocks had different times on them so all I figured is that by what the clocks said I finished between 2:21 and 2:31....kind of sad, but I finished and that's all that mattered...and I honestly didn't feel like I was going to die after this race...which I usually feel like I'm going to pass out, but I really felt fine. After checking my time, I found out that I actually finished in 2:09:43....I was so excited!! I beat my best Cap City time by 5 minutes (2:14 in 2014) and I was pretty excited about that. Only 50 seconds slower than my overall half marathon PR of 2:08:53 in 2014 for the Emerald City Half. So I am pretty satisfied with my time and my finish especially when I went into it with no major expectations. Oh.....and I was able to beat the rain...it started about 20 minutes after I finished...so praise God for that!!
Reflecting on my race, I came up with some reasons as to why, even after dealing with a hip injury a little over a month ago, how I was able to finish so strong.1.) God. First of all I gave this race to God from the get go. Told Him it was His, for Him to help me through it and that I would give Him all the glory....and all glory IS His. He is the reason I finished and finished well. Thanks be to God!
2.) I didn't pay attention to mile markers. Usually I am scouting out the mile markers...wondering how far I've gone and how much farther do I have....I think this was a HUGE reason I did well. Not saying I didn't see some of the mile markers on the way, but I didn't scout them out, didn't pay attention to them...the way I've been putting it is that I pretty much "Forrest Gumped" this race....I just kept running. I know it may sound weird, but I just ran...no attention to what mile I was on, no attention to running faster than the guy in front of me. I. Just. Ran. End of story.
3.) Gu gels. Gu gels work. They do. I honestly had a thing with the gels.....they just sounded gross...until I actually used one on a training run once last year...used them a little on my half in Tennessee and it seemed to work well. I used to use the Jelly Belly Sports Beans, and though they are tasty, I didn't see the benefit in them like I have the Gu gels. And the peanut butter flavor is my favorite at the moment. I used a gel between miles 4-5, 8-9 and at mile 11 (my nemesis mile). It worked great!
4.) Not paying attention to mile markers allowed me to pay attention to my form. With hurting my hip, I really wanted to pay attention to my body during this half in case any twinges or pains came up. I paid attention to keeping my core strong, made sure I was relaxed and not clenching my face or fists, and a big thing....tried using my quads more, especially on the inclines instead of relying on my glutes carrying the brunt of everything. That helped so much! And my quads were strong because of #5.
5.) Strength training is essential...not optional. Strength training is a huge benefit to strong running. There's more to solid long distance running than just running....strengthening your other muscles is key. I had been using a strength training plan from a local running coach for a good portion of my training and then moved onto the Iron Strength workout from Runners World....between those two workouts....it helped me get stronger. I know this is another reason I finished as strong as I did. I also credit my yoga classes at Crowtown Yoga....between my PiYo classes and Yin Yoga....that was a huge benefit to my cross training. (Thanks Cindy!!) If you are skimping on your strength workouts....don't. You'll be glad you stuck with it.
6.) Run in a slower corral. I know not everyone may agree with me on this one, but hear me out a second. The last three years I have run in corral E for Cap City...but because of the dismal finish I had last year, I lowered my finishing time to 2:25 than the usual 2:10-2:15 I used to register for. That put me in corral G. As humbling as that may have been, I believe it was a great move, especially with dealing with my hip injury. First of all, I made sure I was towards the front of the corral. One thing with running with 14,000 other runners is it gets crowded. If you start in a slower corral towards the front, you are more likely not to have to deal with too much crowding as when you are in the middle or end of the pack. And if you are in the slower corral, there's a better chance you'll be up front more of the time. Not to mention when you are passing the other runners, it does kind of give you a boost. But even better yet, if you are able to catch up to the corral that started ahead of you....yep, huge ego boost there. I found it was better to start in the slower corral and pass people than it was to be in a corral of comparable runners and try to keep up. It's kind of a mind game when you come to think about it....and if you can trick your mind that you are running fast, surprise...you'll run fast I guess...who knew! ;)
So those were just a few take aways I walked away with after my 4th running of the Capital City Half Marathon....my 7th half marathon to date. Congrats to all those who ran the race and a very huge thank you to my family for getting up super early, for my hubby dealing with traffic and all of them having to stand out in the cold to wait for me at the finish line. Thanks to my son Brennan who took my pictures for me this year...and to my sissy who again housed me and my family for the night...Thanks sissy!! And to all of you who I know that prayed for me....Thank you!! I definitely could feel your prayers...it's what got me through.
So hopefully I won't wait as long to write my next post. Races that are coming up...the Shawshank Hustle in Mansfield, OH in June....still kicking around the Indian Mud Run, but since I have no one to run it with me I'm kind of scared after last year's race to do it alone. We shall see. Then my next half is the Great Smoky Mountain Half in Townsend,TN in September....which was my favorite half marathon so far that I did last year. I'm going to be running the 5K with the hubby on our anniversary on that Friday, then I will be doing the half on Saturday. Yep, going to be whipping the hubby into shape to do a 5K with me. Should be fun :)
Until next time.....happy running :)
