My First Half Marathon

By Whitney

On May 2nd, three months of training culminated in my first half marathon, the American River Parkway Half Marathon. 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds. I wish I could say it was non-stop but I did hit the port-o-potty once. I wish I could say I was humble about it but wait, LOOK, LOOK! THAT'S ME CROSSING THE FINISH LINE!! I'll admit pride over this one. It wasn't easy but, I must say, it wasn't as terrible as I'd imagined it to be when I set this goal back in February.

The first five miles of the race rocked. I was so thankful for the drizzle rather than heat, to keep me cool and breathing deeply. Adrenaline kept me bouncing along nicely from the Start line (speakers blasting "Let's Get it Started") until I caught up with Leah and the Folsom Road Runners and then onward to try to catch up with friends ahead. At about mile 5.2 the race winner was already headed back! He ran a 5:18/mile pace. Unfathomable. So it was difficult to think I had 8 more miles as he strode by and yet, I noticed my pace had quickened.

As I approached the halfway point, I saw my best friend Jen waving to me from the path below and it assured me that I wasn't totally lost in this sea of people. Then unexpectedly, I saw a not-so-secret admirer at the turnaround cheering me on. Support lends an absolutely incredible energy, not to be taken for granted! Just after I turned, I smiled and waved to Leah and other FRRs. The unity propelled me forward... to the port-o-potty at mile 7. My 15 second pause just had me thinking, "Hurry, get going again!" When I did, my steps felt heavier. And then between mile 8 and 9 it all set in. Nine to 11 felt like... being an ancy kid in the backseat of a seemingly endless road trip home... "Are we there yet???"

I must give kudos to the Parkway Half for it's motivational quotes posted along the way. Somewhere in my challenging phase of the race, I read, "You're almost there! There's an incredibly attractive person waiting at the finish line for you. Hey, it could happen." I remember thinking, "There are a lot of attractive people here.... Is this Britney Spears on my iPod? Next song! Yes, What A Feeling is much better.... Oh dear god, is that a camera? Are they going to take my picture? Maybe if I look the other way I'll be invisibFLASHFLASHFLASH."

Seriously!? That's just great. NOTE TO SELF: Next time wear sunglasses, increase stride as approach camera, smile, even wave! but try to look more like the yellow shirt guy, not like how you feel! Regardless, this gig is recorded... JPG, PR, whatever. It's memorialized. And don't I look happy about it?

Somehow the finish line came to into sight and I really pushed myself (with slight feeling of sickness) for the last few hundred feet through the confusing series of flags... "Which one of these lines is the real end?"... until I heard my name announced!! Accomplished.

The aftermath? High-fives, smiles and cheers of course! Leah and I posed with our FRR coach Kristen, her daughter Chelsea (who also finished her first half!) and Noah (Leah spoke of Noah's encouraging character in her blog below).

Check out those medals!!

Then I went to refuel with the crew below. Eggs Benedict and celebratory Bloody's... water in between. Hoppy Brewing Company had a live bluegrass band playing in celebration of the Kentucky Derby. It was so fun! The positive vibe kept going until after food intake, I could have fallen asleep at the table despite the electric banjo and pint-induced whoopers!

So, my legs felt like steel rods the next day. Especially going up and down stairs. And I slept a lot that Sunday after. And I ate a lot on Sunday... and Monday. [GRIN.] But by god, I ran for 13.1 miles! That's an entire 10 miles more than any run in my life, prior to February 2009. The endurance of the human body amazes me.

Race lessons learned:

1. No need to run the actual race with a cumbersome water bottle attached to my hand. I hadn't realized there are so many aid stations along the race way!
2. Again, be on the lookout for cameras... and highly consider sunglasses no matter the weather conditions to hide those drained eyes.
   
3. Take off the entire sticker on my bib so I don't appear to be the obvious novice that I am. (Although it still didn't manage to hide my identity in the photos!!)

Training lessons learned:

1. Take a before/after photo. I know my body changed but it changed in a small way, through such a healthy, gradual process that I didn't really notice. It would have been interesting (and added to the feeling of accomplishment) to picture the difference.
   
2. Don't be afraid of bikers on the trails after all.
3. Running in the morning gets the deed done. It also left me feeling motivated and productive the whole day.
   
4. Running with a group gets the deed done more often. I was much more likely to get out the door because others were counting on me to be there. (Well, I was probably running late but I was there.)

Now that my first "race" is under my belt, I want to work on:

1. Form. Hands moving forward and backward, not swinging side to side. Some other photos from the race appear as if I'm hitting my right hand to my left shoulder. Imagine that for a laugh.
   
2. Wrapping my brain around the prospect of a full marathon. I would like to be able to say, "I did that" and I realize this is the time in my life which affords me the time and physical ability to train. But is it really necessary to put my body through that? It doesn't seem to me to fit the "everything in moderation" wellness mantra. Must think more on it.
   
3. Toning. I did a core work out once during my training. One time. The 11th mile in this race, I could feel the weight of my upper body on my legs and I was wishing I had the core strength to pull me upward and lighten my steps. Who am I kidding? My real motivation may be the encroaching swimsuit season.
   

The Nike Women's Half will be my next half marathon. I'm sure I'll throw in some filler runs here and there. Hopefully the summer heat won't get me down. Or, perhaps it will help foster hallucinations of that fireman in a tux (or not in a tux, if I'm hallucinating) that will hand me a Tiffany necklace on a silver platter at the Nike Women's finish line. If only every race were like that...

Thank you to my team of inspiring, supportive and loved ones: Jennifer, Vanessa, Mandy, Jessica, Leah, Kristen, Noah, Chelsea (and other Folsom Road Runners), Alexis, Marty, Christopher, and Ronelle.