Half Marathon No. 6

As I have done after having all my babies, I signed up for a half marathon race to force myself to bounce back quickly. 3 weeks after baby #4, I set out for an easy 1-2 mile run. I ended up running 3 miles at a 9:35 pace because I felt great! (Perk to running throughout my pregnancy) I set a goal to run my half marathon at an 8:30 pace knowing that would be stretching my capabilities since the race was 6 months post baby.

This time training, I particularly struggled with pushing myself past 3 miles; I was content to stay at that distance. As I started adding on the miles, my speed wasn't improving very much at all. 2 months out from the race, I was running 8:55 miles for my long runs. I reluctantly admitted to myself that an 8:30 pace wasn't an attainable goal and 8:45 was more realistic, though it made me really sad.

I continued to trust the training process and push myself on my speed days (Tuesdays). Week by week, I started shaving off time pretty dramatically. I was afraid to be too hopeful. 3 weeks out from the race, I ran the whole 13.1 miles to gauge how I would perform for the race and I ran it at an 8:23 pace! I hoped to perform as well or better on race day.

There is so much anxiety leading up to the race...will I eat the right food the night before that settles well? Will I experience some unexpected cramping? Will I injure myself? Will the weather be right? etc. All the stars aligned, and I was able to have a terrific run! My finishing time was 1:49:32 or an 8:21 pace. I finished #27 in my age group (30-35) and #136 overall (out of 1800 runners). My Personal Record is 1:48:05 in 2012 when I was 5 weeks pregnant with Bryson. Fastest mile was the last at 7:45 and slowest mile was 8:35.

Most annoying part of the race: My shoe came untied at mile 5, again at mile 8, and again at mile 12. I just left it untied at that point because I didn't have the energy to bend down and stand back up again!

The thing I regret most about the race: what I wore! I planned to wear shorts and a running shirt when the temperature was predicted to be 54-57 degrees. Throughout the week, the predicted temperature kept dropping. When I saw that the morning was going to start around 45 degrees, I wore long pants and a jacket that I knew I would remove. I should have stuck with my original plan and toughed out the pre-race waiting in the cold.

2 Tender Mercies: #1 Austin slept through the night for the first time the night before the race. He typically will wake up once per night around 4 am. I knew if he did that that I would have a difficult time going back to bed for an hour with pre-race jitters. At 5 am, I went up to wake him and feed him. He was laying in his bed awake playing with his stuffed giraffe! I was so grateful for the uninterrupted sleep!
#2 I didn't have to stop during the race for bathroom troubles that I typically have. When I run long distances, it just tends to get my digestive system a movin' and a groovin'!

It was so fun to see my parents at the race and have their support. They were waiting at the finish line, but I also saw them at the last half mile. I was already giving everything I had at that point in the race; when I saw them, I had the energy to give a little more! Matt + boys got there just after I crossed the finish line, but I was grateful to have them there as well.

I love running! I love the way it makes me feel, I love the challenge of pushing myself to improve, and I love seeing what the body can accomplish. What an amazing feat to be so close to my PR 6 months after having a baby!! I was super proud of what I accomplished. :)

Past races:
Half Marathon #1 (2009) 1:58:45
Half Marathon #2 (2010) 1:57:47 (8 months post baby)
Half Marathon #3 (2011) 1:52:13
Half Marathon #4 (2012) 1:48:05
Half Marathon #5 (2013) 1:54:18 (4 months post baby)
Half Marathon #6 (2016) 1:49:32 (6 months post baby)

Marathon #1 (2011) 4:28:34
Marathon #2 (2014) 3:58:08

*Just as a side-note, it is so tricky to work breastfeeding in before and after running a race!