I picked out a half mary training plan and promptly missed the first 2 weeks because I was too busy finishing up my MBA and graduating. I did run a little bit, but didn't follow a plan. I also skipped the 2 peak training weeks when a self-surgery went wrong and we went home for Thanksgiving and I wasn't ready to run in snow & cold. So going into the race, my long run topped out at 6.5 miles. Which I did in a speedy 1:20. I also nearly killed my lungs at the end of it and was forced to walk more than I liked. I had high hopes for this race. I had originally set a goal of 2:30 which I later revised (due to my 2 weeks off) to the 2:45 area. Then I set a bunch of goals ranging from 2:30 to 3:15.
So Sunday morning comes and I'm up, dark & early at 4:15. Packed up the last bit of my things and headed over to Ventana Medical to catch a shuttle to the start. Got to Tangerine & Innovation at about 5:15 and then spent the next 30 minutes in line, on Innovation trying to get to the parking lot. So much for the last bus leaving at 5:45 as that was the bus I was on. As we left the parking site you could see traffic backed up on Tangerine to the east and then down Oracle past the entrance for Catalina. It is times like these I like living on the westside.
Chatted with a couple people on the bus since I didn't know anyone. Just tried to keep myself calm. Once we got on Biosphere Rd, the bus stopped. Apparently we were waiting in line to drive to the start because there wasn't very much room to turn around. People started getting cranky and joking about how we'd need more Bodily Fluid Cleanup packs than just the 1 at the front of the bus. Finally the driver let us off and we walked the 1/4-1/3 mile to the start area. I immediatley got in line for a bathroom and then headed back up the hill to warm up and drop off my bag. Interestingly, I never really felt nervous about the race. I had my Garmin set to do a .15 mi run/.1 mi walk interval. I just hoped I'd be able to keep that up.
Shortly after 7 (amazing that we started on time w/all the people still trying to park when we left), the gun went off and I joined in the middle of the pack. My plan was to keep it pretty slow for the first 3 miles and then add just a little bit for the next 3 before starting to push for the finish. The crowd finally thinned out about the 1 mile marker and we were off and headed downhill. Of course I realized I would need to make a bathroom break at the first aid station (mile 2.4). Naturally there are only 2 port-a-potties and a line. I'll wait. I took the time to take off my disposable jacket and just decided to keep it with me as it was still chilly out. Shortly after that I got passed by some TTG M&M's! I lost site of them as my run/walk would cause me to run past a bunch of people who would pass me back on the walk. A couple girls wanted to pace off me and we did pretty good until mile 6.2 where I finally had to wave the white flag for a bathroom.
9 minutes later, I was cold and finally back on my way. Long lines & few bathrooms suck. (I would discover the next aid station had no line). I had caught up to Michelle and Kari (the M&M's) at 6.2 and made it out of the bathroom and back on the road first. Didn't see them again. I'll count that to be an accomplishment for the day. After this point the road start to get flat or a gradual uphill. I just kept chugging along, making a stop at every aid station to grab some water. I also was eatting a Luna Moon at every mile. Finally I could see the turn to head behind Basha's and I knew the short, steepish hills were coming and I needed to throttle back so I didn't burn out on them. So what do I do behind Basha's? I try to actually run up the little hill. I felt that one. I started gettinga little out of breathe after that but just kept trying to keep everything easy and remind myself I only had 2 miles to go.
After I made the final turn onto Wilds Road I started paying attention to where I was in the r/w interval. I realized that unless I walked part of a run period, I would end up on a walk through the finish line. Not allowed. So I waited until about mile 12.95 and then just started sprinting to the finish. I had some idea in my head about where I was and just tried to keep distance between the people around me. Nothing worse than a finish photo with other people blocking you. I finished in 2:50:55. Not bad and I would have hit my 2:45 goal had I not had to stand in line for a bathroom.
I was more thrilled by keeping my interval in check the whole time and not having to add extra walks (I did walk through the aid stations). I hit the food line and then started coughing which lasted a good 5-10 minutes. Awesome. Saw Lynelle at the finish (she passed us at 6.2 while we were all in line). And then TTG Lynne. I saw Kathy out on the road riding her bike, and Julie's car driving by me near the finish (although I never saw Julie herself). So big thanks to the girls who came out to cheer us on. It was a cold and gloomy day that never really warmed up. So after sitting down for a little bit I decided to hop on the bus back to my nice, warm car. Some In-N-Out burger as recovery lunch, a hot shower and I was ready to again.
I have the PF Chang's Half next month and am looking to go 2:45 or better there. Hopefully, I can change up the interval times so I can run for a bit longer.
Holding my finisher's medal
Me actually running; these are few and far between
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