When I signed up to run the RussVegas Half Marathon it was strictly for the experience... and the bling. About 2 weeks before registering I was at the expo for the Little Rock Marathon. I had just stopped at the booth for RussVegas and was drooling over the medal when I got a text from my running buddy, Angela, saying she was thinking about doing the RussVegas half. How's that for coincidence?? And that is all it took for me to get a bug in my ear to run the race. Even though I had been saying ever since the Walt Disney World Marathon that I would definitely be done training after I did my challenge in Little Rock. A week later I began training, and a week after that I registered. It wasn't until I was on the website for RussVegas that I saw that the course is known to be a PR Fast course. Well, I read that as "PR flat". Spoiler alert: It's not flat.
Something in my head told me I should try for a PR at this race. Maybe it's because I thought it said the course was flat. Or maybe I just wanted to add another challenge to my list. I don't know what made me think that after 7 months of walk/run interval training on my long runs, and minimal speed days mid week, that I would be able to do this. Not to mention April weather in Arkansas is so unpredictable. Race day could be too cold, or too hot. It could be insanely humid. Or, it could be perfect. But there it was, tempting me. So the last three weeks of training I did some speed work. Two of those weeks were training I've never attempted before (mile repeats and 800m repeats) at speeds I have never attempted before. Those runs gave me confidence I could actually PR. But then the long runs would tell me otherwise. I've heard it's better to have long training runs at slower than race pace, but I was not convinced. :)
Friday before the race I put it out there for friends and family to know what my goal was. I figured the more who knew, whether they have followed my running journey or not, the more accountability I would have. I felt vulnerable. I almost didn't say anything. What if I didn't make it. Would I feel shame? Would people think I was not capable? Would I be a failure? Of course not. But that didn't stop the anxiety of it from hitting me. I was hoping to finish in any time under 2 hours and 5 minutes. I also had it in the VERY back of my head that I'd try for a sub two hour time.
Angela and I got on the road at 4:45 Saturday morning to make the hour and 40 minute drive. We wanted to give ourselves extra time because it was supposed to rain, and we weren't sure how far away we would have to park. We also needed to meet up with Angela's sister in law and her husband who had our race packets. By the time all was said and done, we got to the start line about 10 minutes before the race began. Because there was a heavy drizzle, most runners were taking cover wherever they could. I was not bothered though. This was the kind of rain I loved to run in. I was nervous about my goals, but also excited. A rainy run usually energizes me. However, I've not run more than a few miles in the rain, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I certainly did not want to be weighed down with rain water, or run with soggy shoes. It is what it is though.
I had told Angela I'd like to put myself with the 2 hour pacer. I had that goal way back in my head, but I figured if I wasn't able to keep up, it would hopefully keep me ahead to still PR. Angela had a different goal, so from early in our training we talked about me going ahead if I was feeling good. I promised I would. We joined the others in the corral and after the Star Bangled Banner was sung and a prayer was said, we watched the Elite runners take off. And then, about 2-3 minutes later it was our turn.
I don't know exactly when it happened, but I think it was near one mile in, I noticed Angela was not staying with me anymore. I reminded myself that I was supposed to go on ahead and to not feel bad. I had to force myself to not look back for her though. I knew if I did I would either slow down to stay with her, or I would cry. So I put my earbuds in, started my music, and kept looking forward, focusing on staying in the moment. I used my music to keep me distracted just enough, but I also tried to stay aware of what was going on around me.
This course was beautiful! I loved that a majority of it was lined with honeysuckle! It's one of my favorite smells and I'm lucky enough that it grows abundantly in my area. Between the rain and the happy smell of honeysuckle I was feeling good for quite a while.
As I was getting close to mile 3 my pace group passed a large group of soldiers. They are with the Wounded Warrior Project and are incredibly inspiring. The soldiers were in two groups; each group carrying another soldier on a stretcher. It was such a neat experience. People would thank the soldiers for all they do, or give words of encouragement, but the the soldiers would give US words of encouragement and tell us to keep up the hard work. It did not matter to me that I was hoping to run what would be my toughest paced race, nothing I can do would compare to what the soldiers were doing in that moment, but also in their daily lives. It leaves me speechless.
Somewhere around mile 4 the two pacers in our group separated a little bit. And shortly after that happened I passed one of them. My goal then became to stay between the two. For the next 4-5 miles I held my position between the pacers. There was probably a distance of about 1/10th of a mile between them. Sometimes I knew the guy behind me was close because I would hear him shout suggestions or encouragement to anyone around him. A couple other times I managed to be closer to the lady pacer. I'm not sure which of the three of us picked up the pace or slowed down, but I didn't care. I was happy to be where I was. When we got to mile 7 I was super pleased with how well I still felt. The fact that I had held onto a position near the 2 hour pacer for 7 miles made me ecstatic. It was truly more than I could have hoped for. Especially given the unexpected hills...
Hills? Oh, yes, there were hills. After I realized I had read wrong, I should have really known better. But I kept thinking, it's a PR Fast course. Surely it can't be THAT bad. Maybe some gently rolling hills. The kind I complain about around my own town, when I want to run as flat as possible. (Flat is not possible around here unless I'm on a track.) They aren't bad, but are noticeable when you're tired or sore. Well, Angela and I have differing opinions on this course, but for me, they were not gentle. Rolling yes. There were SO MANY! And some were looooong. The hills were a mental struggle for me. But again, I tried to stay in the moment. Focusing on my music and keeping the 2:00 lady pacer in sight.
I made it to 8 1/2 miles before the guy pacer was back at my side. I decided to ask him a question I had been wondering since the start. I asked him if I wanted to get a sub 2 time, how much ahead of him would I have to finish. He checked his watch and then let me know that we were actually about 30 seconds ahead of time. Then said, "Stick with me and I'll get you there." I told him I was trying.
I don't know what happened, but after that, things started to fall apart. Okay. That's me being dramatic. Things did not fall apart. However, try as I might for the next half mile, I could not keep up with him anymore. He inched his way further and further from my sight. At that point, I had a little pep talk with myself. I was not defeated, but I definitely needed to remind myself to do my best. I didn't need to PR to have a PB (Personal Best). I learned that from the wonderfully inspiring Kelly Roberts of Run, Selfie, Repeat. (I've mentioned her in a previous blog as well. I can't even get into all this amazing woman stands for right now, but I feel like she speaks to me, and ONLY me. Follow her in every way possible. You won't regret it!) So I'm still going for a PR, but mostly I want a PB. I want to give my best no matter the circumstances. I was fairly confident that I'd still PR though. A Little past mile 10 I actually had to stop and retie my shoes. I was definitely aggravated about this. I had double knotted them, but they were feeling more loose as time went on, and I wasn't confident in my stride. As soon as I got that fixed, I felt my speed pick back up. For a little bit anyway. I had less than a 5k to go. I was hurting, but I knew I could do it. So confident in fact, I managed to smile a real smile for the photographer as I was finishing up mile 12.
I let myself walk through the water stop as we hit mile 12 because I knew about, but could see the monster overpass of a hill looming right in front of me. And then I charged up that stinking hill as best I could. I did end up walking for about 20 feet to finish getting to the top. Once I saw the downhill side, I got going again. No picture of this hill can do it justice. I took a screen shot from Google to try though. It's not very long (if 1/10 of a steep mile can be considered not long), but it's definitely steep. One mile to go. I was so close!
The last mile felt like it went on forever. I felt myself slowing down a little more as each city block went by. There's a lot to see in the last mile, but I couldn't tell you what any of it was. I remember smelling pizza. I'm sure it was delicious, but in that moment it made me feel sick to my stomach. I also remember there was a ton of spectator support. Strategically planted or not, having people cheer for me in the last mile of a hard race is pretty awesome. I saw the final turn approaching and I tried to gear up for a sprint to the finish. I turned and saw it, and picked up the pace a bit. I had to push back some adrenaline sick feelings. I refuse to be sick after all I had just accomplished. It wasn't until I saw the clock at the finish line that my kick really came in. I knew if I ran as hard as I possibly could, I would cross the line in under 2:05. And that had been my goal. If I was a cartoon coming across the finish line, I feel like my legs would have looked like the Road Runner's.
As I crossed the line I absolutely could not contain the smile that appeared on my face. I shouted, "YES!!!" in my head... at least, I think it was in my head. It may have been out loud. :) To date, this is my all time favorite finish line picture.
And then, the tears came. I must have been making some awful breathing noises with a half smile half crying face because one of the volunteers jumped over to me and was guiding me asking me if I was ok. It took a lot of effort to tell him I was great. These were happy tears. No. Overjoyed tears. Prideful tears. Exhausted tears. Tears of pain. Tears of delight. Tears that told me I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for.
I missed Angela coming across the finish line, but when she did, and after we hugged, and congratulated each other (she did far better than she hoped for), she reminded me that I didn't just barely squeak into a PR. The clock time was not my official time. I looked down at my watch to see what it said, and that's when I realized in all the emotion of finishing, I forgot to stop it! :( Then I found out that there was a tent where I could get my official results. So after watching for Angela's sister in law and her husband to finish I got in line. I really was so happy with the clock time. I couldn't imagine it getting any better. Turns out, it was even better than I thought.
Chip time: 2:02:50
Average pace: 9:23
That's a 2 minute 40 second difference from my previous PR! That far surpasses my hope of finishing at 2:04:59. :-D
RussVegas Half, thank you helping me discover my strength. Thank you for a gorgeous course. And thank you for a course lined with spectators despite the rainy chilly weather. Oh, and thanks for the free pics! Yes, they were FREE!
This is definitely a race I plan to be a part of again. As soon as possible if I can help it!
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