My Final Year to Soar

For the tenth year in a row I ran the Soaring Wings Half Marathon. This was my first ever half marathon 9 years ago. I feel like my running journey has grown up with this race. So for this year to be the last... It's a bit devastating. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but there were so many emotions wrapped up in my race this year and that's how I feel.

When registration opened back in April I didn't know we would be moving half way across the country. All I knew was that I'd done Soaring Wings every year since my first time and I didn't want to break that streak. Then I found out that it was the last year and there was no doubt. When my family moved in July I wasn't sure I'd make it back. Obviously it happened and I'm so glad. However with the move came a major drop in running. When it came down to the actual time to train I decided to almost start from scratch and built a beginners plan. I was fine with whatever the outcome of the race would be, as long as I got to run it. We knew Scott wouldn't be able to take time off work to go back to Arkansas for the race so we talked to my dad about taking his place. Dad's training kicked off with a bang and soon I had a new worry- to keep up with him.

You see, for 9 years my parents have been to almost every Soaring Wings race. And the one or two they couldn't make it to, I received texts of encouragement and love through every mile. So for me, they were definitely still present. With Soaring Wings and every other race I have done, they have ALWAYS been the best support team. For me to be able to run this race with my dad was a very special thing. I so badly wanted to stay together but my training was nothing close to how well my dad was doing. Not to mention I don't have the hills in Florida that are pretty necessary for training when it comes to the course for Soaring Wings. I was nervous, to put it mildly.

After many talks Dad convinced me that he didn't care about our finish time and whether or not we walked a little or a lot. Our goal was to run this race together. That is what was important. Having talked to him I felt better as I drove into town, and I came up with my goals.

#1, My Good Goal (which is actually my best goal in this case)- Run the 13.1 miles with my dad and cross the finish line together.
#2, My Great Goal- Get my dad a PR. I didn't talk to him about this for a while. I was fairly sure he didn't know what time he needed and I figured with his training, I knew he could do it, but because of my training I wasn't so sure.
#3, My Amazing Goal- Finish with a pace around 9:30 which was close to what Dad had been averaging with his long runs, which were anywhere from 9:17-9:45 for his last few.

PRE-RACE~
Friday before the race my dad and I were talking details and after crunching numbers and going back and forth Dad said he wanted to go for 9:30. I had not told him my personal goals before this time. When I did, he seemed surprised to hear that *all* he needed for a PR was anything under a 10 minute pace! It seemed so easy. Yet, I was still a tiny bit concerned. It was all about the hills for me. I bring it up a lot, because I was THAT worried.

Friday afternoon my friend, Andrea, and I drove to Conway. We made a bit of a girl's weekend out of our time with the race so we went over earlier than totally necessary. This was Andrea's second half marathon, but first with Soaring Wings. She wasn't new to challenging courses though, as her first half was the Little Rock Half Marathon. (Check it out! The whole weekend is fantastic.) After going to the expo, taking a few pics, and checking out the Soaring Wings merchandise, Andrea and I drove the course so she could see what she was getting into.

Even though I've run this course 9 times before, driving it felt very different. VERY different. I remember thinking, on some of the more challenging parts of the course, that I don't know why they have been so hard in the past, or why I've been so anxious about them this year. I think I definitely learned a lesson in that. Obviously driving a hill is different from running one, but there's a huge mental game that goes along with all that. I think from now on if I drive a course I'll just plan for it to be 5 times harder. Maybe then it will all be ok! :-D

We drove to our hotel to get checked in and by the time we finished with that, my parents said they were close to Conway, so we went back to the expo to meet my parents. More pictures and another drive around the course with Dad and we decided we were definitely ready for dinner at MarketPlace Grill. We tried to turn in early but pre race jitters had us turning circles as Andrea and I gathered whatever we needed for Saturday morning.

RACE DAY!
I woke up Saturday morning before my alarm. No surprise there. I'm glad for it though because it allowed me to get ready a bit more slowly rather than feeling rushed. I dressed for the chilly but perfect race weather, wearing shorts with a tank top, long sleeves I knew I'd tie around my waist, and an extra layer which I knew I'd be tossing pretty early on, but since the coolest weather I'd run in was 70- with humidity- a couple times... and it was 46 race morning, I was too worried about being cold. I also had some knitted gloves.
Andrea and I left our hotel shortly after 6:00 to drive down the road to my dad's hotel, then made our way to my personal favorite parking area. There was a bank near the McGee Center that didn't seem to be open on Saturdays. If participants got there early enough we had some of the closest parking spots that weren't right on site, which were reserved for VIP runners. We walked the short distance to the building where we checked our bag for after the race and then the three of us walked to the start line. Last year I made a mistake in timing and most of us missed the National Anthem and prayer, part of the race that I find very important. So this year we were at the start line long before 7. And yet, we still didn't hear any of that. I don't know why, but I'm definitely disappointed.

Soaring Wings is a self seeded race, so we are able to place ourselves in the corrals where we feel we should begin. Dad and I placed ourselves just barely in front of the 2:05 pacer, as we hoped for a 9:30 pace. Andrea stayed with us until a few minutes before the race began and after traditional start line selfies she then moved to hang out with the 2:15 pacer. That was a little ahead of her goal, but it was a place to start that would keep her moving. Other than a couple texts later in the race, I didn't hear from Andrea again until I watched her cross the finish line.

Start Line Selfies :-D

The race started and I felt good as I try to settle in. It did not take long for me to take off my top layer. I tossed it by the time I hit 1 mile. Soon after that I knew I was going to need to shed my second long sleeve shirt. This one I wanted to keep though so I had to move my bib from my shirt to my tank top and I did not want to stop or walk to do that. It doesn’t seem like much but it definitely took some extra energy. Around 2 miles I finally felt settled and as comfortable as could be. I knew I had the first hill coming up but I also knew it was minor compared to the rest of the big ones. I really tried to just stay in the moment. Not even 1 mile at a time, but one street at a time. Or one block at a time at some points.

Neighborhoods decorated for Halloween were a fun distraction!

Almost 3 miles in
*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

It was weird running the course and knowing that no one would be at the regular corners banging pots and pans for us, but at the same time definitely fun to be running with dad and pointing out where they would be. At each flag marker Dad would whoop and holler as we ticked each mile off. The first of four major hills came in the 4th mile. We pulled back our pace a little bit knowing that at the top we would be rewarded with an awesome downhill. Around 5 miles I felt like my feet were slipping in my shoes. I did not want to stop but I really felt like if I did I would be able to run stronger. Knowing there was a bit of a hill as we reached 6 miles I told dad I would stop at the top of the hill to adjust my shoes. It was less than a minute that we were stopped but obviously made a difference in our pace and time. Up to this point we had been maintaining a pace in the 9:20s. I can’t say I was feeling good, but I was feeling good enough to keep trying for that as long as possible.

A gradual decline after reaching the halfway point gave us a nice view!

I don’t know if it was the stop for my shoes or the pace and distance catching up with me, but I definitely had a harder time keeping our pace for the last half of the race. Even though dad had told me many times that we could slow down or a walk if needed (an agreement we had before even starting, that we were both supportive of the other one walking if needed) I still wanted to walk as little as possible and felt a little bit bad. He would have hated if I said that while we were running though. So after waiting as long as possible and reaching the top of a long incline heading into mile nine, I asked if we could walk between a set of cones.

One of many... Somewhere between 9 and 10 miles

For the next 4 miles I gave what I could. I did not have much energy for talking but I would listen if dad had something to say and acknowledge in short sentences. I walked through two water stops to refill my water bottle and those refreshed me enough to make it the mile and a half or so to the next. I walked through the last aid station, not for a water but to give myself a small recovery knowing that the big mile 12 hill was coming up. Before that though, as we complete mile 11, we get the most amazing and quite long gradual downhill. The down hills feel so great not only because the uphills are so hard but it also gives my legs a chance to use different muscles. After we made the turn off of the downhill the road is somewhat flat, compared to the rest of the course anyway, for about half a mile. And then the gradual incline that leads to the mile 12 hill begins. I braced myself mentally with each step closer. In the nine years that I have done this race I have not once ran the entire hill at mile 12. Even the years that I PR'd, I always walked this hill. To say it is a doozy is an understatement. I’m pretty sure I mention it every year that I have blogged about this race. Dad and I worked our way up the hill. I don’t know if I slowed down or held steady but I focused on what was right in front of me rather than looking towards the top. Except I knew there would be a photographer about 3/4 of the way up and while I was pretty sure any smile I attempted would be through quite a bit of pain, if I was able to get to the top without walking I wanted to have a picture of it happening. So I showed Dad where the photographer was and mustered up the best smile I could. 

THE Mile 12 Hill
*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

After that I watched for the top. I felt like I was barely moving. But the top came. I was there! I ran the whole thing!! And then I was overcome with happiness and pride over finally kicking butt on this hill that has kicked mine for so many years. I did not WANT to walk at this point but I also could not breathe through my tears. We had less than a mile to go and if we walked much more we would be cutting it very close to not making pace for dad‘s PR. After I got it together we were at the top of a shorter hill that lead into the great downhill again. I pumped myself up and took off down the hill. Probably too fast considering my legs had felt like Jell-O for at least the last couple miles. I had to pull back a little bit once the road leveled out. For the last 3/4 of a mile I was flooded with memories of this same stretch of road. The first time I ever ran it. The time that Scott and I had met up with Angela and she very seriously asked a fire man on a bicycle for a ride. The time Scott and I had been leapfrogging with a lady who seemed to be struggling and we decided she needed to not finish alone. Three different times and points along the road last year when I ran it with my sister-in-law, and then went back and met my two brothers and watched them make their way to the finish line, and then met up with Scott and my other sister-in-law and watched her see through tears how close she was to finishing her first half marathon. These are the things that got me through the last six minutes of a race that had been especially hard for me this year. One foot at a time, passing one street at a time, picturing the finish line. And then we were there. There was a large group of spectators and volunteers on the corner cheering everyone on. We made the turn, and as we ran to the finish line other finishers were coming towards us cheering us on. Cheering the other finishers on. People called our names as we ran by them. Just like that we were done. Smiling as we crossed that line and in an instant crumbling in tears. For dad, I know it was mostly about having just run the race with me. He will be very humble about how he felt for this race. He had so much more in him that he could have given. He never mentions the fact that he could have kept on running, or the fact that he set a four minute PR! For me, all I wanted was to stay with my dad no matter how painful and hard it would be. I was afraid. I really thought that I was going to have to walk more than I did. My tears at the finish line were for sticking through all that and staying with my dad. Tears for being so proud of him for training so hard that he was able to set a PR and hardly look like he ran at all. And finally, tears because this was the final year to soar. 

Finish Time~ 2:07:40/9:45 pace

Overall Place- 331/1075

Female Age Group~ 32/120

We received our medals (and a frisbee this year too!) and saw my mom standing outside the finishers area taking pictures. 

We got some food and mom offered to hold it for us while we stayed inside the finisher's area waiting for Andrea. She had sent me a couple texts while dad and I were still running and based on those I knew she would be finishing soon after we did. I watched for her through crowds of other people that were waiting for their friends and loved ones. As soon as she was in sight Dad and I started shouting for her. Andrea looked so strong in her finish!! In talking with her later, she says that she realized she possibly did have more in her then she gave throughout the race. She was running in at a low eight minute pace to the finish line! Even with having more in her, Andrea also PR'd! 

I’m so incredibly proud of her and can’t wait to see where her own running journey will take her in the coming years. After more pictures we found a table in the sun and enjoyed the most beautiful weather we have had at Soaring Wings in many many years while trying to stretch out our aching muscles. 

Forever and always the Best Support Team 

*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

After a while my parents left and Andrea’s family went to play at the family fun zone. Andrea was going to come to lunch with me and my parents so when she went to say goodbye to her family I stayed at the table and watched the finish line. Cue more tears. I know that I was exhausted and still riding a runners high from my own race, but I couldn’t help feeling emotional while watching these people finish their own race and also thinking again about how this was the last one. 

One last picture at the finish line

In talking with Andrea as we walked back to the car, we came to the decision that it’s possible saying goodbye to Soaring Wings was the release that I needed and did not have when I was saying goodbye to the life I had in Arkansas. There was so much going on in the couple months leading up to our move that I did not really have time to think about and process a proper goodbye to anyone or anything there. So in a lot of ways completing this race was the closure that I needed to really move along. The races I did, the jobs that I had, the friends and my family, are all parts of my life in Arkansas that I will always miss SO much. I think every part of the process I had leading up to and during Soaring Wings was much needed for so many reasons. I am extremely thankful that I was able to come back and run this race!

Thank you for the most amazing journey. I fell in love with long distance running because of this race. I don't think I'd be the runner I am now without Soaring Wings.

For even young people tire and drop out,

young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired,

they walk and don’t lag behind.

Isaiah 40:31, The Message

10k & Half Marathon Challenge- Little Rock Marathon Weekend

Take Two!

This recap is a long time coming. Life's been changing, and so very busy. I can't NOT post my recaps because I do them mostly for myself and I love having a digital journal to look back on. However, I am definitely realizing that as detailed as I am, I really need to cut back if I'm going to keep up with my running blog.

But I don't know how. lol

Four weeks ago Scott and I did the Little Rock Marathon- 10k and Half Marathon Combo Challenge. This was the second time I've done the combo, but a first for Scott. The weather was not great, but I have not experienced a LR Marathon Weekend with good weather. I've done the odd years, and it seems those are the years where weather is less than stellar. Even years seem to be not so bad. I guess I will need to do the races again next year. :-D

Because there is no race day packet pick up we needed to get to Little Rock on Friday for our Saturday 10k pickup. When we arrived things did not seem very busy, but there was some confusion when it came to packets. The couple in front of me seemed to have trouble receiving theirs, and Scott and I both had to wait a bit for ours. I will say, I think we were in the wrong line. I did not see a line that was for the combo racers. That is fully on me and I definitely apologized for being in the wrong line.

We had a hotel for the weekend to make things less complicated with back and forth driving. Saturday morning the 5k and 10k races started at 7:30. We were only about 10 minutes from the start line, but with the anxiousness that comes with race morning I, of course, wanted to allow plenty of time to get there and walk to the start. I don't like to deal with parking downtown, and I really don't like to pay for parking. I'd rather walk a little extra. The race started near the Statehouse Convention Center (also where the expo was held) and we parked in the lot for the Clinton Library. It was a little over a half mile walk. There was no gear check for the 5k and 10k so planning ahead for appropriate layers for feels like temps in the 30's with high wind before, during, and after the race were important. And almost impossible. As we walked from the car to the start line I could tell already that I needed to shed my top layer.

I got my layers situated as each corral started and we moved forward. We crossed the start line and it quickly became clear that I might need to adjust my goal for this race. Leading up to race weekend I had sort of been planning to give it all I had and try to PR. Friday morning I woke up with my throat swollen and by that night I was feeling pretty lousy. I was determined to ignore it, but I wasn't sure how I would be able to perform. I felt the decision had been made for me when I realized we were in a corral with mostly walkers. I will say it every time, EVERYONE worked hard and deserves to be at any race. Scott and I weaved through the congestion of excited participants for over half a mile, and things seemed to open up comfortably by the time we hit one mile. Once things opened up we were able to pick up the pace. Being in the cold seemed to clear me up a bit and the next thing I know our pace had dropped significantly and before I knew it I was suddenly on track for a PR. Scott was a great encourager, as always. The hills were killer. As we were heading back, we had maybe a mile and a half to go, we were heading towards the river which, in my head, should have meant only flat or downhill for the most part. I remember saying to Scott, how can we possibly be going up another steep hill when we are heading back and are so close to the river!? I still don't know. :)
We hit the 5 mile marker and I knew we had to be over the worst of the hills. We started a decent towards the river and I stretched out my stride. I was excited to hopefully pick up the pace even more. As we were coming up to an intersection with less than 3/4 of a mile to go and still a fantastic downhill, I noticed a large number of people. I knew by this point we had rejoined the 5k route so I figured it was a bunch of 5k finishers we would just run around. Then I realized they were stopped. Then a new realization hit. Even the runners that had just passed Scott and me were stopped. I kept running thinking surely I was imagining things in my sick and exhausted state of mind. And then I came to a dead stop because there was car traffic crossing the intersection. There was no way for us to continue. The volunteer at that intersection that was supposed to be stopping traffic was actually stopping racers. I wish I was wrong. But I wasn't. He was holding his hand up to us and waving the cars on by. To say we all just sat there and let it happen would be a lie. A majority of us, including the 5k walkers, were telling him that he needed to stop the traffic and let us go. It was unbelievable. It felt like we were stopped for at least a couple minutes. Based on my watch time versus my chip time it was not long at all. Yes, I did pause my watch. I was not about to have something completely out of my control prevent me from getting a PR. And at this point, that dead stop at an intersection was the only thing stopping me.
Most of us had started inching our way into the intersection and finally took a chance to cross in between some cars. As soon as I was safely across I took off. It helped that we were still heading down a hill. I looked at my pace after we crossed the intersection and I was running a sub 7 pace and managed to hold a sub 8 pace for nearly 1/4 mile. The last half mile has a couple short and not steep hills. I knew after we got over the second one the finish line would be in view. I was only mostly sure I had my PR. I thought I did, but I purposefully had not looked before the race to see what I needed to do in order to PR. Since I had been feeling sick on Friday I didn't want the pressure at the race. I had actually intended to just do the distance at whatever was comfortable. But after encouragement from Scott and a series of texts from my running buddy, Angela, I decided to push as best as possible. And I'm glad I did!

  https://youtu.be/p-kcvP49vog?t=2301

After crossing the finish line there is a bell that finishers can ring. We had a little fun with that and then got our medals. I really like the set up for the race this year. I don't know if it was like this last year, but it definitely was not this way in 2017. The finishers area is blocked off and leads people into the lower level of the Statehouse Convention Center. Medals were handed out as we entered the building. It was so nice to finish a cold run like we had and be able to go into a warm building. The only thing was, we had parked half a mile away and still had to get back to the car. :-P
Just before leaving the finisher's area there's a spot set up for participants to put in their bib number and get the official finish time and stats. I was definitely using my watch for my time, but wanted to compare, and it wasn't until I got the printout that I looked up my last PR.

Previous 10k PR- Time 56:06, Pace 8:59 
Chip Time- 55:02, Pace 8:52
Watch Time- 54:45, Pace 8:42
Placement:
10k Overall- 116th/1169
Age Group- 17th/168
Female Age Group- 5th/104

It's been a month and I'm just now seeing the placement stats. To say I'm in shock in an understatement. Fifth!! I placed 5th in the female division of my age group. Going for a placement in a race of this size has never been a goal of mine. I don't know that it ever will be. But seeing, and knowing, that I was within TWO PEOPLE of getting an award, is pretty stinking amazing. I don't need an award. I'm thrilled just knowing I was that close. Never in my running dreams have I ever thought I'd be where I am now. 
To look at the 3rd and 4th place finishers in my age group, they were basically tied. The 4th place finish just milliseconds behind. And I was just ONE MINUTE behind them. I've been sitting here shaking my head for 10 minutes. I can't get over it. 

We left the finisher's area and Scott and I walked back to our car and spent the rest of the day trying to stay warm. We met up with my friend Andrea and her husband for dinner. Andrea was running her first half marathon on Sunday and was sharing our hotel room Saturday night. After dinner we went back to the room and relaxed. I was starting to feel bad again and just wanted to lay down. 

Sunday morning things went smoothly. I don't think I've been so relaxed before a long distance race. I can't speak for Andrea, but on the outside she seemed pretty relaxed. :) 
While the was no bag check for the 5k and 10k, there was for the half and full marathons. I was so grateful for that. We checked our bags in the same room at the Statehouse Convention Center as the expo was held and a few minutes later we were leaving the building and heading to our corral. From the moment we entered, it seemed like we were constantly moving forward towards the start line. I was so excited for Andrea to be running her first half, which I planned to run with her, and also excited for Scott because I knew he would not stay with us and I had high hopes for him to PR for the first time in 8 years. 8 years ago was the last time Scott ran a half marathon for himself. He's done every other one with me. Which I love, but I'm glad he had a chance to run on his own with no obligation to stay with me. (His feelings, not mine) It didn't take more than maybe 1/4 of a mile for Scott to take off. 
It started to drizzle just as we started running, and developed into a steady light rain quickly. The rain came down for the next hour. It didn't stop for over an hour. That didn't stop Andrea and me from making the most of the race. We talked, we watched for the elite runners to pass by (when we were at about 1.5 miles and they were at about 3), we encouraged other runners, and sometimes we kept to our own thoughts. 

Around 6 miles we began the long out and back section of the course. I was hoping we would see Scott on his way back and we did! I saw him coming and we shouted and cheered for him. He looked cold but was running strong. I was so proud! After I saw him at this point, I started tracking him on the app. I just knew he was going to PR. Sure enough, he beat his previous time by 2 minutes. If he had been more trained (he did most of his runs at my pace) and if the weather hadn't been so lousy I'm confident he would have done even better. He's amazing! 

Andrea ran a strong race. I don't know how much she was keeping track of our pace, but I'm thinking not as much as I was based on her later reaction at the finish area. As best I can remember, we didn't walk once, not even on the crazy uphills in the last half of the course. I say "we". She didn't. Twice I dropped something and had to stop and pick it up. I felt horrible for being in the way of the other runners. We had dry conditions for about 4 miles and then around 11 miles the hail began. At first it was so seldom that I thought it was small petals coming off trees that were starting to bloom. But then about half a mile later those "petals" hit my face. And it hurt. I felt pretty ridiculous when it was pointed out that it was hailing and not raining flowers. 
About this same time is when we saw Andrea's husband and kids. They were just getting out of the car on a corner as we made a turn with a little over a mile to go. Andrea and I didn't really talk about it, but I think it was a pick me up and just the right time to focus and bring it home. I noticed she kept picking up the pace, and we would pull back. We made the same last turn that Scott and I did for the 10k and another runner asked how much further. I did my best to explain the last bit, we could actually catch glimpses of the finish line even with those couple rolling hills still looming ahead. 
Andrea picked up the pace and I told her to pull back for a little longer. I knew she had an incredibly strong finish in her, but I didn't want her to start too soon and lose it before the end. She started to surge one more time just before we hit the 13 mile marker. I told her if she was ready let's go for it. And boy did she go for it! As we approached the finish line all I remember is being so very very proud of my friend. My friend who all through training, followed her plan, did all the right things, still ran through pain, and still ran a stronger race than she knew possible. I heard the announcer say her name, as if he knew this was Andrea's first half marathon. I  know he said other names. There were just a few other people around us, but Andrea was in the "spotlight".  She ran her race and she deserved it. 

https://youtu.be/15N8_i4vg-g?t=4538

Between the finish line, and printing our results, amazingness happened. We got our medals of course, with me making a pit stop at the challenge table since I had done the 10k also. Then we made a turn and the finishers line made its way around a buffet of sorts. It. Was. Awesome. We were given a little bag and there were so many things we could add. I smelled food. There was pasta. It was so good! I have no idea who supplied it. There were so many drinks. Milk, pop, beer for those who drank it, orange juice... all the stuff! My word, I couldn't get my hands on the food fast enough! As we exited the finishers area into the reunion area I found Scott. It took me a minute to realize where we were. Turns out, we exited into the same room where bag check was. Of all the convenient parts of this race, this may have been my favorite. No searching, or walking all over creation in the cold, to find my much needed layers. We got our bags, then stopped at the results table.

Total Time- 2:21:21
Avg Pace- 10:47

My favorite part about running this with Andrea, well, I actually can't pick just one, but a stand out moment was when we printed our stats and she officially saw for the first time her finish time and pace. Tears were shed. Hugs were given. Pride was shining so big I felt the whole room (and it was a BIG room) could see.

We probably spent too much time inside, knowing that we had to make the half mile walk back to the car. Like a dummy, I didn't bring a change of clothes. I promised myself after my Hot Chocolate 15k St Louis experience, that I would be more responsible when it came to winter races. I don't know why I would uphold that when I'm not very responsible in most other aspects of running. I try. I really do. :) Anyway, NEXT time, I will bring a full change of clothes. Seriously. Everyone should do it.

Overall impressions: This was the best experience I have had with the Little Rock Marathon weekend. I loved that the finisher's area was indoors, and the food an beverage options were far better than what has been offered before. I'm wondering if things happening in the Statehouse Convention Center have been happening for a while and I just hadn't realized it in the past. Two years ago we definitely didn't finish and get led into the building. Whatever the case I'm really loving it! The whole experience was so great that I'm anxious to register for next year. :-D 

My training doesn't end there... In four weeks I'll be running the RussVegas Half Marathon, followed immediately the next weekend with the National Women's Half Marathon in Washington DC. I'm super excited for both! 

Hot Chocolate 15k Nashville

Racing in the winter is a funny thing. The fact that I even planned to do a race (two actually) in the winter is an even funnier thing. Training through the winter is one thing. I can push a training run to a different time or a totally different day if the weather is not good. Race day can't be moved. After my last race experience at the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis I was really hoping that we would get lucky with the weather in Nashville. I started obsessively looking for other running blogs that would maybe mention the weather for past years. The weather was all over the place, ranging from below 30 to over 60 degrees. As soon as I was able I started watching the 14 day forecast. At first it was saying mid 40's and no rain for the low temp leading into race morning, with a high in the 60's. This seemed pretty optimal, especially for after the race. I was really wanting to show Scott my favorite parts of Nashville. By the time race day came, the numbers had dropped quite a bit and it ended up raining most of Friday and up to a couple hours before the race.

Scott and I really try to not pay for parking when possible and really don't mind walking to get where we need to go. So even though there was a heavy drizzle when we arrived downtown for the expo, we parked across the river and walked a little less than a mile to the Musicians Hall of Fame for packet pickup. The process was pretty much the same as it had been for the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis. We showed our proof of registration email and a sticker was printed to put on our bib. The sticker had our name and corral assignment. When the volunteer handed over our bibs I was completely shocked to see we had been assigned to corral A!! Never ever would I have thought that would happen in a race of this size. My guess is that probably not as many people submitted proof of time. Or rather, based on the pacers I saw in that corral (10min/mile on up), maybe the number of people submitting for those ranges was small enough compared to the others. Whatever the case, I was ecstatic!
After we got our bibs we went over to the goodie bag area and got our hoodies. Since I had signed up for the female cut hoodie in St Louis I chose the the other one this time. These hoodies are super soft and comfortable. I love that we get them with registration!

Scott and I didn't stay long at the expo. Our goal was to get checked into our hotel and chill for the rest of the day. Our morning began at 4:00am so we were tired and on top of that Scott was recovering from the flu. Yeah, let's talk about the stress that caused.

I know we aren't the only people in the history of racing to deal with sickness leading up to a race. :) I do think this is the first time for us though. That it's been this bad anyway. I always get the sniffles or a phantom sickness when I'm tapering, but nothing that has prevented me, Scott in this case, from finishing up training.
I've actually been dual training. I have a 10k/half marathon challenge two weeks after this 15k. The distance worked perfectly to throw this race in as a bonus "let's get a medal for training" type of race. I'm running the half marathon with a friend and I'm doing the 10k with Scott. Which means it will be a faster pace. I have kept speed work in my training so I'd be prepared to stay with Scott. Our training had us on track to run a pretty fast (for me) 15k. About three weeks out Scott got a cold. He decided to not run for a few days so he would recover faster, and he bounced back quickly. But then the Sunday before the race he got hit out of nowhere with an even worse cold. That's what I was telling myself he was dealing with, because I could not accept that he had the flu when we had special plans. Not only did we have the race on Saturday, but we had planned to make a weekend getaway out of this trip to celebrate Valentine's Day and Scott's birthday. All week long I stressed about whether or not we would be able to even go to Nashville. Scott didn't leave the house, and hardly left the couch,  all week. After the worst of his sickness passed Scott said he would be doing the race, but would have to decide on the goal later. I knew I wanted to run this one with Scott no matter what so I told him it didn't matter what we ended up doing, even if we walked the whole time. I was just glad he was feeling well enough to consider doing the race.

Our hotel was one mile from race central at Bicentennial Park. Again, because we didn't want to pay for parking, or really worry about looking for a spot on race morning, adding to any start line anxiety I would inevitably have, we walked from the hotel to the park. We could feel the wetness in the air from all the rain and it was cold. It definitely was not as cold as the St Louis race though. Our walk was faster than I expected and when we finished going through gear check we still had nearly 30 minutes until the race started. Since we had taken off a layer to leave in our bag, the cold was obviously more noticeable. We decided to keep walking around until the corrals started filling up.
It felt weird walking through the opening into corral A. I was definitely having feelings of inadequacy. I was also worried about Scott. He'd kept pretty quiet and I was wondering if he should even be outside. I asked him if he was at all excited and he said yes. That helped for some reason. I felt like I could be excited and happy to be there. I did not have any pre race jitters, although I did have some wariness about the hills I knew we would be running. I did a long run in the outskirts of Nashville back in September and I was shocked at how hilly it was.

As usual the wheelchair start happened first. In addition to those in wheelchairs, there was another group of participants with disabilities. Not all were visible to just anyone, but each of them had a guide. I absolutely love seeing how nothing stops these amazing people. Just a minute or two later it was our turn. It happened so fast. I'm used to waiting at least a few minutes before it's my turn to cross the start line. That was good though. Those last few minutes are when I tend to do the most over thinking.

I think I underestimated how Scott would do at the race. I should have known better. My fast is his comfortable. And he can be a little stubborn. :) Barely half a mile in and I was falling behind Scott. I went back and forth on what layers to wear before we left the hotel. There were so many things to consider. Finally after struggling up a couple hills I knew I needed to shed a layer if I was going to run well. It was a good decision, at least for the moment. I felt free, and it showed in my splits. Mile 3 was my fastest of the whole race and I was able to catch up with Scott.
Around 3 1/2 miles Scott stepped aside to get some water and that's when he told me that he didn't think he would be able to continue running the way we had been. I reminded him that our goal was to finish the race and that was all.

Miles 2 1/2 to almost 4 1/2 or so are part of a long section of out and back. Near mile 4 the course enters Centennial Park. Through the trees we could see runners heading back to the out and back long stretch. I was unfamiliar with the course and the number of out and back sections really surprised me. In the moment it wasn't surprise though, it was frustration. It was mentally draining. More than that, the turn around points were sneaky. Now, I realize that is not on purpose. I just don't have another way to describe them. The hardest were between miles 5 and 6. As we were heading up another hill we could see that the course made a T. At the top (or so we thought) of the hill we were on, we would turn left but we could also see  that there were runners crossing our street and continuing to the right. And then runners were coming from the right back to the road we were on.

We turned left and our hill continued. I made an assumption that the turn around was at the top, but it turns out, once at the top we go right back down a hill, and the turn around was at the bottom. It was a very tight turn around leading right back into the up hill. That was painful. The road leveled out briefly at the T, but then we went up another hill. This one curved so we didn't see the turn around to go back until the top of the hill. I was honestly a bit devastated to see the turn around was at the bottom of the hill. Again we had a tight turn leading right back into an uphill.
This was obviously a very hard race. The course with its hills and out and back sections and the weather being wet and cold made it pretty difficult to enjoy. And that's just how *I* felt. With Scott recovering from being sick I knew it was so much worse for him. We walked a lot in the last 2/3 of the race. I welcomed those walks, but it's unusual for Scott to walk so I knew he needed them. Through all this, I really wanted to be for Scott whatever he needed me to be. I probably over compensated to the point of annoyingly overbearing.

Just past mile 7 we turned back onto the long road. I began counting down the distance. Through the last couple (still hilly) miles, our walks grew closer together, but we were moving and however it happened, it got us closer to the finish line. We had a nice downhill as we finished the ninth mile, but we must have taken it a bit fast because then we did one last walk. The encouragement from other runners is one of my favorite parts of any race. I try to make a point to be encouraging, but I know I could do better. With 1/3 mile left we had a good handful of people, runners that passed us and runners that had already finished, tell us how close we were and other happy thoughts. I got focused on looking for the finish line. From the last turn it was maybe not quite 1/4 mile. It seemed to take forever. And then I heard our names and it was like something clicked. This is why I race.

Even when conditions are far from optimal. Even when my husband has been sick but still wants to go. Even when I decided mid race that I probably wouldn't do this one again because it is THAT hard. The pride and accomplishment I feel when crossing the finish line is worth all the hardest courses in bad weather. And for the record, I WOULD do this race again.

Scott and I crossed the line together and I believe our finish line pictures tell our recap fairly well.

The goal when we finished was to first, find a photographer because I wanted at least one picture of us together and smiling.  The pictures are free so why not?? Our next goal was back to gear check. If I learned nothing from the St Louis race, it's that I should not stay in my sweaty wet clothes if I plan to be outside much past the finish line. Did I take care of myself? Of course not. I put my coat on and we tip toed across a muddy field toward the tent where hot chocolate waited. The closer we got to the finisher mug tent, the worse the mud got. There was no tip toeing around. Trudging was more like it. There was not a sign of grass. It was kind of fun, but I was truly worried about slipping and hurting myself.

I was not miserable like I was in St Louis, but by no means comfortable. It was still barely 30 degrees and we had our mile walk back to the hotel. While we didn't stop for many pictures, there were still a couple I felt were necessary. :) Maybe next time I will actually follow through and change my clothes. ;)

While Scott and I were resting before checking out of the hotel we were talking about the race. I truly couldn't get past how hard this one was. I did say a couple different times that I would not do it again. I think though, I would. I won't forget the difficulty, but I think I could train to embrace it. Even though I welcomed the walks Scott and I did, I think I could have pushed myself to run at least 75% more of those walks than I did. Even with our walks though, I still PR'd by almost 3 minutes.

Yep, I can train to embrace it.