The Good, The Bad, and The Flat

Yesterday I ran my first ever OFFICIAL half marathon (the Foot Traffic Flat, or "The Flat"). It was an interesting experience and very different from the other two races I have run. I don't get to run very many races (cost being the biggest factor in this), so I figure it is worth a little recap here on the blog.

We earned these decals :)

My expectations about this race were simple: I was planning to have fun and support my friend Tammy, who was running her first half marathon. To be honest, I kind of signed up on a whim (read: after two glasses of wine) and I was not in "training mode" during the month prior. I had kicked around the idea of trying for a PR and had a goal in mind (1:50:00, or about 8:23/mile), but as the race approached and I had neglected my speed training I realized this goal was unrealistic and decided to bag it. More important to me was to have fun and cheer my buddy across her first half marathon finish line.

Tammy and I with our giant medals

 The night before the race I had the most awful night of sleep in my life. I'm not sure if I really slept at all or if I just dozed. Because the Flat is way out on Sauvies Island we had to get up super early to drive into Portland, meet up with Tammy's friend Alicia (who had our bibs), and then catch a shuttle to the island, where the race started at 6:50am. We left Beaverton around 4:15am, and ended up with a lot of time to kill while we waited at various locations.

 Tammy and Alicia had decided to stick together and that I would run ahead. I gladly would have run with them, but if paces don't align I think people always feel a little pressure to push themselves harder than they should, so this made the most sense. I was looking forward to finishing a little before them so that I could stand at the finish line and cheer and hopefully snap a few pics.

The race started and it was seriously like herding cattle. All the half runners were crammed into one lane on the one road around the island, and the other lane was full of traffic that was at a standstill. It was pretty annoying actually. It took more than half a mile to break out from the crowd and find my pace. I had set an app up on my phone to track my pace, and told myself I wouldn't check it until mile 6, and then decide from there how to proceed.

As we wound around the island I picked out another runner (a tall man in a blue shirt and white hat) and tried to stick with him. He must have been running about an 8 min/mile, because he was just slightly faster than me, and every time I looked up he had pulled further ahead. I stuck with him, more or less, for the first 4 miles (8:28, 7:54, 8:03, 8:09), but by the start of mile 4 he had run out of my line of sight, so I focused my sights on a girl who was about my height, weight and pace, and ran pretty close behind her for the rest of the race.

I don't remember the course. All I remember is that I was pushing myself pretty hard and I felt pretty gross. The sun was shining and even though it didn't seem like it was that hot, the road had very little (if any) shade, so we were running in full sun. I was looking forward to the scenery but it really wasn't that interesting, or maybe I was just pushing too hard to notice. I was looking forward to mile 6 where I figured I'd walk for a few seconds to eat my fuel and check my pace.

Mile 5 (8:17) and mile 6 (8:02) were pretty uneventful. Tammy and Alicia had been joking before the start about how one of their friends loved dumping cups of water on his face during races because it made him feel like he was in a movie. It was hot so I decided to follow his example. I just remember being excited every time I saw an aid station because I knew I would be able to cool down for, like, 15 seconds before the sun evaporated all the cold water :)

Shortly after the mile 6 aid station I grabbed my fuel and decided to finally check my app. It was then that I realized how fast I had actually been going (it was an 8:11 average pace at that point). I had planned to stop and walk a little bit just so that I could eat, but I did some quick math and realized that if I kept pace, or even just slowed down moderately, I could actually meet my PR goal. I was shocked, and didn't know if I could hold onto my pace, but I decided it was worth a try. Plus, it was starting to get even hotter and I wanted to get off the course before it heated up too much.

Miles 7 (8:02), 8 (8:15), 9 (8:23), and 10 (8:21) are a total blur. I was just focusing on trying to keep a steady pace, even though it really sucked. I don't remember any of the scenery, except for one small avenue that was tree-lined and afforded like 3 minutes of shade. I like to mentally break my runs and races into smaller parts by either time or distance, so I kept telling myself "45 more minutes" or "just 5 more miles to go after this", or whatever to keep myself motivated.

By the time I got to mile 11 I was tired, sore, and really, really hot. The final stretch was in full sun the entire way, with nothing of interest to look at or distract from the fact that you still have 2.1 miles to go. I seriously felt Mile-25-of-a-marathon tired, which I guess just goes to show how hard I must have been pushing myself beyond my normal pace. I definitely slowed down, but had banked so much time in the early miles that my goal was still within reach if I managed to just slow down a little. So that is what I focused on.

Mile 11 (8:40), 12 (8:50), and 13 (8:40) were tough. I just kept telling myself I was close to the end and the record would be worth it. Seeing that finish line was so sweet, I pumped my fists and cheered as I ran under the banner. I was so blown away that I nearly forgot to pick up a medal, and the race worker had to stop me ("Hey, don't you want a medal?") and place it in my hand. I chugged 3 cups of water and then flopped down into the grass and teared up. In that moment I wished my husband was there to share my personal victory. I hadn't expected anything like this feeling, since it was just supposed to be a relaxed race day, but I was overwhelmed by my accomplishment and had no one to share the moment with.

Semi-official results.

I plopped myself down by the finish line and waited for all the runners to come in, scouring their faces looking for my friends (Tammy and Alicia, obviously, but I was also hoping to cheer for Erica and Krisi, Lindsay, and Joseph, who I also knew were running). I actually ended up seeing a few more familiar faces that day, but somehow, I missed Tammy running across the finish line. She ran right past me and I had the camera ready and heard them call her name, but I didn't recognize her and totally missed it. I was so, so bummed. This was literally my primary reason for running the race that day, and I managed to mess it up somehow.

Post-race strawberry shortcake.

So, all in all, it was kind of bittersweet. I didn't get to see my friend accomplish her goal. I wasn't there to give her a hug right after she killed her race (and she did kill it- she finished in 2:03 in her first half marathon EVER, that is seriously AMAZING). I also didn't really have "fun"- I would consider this race to be the toughest and most uncomfortable I have run so far (although that is probably my own fault since I pushed myself so hard). But I DID get a massive PR beyond my wildest expectations, so that is a nice silver lining. So I'm not sure, overall, how I feel about it.

My final time was 1:48:35, placing me 261st out of 1971 runners (#86 out of 1335 women and
#19 out of my age group). Not too shabby. I am feeling it today though. Every muscle in my body is sore, and I haven't gotten that feeling from a workout for quite a while! Plus yesterday's 3:45am wakeup call is catching up to me. ;)

It will probably be a while before I can race again, and I doubt I will be able to match that performance, but it does feel good to add another bib and medal to my collection. :)