Last weekend I completed my second half marathon with four of my friends in Indianapolis. My goal for this race was to come in under 1:45. Overall, I was pretty pleased with my performance, here's how it went down:
Wake up call around 6:30 am; I like to wake up early enough to make sure I have time to take care of all of the bathroom business. The Indianapolis Hilton North was offering a shuttle from the hotel to the race site at 7:25 am. After getting dressed and ready to go I headed down to the lobby to meet my friends and grab some coffee. I was hoping the hotel would offer some kind of continental breakfast, but I had no such luck. Usually before a race I eat a peanut butter sandwich. I made one before we left the house and forgot to pack it. Instead, I had a power bar around 7:30 am
The four of us were riding nervously on the bus to Fort Benjamin Harrison when one of the women behind us said: “ the hills around mile 3 and 10 are brutal!” What, hills? Brutal!? We chose a race in Indy! Indy doesn’t have hills! Good thing Cincinnati does, I guess.
We arrived at the race start at 7:50 am and had 40 minutes to kill. It was really cold and windy so we huddled for warmth. One of my friends suggested sitting in porta potties until the race began. Not quite that cold!
It was finally time to line up. I lost a layer of clothes and wished my friends good luck as we headed to our separate corrals. I tried to jump around and stay warm but it wasn't happening.
After the National Anthem, the race started and we were off! The start was a little crowded and I was in the back of the corral. The path was narrow in the beginning, making it difficult to pass at times. I probably should have started a little closer to the front of the pack, but I thought since we were lined up by pace I wasn't going to be one of the fastest in corral B, rookie mistake. I finished the first mile in 8:04 and knew I needed to pick it up if I was going to meet my goal.
The majority of the race took place on wooded paths through the park. The course was really beautiful with all the fall foliage and I was feeling great, running at a good pace and taking it all in. At each mile marker I looked down at my watch, noting my time, and giving myself a little pep talk. There were some significant hills in the race, but not as bad as the flying pig half marathon (which I was thankful for).
It was finally time to line up. I lost a layer of clothes and wished my friends good luck as we headed to our separate corrals. I tried to jump around and stay warm but it wasn't happening.
After the National Anthem, the race started and we were off! The start was a little crowded and I was in the back of the corral. The path was narrow in the beginning, making it difficult to pass at times. I probably should have started a little closer to the front of the pack, but I thought since we were lined up by pace I wasn't going to be one of the fastest in corral B, rookie mistake. I finished the first mile in 8:04 and knew I needed to pick it up if I was going to meet my goal.
The majority of the race took place on wooded paths through the park. The course was really beautiful with all the fall foliage and I was feeling great, running at a good pace and taking it all in. At each mile marker I looked down at my watch, noting my time, and giving myself a little pep talk. There were some significant hills in the race, but not as bad as the flying pig half marathon (which I was thankful for).
At mile 8, I was feeling fantastic flying through the rolling hills. That feeling ended abruptly at mile 10; I got a side stitch and felt like I was barely moving. I tried hard to hold onto my pace. I slipped a little more and mile 11 with a split of 8:26. Once I passed the mile 12 marker I knew my pity party was over and I had to suck it up to finish strong!
The half marathon split from the full at 12.5 miles. I saw the split and with .6 to go, picked up the pace a little more. After being burned at my last race I wasn't going to get beat at the finish this time. At the 13 mile marker I took off and ended with a time of 1:43:03!!! Beating my PR by 6 minutes!!!
Splits:
Mile 1: 8:04
Mile 2: 7:11
Mile 3: 7:58
Mile 4: 7:47
Mile 5: 7:31
Mile 6: 7:40
Mile 7: 7:48
Mile 8: 7:31
Mile 9: 8:08
Mile 10: 8:09
Mile 11: 8:26
Mile 12: 8:11
Mile 13: 7:56
Mile .1: 45
Average pace: 7: 52
The half marathon split from the full at 12.5 miles. I saw the split and with .6 to go, picked up the pace a little more. After being burned at my last race I wasn't going to get beat at the finish this time. At the 13 mile marker I took off and ended with a time of 1:43:03!!! Beating my PR by 6 minutes!!!
Splits:
Mile 1: 8:04
Mile 2: 7:11
Mile 3: 7:58
Mile 4: 7:47
Mile 5: 7:31
Mile 6: 7:40
Mile 7: 7:48
Mile 8: 7:31
Mile 9: 8:08
Mile 10: 8:09
Mile 11: 8:26
Mile 12: 8:11
Mile 13: 7:56
Mile .1: 45
Average pace: 7: 52
Good enough for a 5th place finish in my division. I had a blast at this race! The whole event was organized very well. Now that this years racing season is basically over, time to start planning next year’s events! Any suggestions??
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| Huff, Jojo, Me |
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| Me, Jojo, Abbey, Huff |
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| my number one fan |
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| post race celebratory cocktail! |
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