After an "unplugged" week, I'm joining up with Jessica and Jill at the Fit Dish link-up. The week was wonderful but it's nice to be back!
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Wild Hog Half Marathon Results:
Finish Time - 01:39;58Average Pace - 7:37/mile
Placing - 43rd/553 Overall, 13th/300 Females
Summary:
We traveled to the race on Friday evening, picked up my race number and went out to eat with a friend at Noodle's & Co. It was a nice night... minus super cranky children. Baby W cried from Noodles & Co. until we made it up to our hotel room. And then cried some more. E was beyond tired.Leo and I both agreed that we should never leave our home with the boys again.
5:30 AM - My morning alarm came way too soon! I was thankful to have a decent night's sleep with E sleeping through the night and Baby W only up a couple times to nurse. First things first, I pumped and prepped a bottle for W and put on my race clothes.
6:00 AM - E was awake so he came down for breakfast with Grandma and me. I had a blueberry bagel with peanut butter and honey plus some apple juice. My race morning nerves tend to suppress my appetite but I knew I needed to eat as much as I could (within reason).
6:30 AM - Time to go! After saying my goodbyes and taking a quick picture with E (and a pair of socks), Grandma and I were on our way to the race. Grandpa and Leo hung out with the little guys in the hotel room.
7:30 - We checked out the starting area and then my mom (alias "Grandma") dropped me off at the sports arena. I wandered for a while, watched the sunrise, jogged a little, ate my first GU (vanilla bean, of course!) and then headed off to the starting line. God blessed us with such a beautiful sunrise that morning! I was thankful to be able to take the time to watch it.
7:45 - The half marathoners, relay teams and 10k runners all lined up. I found my way to the 1:40 pace group and announcements and anthems started soon after.
8:00 - And we're off!
As the mob of runners spread out, I ended up with the tail end of the 1:35 group. I did my best to hang with them in last year's Wild Hog and I knew that wasn't a realistic goal at 4 months postpartum.
Even in the first mile, I could tell my body was just worn out. I did taper from running in the week prior but life itself just wore me out. For every race, I write a Bible verse on my arm to help me keep perspective and Ephesians 3:20 had been on my heart that week.
My energy tank was running low but I knew that God could give me the strength to run my best race - He can do so much more than we dare to ask or hope!
Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. EPHESIANS 3:20 NLTMile 1 - 7:08
Mile 2 - 7:19
Mile 3 - 7:29
Mile 4 - 7:31
Mile 5 - 7:26
I was feeling good and the miles were passing by quickly now. Just before the next aid station, I took part of my second GU gel.
My stomach wasn't really feeling it but I had to eat it now to prevent running out of gas in the last third of the race. Racing while I'm nursing our youngest has forced me to eat and drink more than I used to while training and racing.
Mile 6 - 7:30
Mile 7 - 7:37
Mile 8 - 7:45
My goal was to maintain sub-8:00/mile. It was tempting to speed up and chase after the runners racing by me but I couldn't maintain a faster pace all the way to the finish. Many of the runners breezing by at that point were relay runners with fresh legs, as the faster half marathoners had already pulled away from the mid-pack, but my mind still wanted to chase.
"Stay in your own lane!"
This was something Leo and I had talked about earlier this week. While there aren't any "lanes" in long distance running, his words reminded me to run my own race rather than comparing myself to the other runners.
We were talking about spiritual growth rather than running but it applied to both. "Stay in your own lane" means guarding yourself from spiritual pride and comparing our faith walk with someone else's. Because we do this or don't do that doesn't make us "more holy" than someone else and God doesn't "love us better" than someone else. We are saved by grace alone not by anything we say or do.
In both running and our walk with God, we can give our absolute best effort and be satisfied with that. We can experience so much freedom when we choose not to compare ourselves to others!
Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. GALATIANS 6:4 NLTMile 9 - 7:50
Mile 10 - 7:49
Mile 11 - 7:57
Mile 12 - 7:49
Mile 13 - 7:39
Mile .17 - 7:00
When the race clock was in sight, I had a couple more seconds to finish sub-1:40.
So I sprinted... and thankfully I didn't trip over my own feet because the home stretch was lined with people watching.
As it turned out, I beat the 1:40 mark by 2 seconds. That last kick made all the difference!
The assembly line after the finish was a smooth one lined with pineapple, pretzels, oranges, chocolate milk, and other goodies. I was given my medal and grabbed a water bottle and some licorice before finding a spot to sit down in the grass.
Then this fine looking group made their way over to me (including Grandma, who took the picture):
The Wild Hog Half Marathon's race "swag" is awesome. The BornFit® long-sleeve zip-up shirt and the FitSocks are my favorite!
Overall, the race went better than what I expected 4 months after W's birth! Leo, the boys and I picked up drive thru sandwiches from Erbert's & Gerbert's and coffee. We headed back to eat, shower and nap time for the kids (and parents!).
The Wild Hog is one of my favorite races and I hope to be back next year. They announced that a full marathon is in the works for next year but I'm eyeing a full marathon for May 2016. We'll see...
What is your favorite half marathon and/or full marathon?
Linking up with the Fit Switch and Jill Conyers. #dishthefit
, where she defines balance and breaks it down into three parts.
