I Can Do It! 13.1 miles to end 2012

If you would have told me on Dec. 31, 2011 that exactly a year later I'd be running my second half marathon and 13th running race of the year, I'd have said you were on drugs. Yet here I was, Dec. 31, 2012, getting ready to run my second half marathon at the Yukon Do It Marathon/Half Marathon/5K run. It was a small race, a total contrast to the Rock n Roll Half in Seattle that I did in June, but nontheless, 13 miles is 13 miles, no matter where you run them.

I couldn't decide whether or not to wear my crazy socks. The weather was a balmy 35ish degrees and cloudy, but no rain. Still, we would be running the first 4 and last 4 miles along the water (up and back course). As I was talking to other runners in the breakfast room at the hotel, they all said, "Wear them!" So...another thing I never thought I'd do...a bright yellow jacket with bright pink socks with skulls on them. (Thanks Angela! I'm now hooked on socks!)

My 1st goal was to finish in under 2:24. That would be an 11 min. per mile pace, and I knew I could push and get that. Compared with my 12.15 goal for June, this was a big goal for me. But I had another number in mind...2:20. If I could pull off a 10.45 pace, I could do it. For a long run, that would be pushing it for me, but I knew I had it in me...maybe. I had been fighting off a cold, so I just wasn't sure.

When I started the race, I felt good. I didn't look at my time, and that was my first mistake. What I did know was that at 1.5 miles in, I got a side ache. This has happened to me maybe 3 times total since I've been running. So I felt like I was running slow because of this. I finally stopped for about 10 seconds just to breathe it out, and by about mile 4, it was gone. At that point, I checked my watch...40.30. OH NO! or... OH YEAH! I wasn't sure. I was running just over 10 min miles, which for me, was fast. The only time I run 10 min miles is on a 4 mile run or a 10K race. Someday I'd like that to be a doable pace for a half marathon, but I'm not there yet. So I kept going, and so far the course had been flat.

Now I had studied the map of the course, and my husband and I drove most of it the night before. I thought I knew what was going on, so I felt like I could actually keep a pace of about 10:30-10:45 the rest of the race and I could meet my 2:20 goal. So I hit mile 5, and say whaaaat? What's this little hill with a turn around? OK, not biggie...and I'd do it on the way back too...no problem. OK, back to the road, say whaaaat? Again? Up another hill, around and down...and this is where we saw the camel, which was random and very cool, but still...I wasn't ready for this and had I known I'd have adjusted my speed to a slower pace much earlier. Now, one more jaunt that I did know about, down to a park and back, and this was the intersection I saw my husband. I had finished 7 miles in 1:13...that is the best I've ever done for 7 miles. When I saw my husband, I told him I had a few more hills (those ones headed back) and I was hoping for a time of 2:18. I knew when I hit that last little hill, it would be mile 8, and the last 5 miles would be fairly flat. No problem! Tough, yes, but doable.

And then...mile 9...I hit a wall. I don't know what happened, but my quads tightened up, my chest tightened up, and I felt like I just couldn't make it any farther. So I stopped to walk. Defeated...but my time was 1:35...I still had 45 minutes to make it 4.1 miles. Oh, I got this! And 49 minutes still would get me to 2:24, so I was OK. And again, I had never run 9 miles in 1:35. I was still at an average of just over 10:30 pace, so I had time to slow down. But I didn't plan on this.

Between miles 9-12, I had to walk a little, then run. My quads were so tight, it was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Clearly, I started too fast and pushed it harder on those hills than I should have. I watched my goal of 2:20 slip away, so then I said "OK, 2:22...I can do it." I was at 2:10.30 at mile 12. I was cold, tired, and just ready to be done. When I hit mile 12, I said to myself, "There is not a snowball's chance in hell I'm going to walk this last mile." So I pushed and ran it out.

Finishing time: 2:22.04. I did it! I may not have hit that 2:20 mark, but I know what I did wrong, and I know how to correct it next time. I was keeping time on my iPod, which is fine, but I am now waiting on a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch to help me in these kinds of situations. But for today, I got a new PR (Personal Record) over my previous time of 2:38.30 in my first half marathon. And...I still have a goal to chase!

So that was how I partied my way out of 2012...13.1 miles of fun fun fun! I'm not the best, I'm not the fastest; but on that day, I was the best I've ever been, and that was pretty cool.

I've taken the last two days off, allowing my muscles to calm down, and I have a little foot pain, nothing too serious, but the foot needed a break. I'm hoping to get out in the morning with a friend for a slow and easy run, not sure on Friday, then a few runs on Saturday and Sunday.

Then on Monday, the chaos begins again. Back to the classroom, daughter in two sports, kids in piano, Ty and his antics, and my fingers in a little bit of everything. I'm hoping that in 2013 I can lose the pounds that snuck up on me on the holidays, plus lose another 15. I hope to try some new workouts, but I'll keep running at least 3-4 days a week.

Thanks for following along, and Happy New Year!
Jolene