Half Marathon Recap

My First Half Marathon story... (Beware, it's long. Most of it I am writing so I will be able to remember.)

5:45 a.m. The alarm goes off. I get up and eat Cream of Wheat and drink a cup of coffee and several glasses of water and start preparing all of my gear for the big day. While getting ready, I check the current temperature: 26 degrees. It's gonna be a cold one!

7:50 a.m Jason and I arrive in downtown Indy later than we'd planned, partially due to the fact that our car's driver-side door would not latch (possibly due to frost??)! We had to spend a few minutes figuring out what was wrong with it. Since I knew the race began at 8 a.m., I was slightly nervous about the delay! As we near the starting line I give him a quick kiss, hop out of the car and find the "10 minute mile" sign in the starting corrals. About 8000 others are jumping around, chatting, and fiddling with hats, gloves, iPods, Garmins, and other running accessories. I regret that I drank so much water already when I see how long the port-a-john lines are. There is no way I am getting in one of those lines at this time. I will just survive!

8 a.m.
Mile 1 - The Monumental Marathon race begins! Due to the crowd in front of me, I have to wait about 4 1/2 minutes before I can actually walk up to the starting line. There is a lot of adrenaline flowing and I want to run fast. But I knew this would happen, so I make a concerted effort to hold back to a slower pace to warm up. There are fans cheering and people holding signs everywhere. We run by Lucas Oil Stadium and see the Colts cheerleaders. It is definitely cold out, but within the first two miles I warm up enough to take off my fleece jacket and tie it around my waist.

Mile 2 - Jason cheers me on at mile 2-3 and snaps this picture. I toss him my sock hat.

(Jason leaves and goes to spend some quality one-on-one time with Isaac. He told me they spend a long time in a nice hotel lobby just playing together!)

Meanwhile....


Miles 3 and 4 - We run through the streets of downtown Indy. The fans hold signs like "Run Jessica Run" and "If Sarah Palin can run, so can you!" I am running just like I've trained, and it's so much fun. On my iPod I hear songs like "Alive" by P.O.D. and "I'm Alive" by Jeremy Camp, and it describes how I feel. I run behind a gal with a label on her back "Marathon Pacer Mandy 4:30." I can't remember exactly what pace per mile this is, but a Half-Marathon would be half of that, so a 2:15 time. I figure that I should be okay following her for a while. I mark my time on the iPod with each passing mile, and she's running around 10:25/mile.


Mile 5 - I am ready to run a little faster now that I've warmed up. I know I can push myself just a bit more. I pass the Pacer and see where my legs will take me. I pull out my Clif Energy Gel and eat it. (They're kind of gross, but it was probably a good placebo effect to help me run a little faster.) I simply go with what feels comforable for me and mark the mile. 9:22. I surprise myself that this feels comfortable, but I keep going.

Mile 6 - I take water at the water station. I really am starting to need it now, unlike some of the previous water stations. I realize I am capable of finishing this thing in less than 2:15 if I keep up this pace and stay comfortable. I pass the 10-Kilometer marker at 1:02:24 with an overall pace of 10:03/mile.

Miles 7-8 - I keep marking the miles on my iPod timer. I am doing better than I had expected, maintaining a 9:30 or less pace. The half marathon and marathon splits off at mile 7. Some people seem to slow down around me after the split, so I kick it up a notch and start passing people. I think this boosts adrenaline even more.

Mile 9-11 - We run down Meridian Street toward the Circle. But I can't see the circle because it is still so far off. Music like Hillsong United's "Take it All" and Desperation Band's "I am Free" keep my feet moving. I remember some people telling me they hit a wall at mile 10. It is getting harder, and my heart hurts a little. Remembering that the cardiologist encouraged me to run but to listen to my body, I slow down a little and pray that it feels better. I make a conscious effort to smile at spectators and thank the volunteers. I am thankful for the Gatorade at the water station. I slow my pace to 10:02 for one of the miles. My heart stops hurting, but I am getting tired. I start to tell myself encouraging things like,

-You trained for this.
-You've run farther than this.
-Now is the time to do your best.
-You're over halfway done.

I also see my favorite sign during this part of the race: "Random Stranger -- I'm so proud of you!" I thank that fan. I give high fives to two little girls who are holding their arms out.

Mile 12 - We run through Monument Circle again. The crowd is everywhere. I know I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I listen to MercyMe's "Hold Fast" and am encouraged by the lyrics, "One thing greater than my strife is His grasp, So Hold Fast, Help is on the way." Jason cheers me on down the street and snaps this picture.


Mile 13 - I know I am almost there!! I just have to keep moving. A sign I pass reads "DIG DEEPER" and encourages me. I run faster.

Mile 13.1 - I pass the 13 mile sign and I know we are SO close. I see the finish line ahead. I want to slow down. But I muster up everything left within me and SPRINT to and through the finish line.

Finish - I did it!!! I mark my time and see 2:08:37. My overall pace for the entire race was 9:48. I was proud of myself that I sped up during the second half, which is hard to do when you're tired. I ran the last 6.9 miles at an average 9:35 pace.

I finished 196 out of 441 women 25-29.

Overall I placed 2073 out of 4153.

Finishers were awarded a half marathon medal. Then we got a space blanket, a running hat, bananas, bagels and peanut butter, cookies, chocolate milk, apples, and on the list goes. After I met up with Jason in the recovery tent we took some more pictures.

My little guy is hanging out in his cozy carseat.

Running this thing was a great experience for me. It reminds me of why I like running. I have never been an athletic person, so knowing that I am capable of running a long distance was pretty amazing. Instead of feeling bad that I will likely never be a "fast" runner, I was encouraged that there are so many other people who run similar paces to me.

I am ready to run another half and plan to train for the HUGE half marathon in May.