Chasing DOWN that PR!

I am often embarrassed by my running pace. In addition to taking walk breaks my natural running pace tends to fall in that 11 to 12 minute mile pace. I realize I'm not "slow", I'm just kinda average.

For over 4 years now I have been trying to break my 2:40 half marathon PR.

This weekend was the Teardrop half marathon in the north GA mountains. It includes 9 continues miles downhill and promises to get runners their PR. Kim, Stacy Michelle and I made it into a little road trip and stayed in town the night before. Race morning was perfect weather conditions. It was 61 degrees, slightly overcast, and had a cool breeze.

Stacy and myself were shooting for 2:30, Kim was shooting for 2:43 and Michelle planned to stay with Stacy. I knew that first 6 miles included some pretty significant uphill so I made us pace cards so  we could figure out if we were back on track later on in the race.

The Teardrop half had one of the most eerie starts I have ever experienced. It was completely silent. We never heard "go" or a beep, we just started. No one was talking. The only sound was the muffled pounding of our feet being taken away by the wind. I don't think anyone even spoke until we were about a half mile in.

I had been warned to hold back for the first section of the race. You basically run along rolling hills for 2 miles, turn around go back the other way for 2 miles, then turn around again. After you repeat those 2 miles, its down hill until mile 12.

At mile 8, I was 12 minutes behind my goal and didn't think I would make it. I worried that I wouldn't even PR. I became a little frustrated because I really had held myself back during those first 6 miles. But the next few miles were below a 10 mm pace. I never took a walk break and I just kept passing runner after runner. I felt amazing. By mile 11, I had caught up and believed that I could not only PR but that I could make it across the finish line by the 2:30 mark...and then I hit mile 12. It was flat, then mile 12.5 was uphill. I started walking. I kept looking at the time. I ran, then walked some more.
Finally I could see the finish line. I looked at my watch. 2:30... but I wasn't there I couldn't cross the finish line in 59 seconds. I walked again. I heard Stacy and Michelle shout my name. I ran some more. I crossed the first timing mat. I looked at my watch. The mileage was 13.26. @ 2:31:34. I pressed stop and walked. Somebody screamed at me "what are you doing?! Run!". It wasn't a timing mat, it was a speed bump. I shrugged my shoulders. I was proud of my PR but frustrated that I didn't go out harder in the beginning.

After I cooled down, I processed that my watch was over on distance. I talked to a couple of others. Their distance was over as well. I looked at Strava. It said I finished the half in 2:29:17!! I said, I'll take it!

Kim got a freaking 17 minute PR and finished in 2:30:44. Stacy and Michelle blew us away with a finishing time of 2:12:20!

What a great weekend!

(If you are thinking about doing it next, the downhill wasn't hard on my knees or quads like I expected. What was hard was the slant of the road. My hips did feel uneven. I had pains on one side and then the other when the road shifted. But for me, the pain stopped when I stopped and it was absolutely worth it!)