I did it!!
I did it!!
I did it!!
I now have a new PR!!
Thirteen weeks of training finally paid off. I was actually able to see the benefits of all the hard work and dedication for a ridiculously BIG race!!
A HUGE thank you to my handsome fiance who stayed by my side and stuck with me on my journey to achieve a new time! While I know I bored the heck out of him for the last four miles I still appreciate having him next to me and encouraging me along the way.
Here's my recap of the weekend -
Friday after school, I made my way down to Norfolk to pick up my rental car for the weekend. As much as I love driving up the Eastern Shore, my little Civic just can't handle the miles anymore.
I made it to Josh's about 10:00pm. A fairly easy and uneventful trip.
Saturday morning we got up, grabbed some yummy Pumpkin coffee and muffins at Dunkin Donuts and made our way to the Convention Center for packet pick-up and the expo.
I treated myself to a race tshirt, a new race bead and race tag necklace.
The necklace might have been a little overboard but I think it was a nice treat to a race that I felt was going to be so monumental for me.
Overall, packet pick up and the expo were pretty easy. It wasn't as big as last years in VA Beach, but it was still good and Josh and I were able to pick up a few necessities such as GU, Chomps and Cliff Bars.
After that it was back to Langhorne to finish packing up Josh's apartment and moving him to his new place in Bensalem. Not my ideal day before a race - but it is what it is and I was happy to help.
We finished moving around 6 and finally made our way back down to the city to our hotel.
We stayed at the Sonesta Hotel, and it was awesome. It was a really nice room and hotel with bar in the lobby. It also didn't hurt that it was .70 from the start line. Oh and we totally ran past it during the race.
We ventured out to find something to eat and because neither one of us are overly familiar with the city - we wound up at Applebee's. Wasn't all that bad and our pasta dishes were actually pretty good.
Race Day
Getting up wasn't a problem because we went to bed pretty early the night before. Plus I had laid out all of the stuff I was going to need so I wouldn't have to worry about it. So we geared up and headed out the start line. So when they said it was .70 from the start line, they didn't really take into account the fact that there was still another .50 from the start line to where our corral was located. We were way back in corral 21. Hey - I'm slow - I get it.
Sometimes race recaps are boring so I won't bore you with the mile by mile break down but here's some fun information - according to my Garmin - I ran a new fastest mile, 5k, 10k and Half Marathon.
While I realize the difference between my Garmin and the actual race - according to my Garmin I ran a 2:44:59 half - which is the time I was actually hoping for.
But since (for me) PR's don't count unless they are certified races my finish time was 2:49:26. Which is still a great PR for me. That's taking 8minutes and 44 seconds off my previous time from the Shamrock Half.
Of course in hind sight I think it was a great race and could totally go out and do it again next weekend!! HAHA - I guess that's the runners high! But honestly the end of the race for me was tough! I just couldn't keep up a decent running pace and wound up walking more then I wanted to. There are few times I thought I was going to toss my cookies. Not sure why - too much water and gatorade? GU not sitting well? Who knows. What I do know is that I finished - in the upright position and with a PR!
After the race we collected all our goodies and made our way slowly back to the hotel. Its amazing what a nice hot shower will do for you after a race.
It was then time for me to make my way back to VA.
It was a long and achy drive - but it wasn't too bad.
Hindsight is always 20/20 so I feel like I could've done a whole bunch of things differently that day. Like push myself harder at the end.
Luckily for me I signed up for the Inaugural Harbor Lights Get Lit challenge and can try again in a few weeks to get another new PR.
Now if only I could re-motivate myself to run!
Here are a few pictures from my weekend.
Pre -race fountain picture on our way to the start line.
While I realize the difference between my Garmin and the actual race - according to my Garmin I ran a 2:44:59 half - which is the time I was actually hoping for.
But since (for me) PR's don't count unless they are certified races my finish time was 2:49:26. Which is still a great PR for me. That's taking 8minutes and 44 seconds off my previous time from the Shamrock Half.
Of course in hind sight I think it was a great race and could totally go out and do it again next weekend!! HAHA - I guess that's the runners high! But honestly the end of the race for me was tough! I just couldn't keep up a decent running pace and wound up walking more then I wanted to. There are few times I thought I was going to toss my cookies. Not sure why - too much water and gatorade? GU not sitting well? Who knows. What I do know is that I finished - in the upright position and with a PR!
After the race we collected all our goodies and made our way slowly back to the hotel. Its amazing what a nice hot shower will do for you after a race.
It was then time for me to make my way back to VA.
It was a long and achy drive - but it wasn't too bad.
Hindsight is always 20/20 so I feel like I could've done a whole bunch of things differently that day. Like push myself harder at the end.
Luckily for me I signed up for the Inaugural Harbor Lights Get Lit challenge and can try again in a few weeks to get another new PR.
Now if only I could re-motivate myself to run!
Here are a few pictures from my weekend.
Waiting to get in the corral.
Post Race Bling Selfie!
Next up -
Portable Race Bling
Crawlin Crab Shell Yeah Challenge
Harbor Lights Get Lit Challenge
0 comments:
Post a Comment