So it happened. I ran my first half (the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon) yesterday. Wanna hear about it? Sure you do. Brace yourself, this one’s kinda long.
The weekend of running-related activities started on Saturday, when a running buddy from my training group (who I can definitely now call a friend… Hi, Heather!), Rachel, and I carpooled to the health & fitness expo to pick up our packets. It wasn’t really as great as I thought it would be (I was definitely planning on getting wayyyy more free swag than I actually got). However, as we were weaving through the vendors to pick up our packets, I spotted some Biggest Loser alumni! I was totally star-struck (Rachel and Heather weren’t quite as excited). I made Heather take a picture of season seven winner Helen on my camera, but of course, I don’t currently have my camera. But I’m going to post it as soon as I get it! Heather was like, “Oh great, Leah, now I’M the creepy stalker?” Helen’s daughter Shannon was also there, as well as Damien and Nicole. I also spotted a few people from seasons I didn’t watch as vehemently. The one thing that stuck out to me right off the bat? All of them were so tall in real life. They seemed shorter on TV for whatever reason. Thrilling piece of info, I know. I was too scared to talk to anyone, unfortunately.
Anyway, Heather stayed in the D, while Rachel and I went to go work on a secret project (to be unveiled very soon!). After that, we headed to Zingerman’s Roadhouse for dinner (I wrote about it before here) with my boyfriend and another friend, Arianna. For dinner, I wanted something carby with little to no dairy or anything else that might be questionable for my stomach. Even though carb loading for improved performance has been found to be a myth, I find that simple carbs are the best for my stomach and energy levels the day before a race. Maybe it’s psychological (probably), but whatever. I like them anyway.
I ended up getting the San Francisco Cioppino Macaroni: “Fresh Georges Bank cod, sea scallops, Dungeness crab meat and Prince Edward Island mussels poached in a rich broth of caramelized vegetables, heirloom local tomatoes, fresh herbs and white wine.”
Yeah, it was as good as it looks. I didn’t eat all the seafood just because I wasn’t sure how my stomach would react to it, but I did eat all the delicious, smokey pasta. Rachel got an equally delicious entree of Grilled Carolina White Grits: “Organic grits from Anson Mills, cooked, cooled, cut and then heated on the wood-fired grill. Topped with Zingerman’s 2-year-old Vermont raw-milk cheddar, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, roasted New Mexico green chilies, and freshly-cut corn sautéed in cider vinaigrette.” Even though she got the cheese on the side to avoid all that dairy, I think she thoroughly enjoyed it.
For dessert, check it out: DOUGHNUT SUNDAE. One of my favorite restaurant desserts I’ve EVER had: “Our housemade Dutch doughnut smothered in bourbon-caramel sauce, vanilla gelato, whipped cream, amazing Virginia peanuts and a cherry on top!” The four of us actually split it, so everyone ended up with a few bites, which was totally fine. I just wanted a taste of something sweet.
Rachel was spending the night at my apartment so we could carpool to the race, and we pretty much started getting ready for bed as soon as we got back. I woke up at 4am ready to go (my alarm was set for 4:45am). After eating a variation of my standard pre-race breakfast (English muffin with nut butter, banana, and dried cherries, genmaicha green tea, water), we hit the road.
Here’s where the most nerve-wrecking portion of the day occurred. We hit a huge traffic jam right before the exit we wanted to get off at. Even though we left with plenty of time to park and get to the starting line, after waiting in traffic for 15 minutes and barely moving, I was starting to worry we’d miss the race. Well, let me just say, In GPS We Trust. I swerved out of the line and trusted my GPS to take us to another, less crowded exit and it did just that. We parked, hit a (non-porta potty!) bathroom, and got to the starting line literally minutes before the first wave of the race took off (don’t worry, we still had like 10-15 minutes before we were allowed to start). Here are some happy but cold pre-race mugs.
The race was seriously amazing. Going over the Ambassador Bridge to Canada around mile three or four while the sun was still rising, all I could think was, 1) “I love my coach for making us do all these hill repeats… this is like child’s play compared to what we did!” and 2) “I’m so grateful to be able to run this.” It was beautiful.
(Not from the actual day, but it looked a lot like this!)
Rachel and I chatted for the first few miles in an attempt to keep our pace in check, but then she started to feel a little queasy. You can read her blog for the details, but she wasn’t feeling so hot. We were running at around a 10:30 min/mile pace, and I was actually feeling pretty great. When we were in between miles five and six, I knew I had the energy to speed up, so Rachel and I split up. When I saw the 10K sign, I just suddenly knew: This was going to be a good race. Running the “underwater mile” was really fun, and I was pacing around 9:30 min/mile. I remember breezing through miles eight through ten, and then realizing I only had three miles left. Three miles?! I can do that in my sleep. I never once felt too fatigued or like I wanted to quit. I felt great the whole time.
My time goals had changed pretty dramatically from when I started training. My original goal was to run the half under two hours, but after I got sick and all but stopped running for a few weeks, I knew that wouldn’t be possible. My longest run in the past month and a half had been six miles, so even completing 13.1 seemed like a pretty big feat. When I crossed the finish line around 2:13, I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t gotten under 2:10, but at the same time, I was happy to just have completed the distance. My pace ended up being 10:04ish, which was totally fine with me. I’m pretty sure this won’t be my last race, so I have plenty of time to work on my speed.
Right before I crossed the finish line, I spotted my parents. That gave me the energy I needed to complete the last .2 miles at a speedy pace. I love seeing friendly faces in the crowd! My boyfriend said he was at the finish line when I crossed, but didn’t see me. I did manage to meet up with everybody afterwards, but couldn’t wait to get to the warm car.
Overall, I had an amazing experience. Though I’m ready to take a break from training for awhile, I know I’ll be doing it again before too long. I want to thank Rachel for making my first half marathon experience so much more pleasurable (waking up at 4am is so much easier when you don’t have to do it alone!), my boy and my parents for coming out to support me, and my friend Arianna for waking up early and standing out in the cold to watch me even though she totally didn’t have to! You guys made the experience so much better.
Anyone who’s questioning whether to register for a race, don’t even hesitate. It’s hard to find something that makes you feel better about yourself.
