I DID IT AND I TOOK IT EASY, at a controlled pace. I call this 1/2 marathon my sleep deprivation pace run. I had a plan that I mostly followed. I was going to make it a progressive run and vary it with the all the hills I would encounter (4 good ones, apparently). But instead I kept it even for most of the run not pushing it. I did have to slow myself down at the beginning when I saw my garmin read 6:59. So I did. I ran a smart race for me considering my sleep deprivation. It was important to not go out fast and burn the minimal adrenaline I had. Check, check. Second, I just didn't want to make it hurt. I didn't want to feel winded. I wanted to be in control. Check, check. Third, I wanted to be first master. Check, check. Forth, I wanted to sprint to the finish line the last .1 miles even if my limbs felt like they would fall off. Check, check. So here are my splits. Looking at them I was pretty happy. They were pretty much even except at the four hills. I gave myself allowance for these. I didn't want to get my heartrate too up there and have a race "panic attack". I was on no reserve and mentally couldn't do that to myself. The play by play: Warmup for 3.5 miles very easy pace. (8:58) 1- 7:24 Not sure how many women in front. Probably a handful. I was going to take it easy. It felt really nice. 2- 7:25 Still so nice. I asked some spectators how many women were in front. Someone said five or six. Okay then. 3- 7:05 Ahead of where I wanted to be but it felt okay and the hill was coming up so I better store up some seconds. 4- 7:37 The hill. I was trotting up it. No need to waste energy, although I did talk to a guy I passed on the way up. Actually I passed several guys the past few miles. I never got passed the whole race. That was nice.
5- 7:19 Going by the starting line. I threw my headband to a spectator that answered my question if anyone could take it to the finish line. Thanks : D. I took my gloves off at mile three and put them in my tights around my waist. 6- 7:17 Nice downhill then 1/2 mile on dirt. Some tire treading to avoid but totally not a problem. 7- 7:20 8-7:20 Another hill. Crept up it. Moved legs in short strides. Passed two girls just after this. Was worried it may have been too soon but they looked beat. 9-7:22 There's that marathon pace again. It sounds strange that my half marathon pace is my marathon pace but by Ogden I will have had three nights off to sleep and 7 more weeks of training. So I definitely think it is doable. This pace felt nice and the course is not an easy one. 10- 7:24 Big uphill portion here and I had just passed who I thought was women number three based off spectators and two guys who also confirmed this. 11- 7:42 An unexpected hill. This was a slight mental block for me. I looked ahead and saw it and was hoping the guy climbing it ahead of me was deleriously running off the course. To no avail. I had to run up it. Dang. 12- 7:32 Recovery mile and it is a steady up hill. Not big but just consistently inclining over the entire mile. So close to the finish I could taste it. Time to get it in gear already, Julie, this is a race. I blasted my tunes in my ear loud enough to wake myself out of my dream pace to finish a bit stronger. 13- 7:03. .1- 6:10 pace (max hit 5:36 at this portion). This is what I envisioned or rather said to myself as I thought of actually sprinting to the finish line. It is a line from the movie New Moon. Jane says to Bella just before she is about to try to "hurt" her with her mind: "This might hurt a bit" as she makes an evil smile. Yup that's what I said and that's exactly what it felt like, but only for a bit : DDDD. I bore down with all my strength and tucked my arms close to my sides and booked them forward and back passing one guy along the way and almost getting to pass a second one. It felt great to finish strong. It felt great to be done. 2.5 mile cooldown at a very easy pace talking on my cell phone to Melanie (9:12) going backward on the course, coming back to the finish line in a square. Total miles 19.1 @ 7:54 pace. Those six other miles were real easy, so average pace nothing to speak of. Worth the relaxing miles though. It made the pace run that more enjoyable. The rest of my day consisted of watching three soccer games and trying to get in some nutritious food. Sleeping tonight will be a welcome treat. Alleluyah!!! PS I was really forth overall. Someone counted wrong. Had I known I may have tried to catch the girl I got a glimse of in front of me, but probably not. I didn't want to hurt and only the last .1 miles hurt. YAY!!
| 