City of Lakes Half Marathon – New PR!

Alternative title: “Never Have I Ever Started Out so ‘Slow’ and Finished so ‘Fast'”

This race felt quite a bit different than a lot of other races I have run. First and foremost, I was not nervous going into this race, which may have been the first time EVER that was the case. Usually I am nervous the day before a race and even more nervous the morning of the race. I’ve dealt with nerves since high school, and I’ve always said it was my body’s way of getting ready for the event ahead. There have been times I’ve been *too* nervous, and I haven’t been able to sleep, but for the most part I’ve been able to handle the nerves okay. But on Saturday (the day before the day), I was actually excited to run the half the next day, and then on Sunday, I was not nervous at all, which was wild to me.

I think one reason I didn’t feel nervous was because I felt really confident about my fitness going into this race. Workouts had gone well, and I was hitting paces faster than I ever have. I have also had a lot of “failed” races this year, so I figured I had nothing to lose. If this race didn’t go well, oh well, life would go on. (Or maybe that’s me maturing as a runner.)

I really wanted Craig to be at this race with me, and it worked out that he and the boys were able to come. I’m still convinced I race better when they are there with me. We ended up spending the two nights prior at my sister’s so the cousins could see each other and play together.

Sunday morning we left my sister’s house at 6:00 a.m. as she lives on the other side of the Twin Cities, so we had about a 40 minute drive, but traffic was nearly non-existent early on a Sunday morning. Once we got to the race start, I started warming up about 45 minutes before the race started. It was cool with temps in the mid-40s, but I knew that was going to be so ideal for racing! All of my other races this year have been hot, so I was ecstatic for the ‘fake fall’ because it is back to warmer weather this week.

As I was warming up, I said hi to a few friends, which always calms me if I am nervous. I did a few strides about 5-10 minutes out from the start of the race, and then it was time to go!

Ten times out of ten I start out too fast in a race, so I wanted to start out slower and slightly under goal pace. I knew my previous PR was a pace of 6:27 minutes per mile, so I thought if I started around 6:30 for a few miles, that would be a good place to start. Welp, I started out a little too slow probably and came through mile one in 6:40. However, the crazy thing was that I didn’t feel panicked at all!

Mile 1 – 6:40
Mile 2 – 6:30
Mile 3 – 6:30

After mile three, I knew I should probably start to pick it up before I got myself in too much of a hole. I did take my first gel between miles four and five. I took a Gu Roctane gel with caffeine and with how thick those gels are, I got some of it caught in my windpipe and started coughing and had a hard time breathing for several minutes. Luckily I didn’t have to slow down and it eventually worked its way out of my throat.

Mile 4 – 6:23
Mile 5 – 6:24
Mile 6 – 6:22

As lap two started, this is when I knew I really had to start cranking the pace down. I was still feeling really good, so I knew I could do that. Sometimes as this point in the half marathon, I am already starting to go into the pain cave, so the fact I was still feeling good was so foreign to me.

Another reason this felt like such a different race for me were the thoughts that went through my head. Usually I am really focused and stay mentally strong and engaged throughout the race. But for this half, I would catch myself thinking, “It’s okay if you stay right here–so what if you don’t PR.” It was fun running at more of a comfortable effort rather than going to the well. But as soon as that thought ended, I would think, “You didn’t put in all of that hard work not to come here a PR today.” “What if that girl (just a little ahead of you) is 1:23.” So I kept hammering away. (Mile eight and ten had some climbing.)

Mile 7 – 6:22
Mile 8 – 6:28
Mile 9 – 6:21
Mile 10 – 6:28

I took my second gel between mile ten and ten, which was a Precision gel. I believe this was the first time I have taken two gels in a half, and I think I will continue to do that from now on.

I was trying to do math going into the last few miles to see if I could make my goal of sub-1:24. I know my calculations weren’t very accurate, but from my rough calculations, I knew I was cutting it close, so I kept cranking the pace down and picking off women ahead of me.

Mile 11 – 6:20
Mile 12 – 6:11
Mile 13 – 6:08

Having enough left in the tank to run a 6:11 and 6:08 last two miles was fun and so strange to me because usually I am dying by this time. I was definitely working, but I also felt like I had something left in the tank to give. I still knew I was right on the cusp of breaking 1:24, so I knew I had to keep pushing.

As I approached the finish line, I saw the finish line clock click over to 1:24. However, I knew that it displayed the gun time, but I also wasn’t sure how many seconds it had taken me to cross the start line. I crossed the finish line hoping it was enough, but I also knew I had run a new PR!

After the race, I said hi to a few friends, and when everyone asked me about my time, I said I was either one second over 1:24 or one second under 1:24. I was happy to have PRed, but I wasn’t sure about my time. I really wanted that sub-1:24! Just as I was leaving the finish area, one of the friends I had chatted with called my name and flashed her phone to me saying I had officially run a sub-1:24 half!

I am grateful that my body still allows me to run faster as 42 years old and still be setting new PRs. My previous PR was at this race last year, so that was a lot of work for eleven seconds. Ha! But it is a good thing I love the process!

While I am really happy with how this race went, the overachiever in me was hoping to run faster. I really thought I could be a lot closer to 1:22. However, I’ve done this to myself in the past, and then later on I’ve been mad at myself for not being happier in the moment. Ahh. . .the turmoil of a competitive runner.

At the end of the day, I am very happy with how this race went. I am still very sore, so I know I ran hard. And now I turn my attention to one last race of the year: the Twin Cities 10 Mile, which is one of my favorite races of the year, so I am looking forward to it!