Race Recap: PR!

I woke up at 3:00 am and silently cursed.  It took a while, but I fell back asleep, but again woke up, this time at 4:30 am, cursing in my head again.  I woke up one more time at 6:30, my wake up call, and once again cursed to myself.  It was still thunder storming!  With a race time at 8:00 am, it was not looking good for me.  My thoughts were either A.) the race is going to be cancelled, or B.) this is going to be the most miserable two hours ever running in heavy rain.  

Entry way starting to flood

Sopping wet

Well somehow, someway God decided to have a little mercy on me and the rain stopped at 7:00 am, one hour prior to race start.  Not a drop was seen the next eight hours, which was the time limit for the marathon.  How incredible is that!  The weather actually ended up be perfect temperature for running!

I didn't get any pictures on my camera, they are all on my mom's and I haven't gotten them yet, but my mom, dad, and cousin came out to support me which was great!  J tried to spot me, but never saw me.  After discussing with him where he was and when he was there, it turned out that he gave me the benefit of the doubt and thought I was faster than I was.  

Here's a rundown on what I ate...

The night before....Mexican....I know, risky, but common it was Cinco de Mayo. Enchilada Rancheros. 

Race Day Breakfast: Blueberry bagel and cream cheese + 12 oz water

During Race: Mostly water + 1 glass Gatorade + 6 Jelly Belly (I was struggling to get them out of my little pouch or I probably would've had more)

Post Race: Brunch buffet...eggs, 2 slices ham, 2 pieces French toast, fruit, half a piece cheese cake

Warning this may be gross. For some reason after longer races (10 mile, half marathon) I get the shits and my stomach cramps up.  Anyone know why or does this happen to anyone else?  I don't usually get it after long runs, just races, which I assume has to do with the difference in intensity.  Maybe I should be emailing Shut Up and Run about this one LOL :)  Anyway, my brunch wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been due to this minor detail. 

Race play-by-play...

Mile 1: A little behind my 9:00 minute mile pace due to a crammed start.

Mile 2: Right on time, feeling good.

Mile 3: Nailed my split again. First water stop. First hill.

Mile 4: Getting a little ahead of my splits.

Mile 5: Steady 1 mile climb, feel confident and strong. Water.

Mile 6: Hill decent, still feeling good!

Mile 7: See my first fan... Dad! :) Also 4:00 ahead of schedule. Gatorade. 

Mile 8: Starting to slow down, I went too strong on those hills.

Mile 9: Come on, only 4 to go, keep pushing. Walk through water station.

Mile 10: Oh hell, why did I start out so strong? Walk through water station.

Mile 11: Is this race ever going to end?! Walked for about 30 seconds.

Mile 12: Okay, there has to be a kick in you somewhere.  Nope, walk :30.  Start running and see my mom and cousin, thank goodness some motivation!  Oh crap, I still have the massive Carson Park hill!

Mile 13: Kick. Kick. Kick! I'm sprinting right now, right?!

Despite my struggle at the end, I still managed to PR by about 7 minutes!

1:57:26

That is 351st place out of 1040... top third(ish), not too shabby! I was super jacked about my time, I definitely worked for it!  I would recommend this race if you are thinking about it.  It was very well run, the volunteers were great, my only complaint is that the "expo" was pretty weak.  

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Another exciting thing happened this weekend!  This came in the mail...

I won Sarah's giveaway not too long ago and my package arrived!  I really actually only won the Mila, but she was sweet enough to throw some GUs in there!  I have never actually used GU, so I wasn't going to use them in my race, but I am super excited to try them in training for my marathon in October!  Maybe GU will be my go-to fuel? Do you prefer GU chews or gel or something completely different?

Fitness Plan

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Light 20:00 run

Wednesday: Lift

Thursday: 20:00 run + lift

On Thursday I will be getting a mole removed on my second toe, I don't anticipate it will hurt or bother me too long, but the doctor said I may want to take a day or two off, so I will be playing the rest of the week by ear.  I was happy that I was able to plan the procedure during the week after my half, since technically I should take it a little easy anyway. 

What do you have on tap for the week?