Race Recap!!!

Admin
Jun 12, 2017
5 min read

HAPPY LATE SUNDAY!!!

Today was SOOO busy. I was planning on getting this blog out sooner, but time got away from me! It's my Momma's birthday today!!!!! LOVE YOU, MOMMA!!!

We also celebrated our cousins' son's birthday! AND our grandmother's birthday! More on that tomorrow, but at least you see how we've been going non-stop today with THREE birthday parties!!

Yesterday I ran the Varmint Half Marathon in BEAUTIFUL Burke's Garden, Virginia. Me and three other wonderful ladies decided to head over and stay the night close to the race. It's about an hour and a half drive from our town to the course, so we decided we'd rather drive over the night before and stay so that we could get more sleep. We are no good without sleep, especially on race day...

I discovered these at Walmart on the way over... HEAVEN.

We all had a blast at our sleepover, I felt like I was in high school again ;) HA!

This course is the prettiest course I've ever ran, but it's also one of the hilliest and usually one of the hottest! It is a valley on top of a mountain. The road is LONG and winds around A TON, but it really is a gorgeous little valley!

I told you on Friday that I wanted to run under 2:15, but ideally would have loved to have been under 2:10. I am SO HAPPY to report that I ran the Varmint Half Marathon in 2:03:23!!!! 11+ minutes under my goal!

The race was difficult, to say the least. The first 5 miles are HORRIBLE. I think running with my good friend Laura really helped to keep me on track those first few miles. She looked SO STRONG. I think keeping up with her is what kept me from slowing my pace, for sure!!

After the initial first few miles, you get more of a rolling course versus what feels like a course that is CONSTANTLY full of steep hills (with some steep inclines along the way). I just seem to do better with the rolling hills... Or no hills ;)

Between miles 7-11, I felt pretty great. I was hot, but it was better than the time I ran it in 2015. I had fueled properly (at least I thought I had), and I was feeling pretty good about my pace, seeing that I was well within reaching my goal, even if I slowed down some.

Around mile 11 you hit an out-and-back area of the course, my second least favorite part of the race. I ran the entire length, minus the water station, which was not true in 2015. I walked a lot of that out-and-back part then. I was hot, and tired, and done.

After the out-and-back, you have about a mile left until the finish. That mile is filled with rolling hills. It feels like it goes on FOREVER. I always like to make my last mile the fastest, which sometimes isn't possible. Yesterday my last mile was my fastest, I ran it at an 8:55 pace! I was thrilled with it! My parents were at the last stretch of the course encouraging me, as always! My friend Candy, who ran the 5K, was at the finish line, and told me to kick it... So I sprinted to the finish! Maybe it wasn't graceful, but I did it...

I didn't look at my official time at the timing tent, I went straight back to the final stretch to cheer for Paula and Laura! Laura smashed her goal of 2:10 with a 2:05! Paula absolutely demolished her previous PR by running it in 2:22, almost 20 minutes faster than in 2015! I was so proud of all of us! We have hit our goals for both of the first 2 races of the series we are competing in! I have a pretty great running gang ;)

After everyone had finished, I started feeling a little woozy. I am pretty sure my sugar was dropping. I had eaten what I normally do before a half marathon, and fueled during the race as usual, but for some reason, something wasn't right. I grabbed an apple and held on to my Mom and Dad for a few until I felt better. I also took a few swigs of coke after I drank some water. I felt much better and decided to head over to the timing tent to check my official time and see what my placing was for my age group... When I looked, I could not believe my eyes...

I WAS FIRST IN MY AGE GROUP. I was floored.

Now, my age group (25-29) is an easier age group to place in (30-34 is tough and I'll probably be getting fewer medals for the next four years or so... ). It isn't uncommon for me to run local 5Ks and come home with a medal. There just aren't many people in my age group that are really fast, so slower times get medals in my age group, like mine! That being said, I have never medaled in a half marathon, let alone gotten a FIRST PLACE in my age group in a half marathon. There were 14 ladies total in my age group, and I was first. I just couldn't believe it.

My medal was the absolute cutest! I am so excited to build a shelf for this little (ok, BIG) guy!

We waited on the awards and then we were headed back home! We stopped to eat, I wasn't terribly hungry, but I knew I needed to refuel. McDonald's probably isn't the best choice, but in the little town we were in, it was about the only choice ;)

We came home and I showered and attempted to look presentable. I headed over to where Lynny was hanging out to see her and Aaron. Lynny had been helping her Daddy and Poppy (or Pepaw- she changes his name almost daily) mow some hay.