I have been wanting to write for a while now about my first half marathon. Not that this was any crazy accomplishment or anything, I mean millions of people run them all the time, right!? Well, maybe you are contemplating running one yourself and maybe my experience will be able to help you decide!
I was never a runner. In fact, I always liked sports (softball, basketball) but whenever there were running drills in tryouts I felt like I was going to die. This really prevented me from going after what I wanted in Middle/ High School. I honestly just thought I wasn’t built to do it. Little did I know that nobody really is built to just go and run a mile without walking and not feeling like they will die or puke somewhere along the way, but rather your body begins to adjust to the activity level you train it for. Where was that statement when I needed it in gym class when I was growing up?! Or maybe it was said, and I was too stubborn to listen.
I started running on accident in 2008 in an attempt to lose some weight. I started off on the treadmill, and I would run, then walk, run then walk. I didn’t look at the distance or the time on the machine. Once I burned 200 calories, I was good for the day. Eventually it started to get easier, to the point where I could run for the entire 200 calorie burn without walking. I figured, what the heck, I’ll try to run outdoors. And so I did, but it was not easy at first. Just like the treadmill in the beginning, I had to pretty much start from square one again. Feet on pavement was a whole different ball game. I didn’t really track my distance, I just kinda did a lap or two around our little block in town until I wanted to stop. My first “race” if you want to call it that was on July 4th in Lakewood, NY (The Firecracker run). It is a 10k course, but they had a 2 mile “fun run” and I chose to do that. It was do-able, so I signed up for my first race, an 8k in my hometown (4.56 miles, and mostly uphill). I was a naïve runner back then. Let’s not even acknowledge the dumb fact that I skipped right over a 5k and went straight to more than doubling my miles in the next race! Well the 8K went “ok”, I can’t even remember my time if I tried, but I did get 2nd in my age group! (out of 2 people)! Hehehehe. I did a few more races over that summer season, and was pretty much hooked on the running circuit. Grad school came and went that next year, and life was super busy. Running was no longer a part of it, and I didn’t make the time.
In fact, I didn’t really make the time “regularly” again until about 2012. I was teaching fitness classes, and probably in the best shape of my life (strength training too)! I was amazed at how this had improved my running. I raced all summer, placing in my age group in several runs. The summer of 2013 was even better than the last, where I was able to PR my 5k at a 25:24, PR my 8k at a 45:21, PR my 10K at a 57:30, and train for my very first half marathon that I registered for in May 2013 with race day the second weekend of October. It’s never about being THE best, I am certainly not a “fast” runner. I admire all those girls out there who religiously win overall, and their age groups, and run 7 min miles! They are amazing! But I learned in 2008, it isn’t really about competing, it is really just improving your own running, and doing what you love. It’s about the friendships, the race day excitement, the night-before nerves, it’s about all the moments it took to get you to that day.
I trained religiously with a friend all summer, running long runs together every Sunday. I can almost recall every single long run during this training. That is what running does to you, it creates memories you will never forget. Two weekends before the race, I found out I was pregnant. I was given the “ok” by my doctor to run the half marathon. I contemplated running literally up until the morning of. I went to the spaghetti dinner with my training partner the night before, and was all ready to run in the morning. The thing is, there was a piece of me missing, a part of me was nervous because I was pregnant, and another half of me was going through some emotional turmoil. My heart wasn’t in it that morning. I drove to pick up my training partner, and realized I forgot my race bib at home. I took that as a sign that Lucy 2013 wasn’t meant to be. If I had turned back around to go back and get it, I would’ve been late. I didn’t run, and I cried the whole way home, and most of the day, and the day after. I really did grieve this, I had trained for months.
The summer of 2014 was my baby summer. I was a new mom and still recouping from the whole birthing process. Running wasn’t there for me. I ran my first 5k post baby in November 2014 (The Veteran’s Day 5k), with a 34 minute finish time.
May 2015 I was determined to get back into the swing of running again. I decided I would run the Lucy Half Marathon again- even the thought of registering made me an emotional mess remembering what had happened 2 years prior. May and June was my “run for fun” just to get back into it again. It was a SLOW start. Again, I felt like I was going to be sick when I ran. I couldn’t run a whole mile without walking. My 5k time averaged around 34 minutes. I signed up for a few races early summer, some 5K’s , an 8K, etc. My time slowly started to improve by the end of June I believe I was able to get under a 30 minute 5k, FINALLY! It seemed like it would never happen. I tried so hard not to think back about 2013 with my 25 min 5K. I knew if I kept thinking about it, I would give up. Giving up was not an option. I was going to cross that half marathon finish line in October no matter how long it took me.
When I started the half marathon training in July, I followed the Hal Higdon Intermediate plan. I was able to follow it to a T for a good 4 weeks. My time started to improve week after week for my 5K, and 1 mile. After a month of training I was able to run a 9 minute mile, and after two months, I was able to run an 8:36. Eventually my 5K was somewhere around 27 minutes on average. I was pleased with this. I adjusted on weeks I had a race, or my training partner went on vacation, etc. We were running long runs on either Saturday’s or Sunday’s depending. Thursday’s I was teaching Kickboxing, so I adjusted those days as a cross-training day with a short warm up run usually before class. Here is what you need to know about training: it is time consuming (obviously not marathon time consuming, but it just is). My husband had to be behind this 100 percent. This is a conversation you MUST have with your partner before you even consider a race. They don’t get a medal on the day of the race, but they sure as heck deserve one. He let me sleep when I needed sleep (with a 1 year old, this isn’t easy), he sacrificed some good mornings of fishing to let me get my long runs in, but we compromised as he would fish when I got home or vice-versa. We went on dates when we could, and somewhere along the way I lost 25 lbs. I was naturally eating better because I felt my body deserved good stuff (nutrient dense, nutritious foods). I didn’t ovet indulge (but I still had a treat now and then)! I didn’t set out to lose weight, even though I needed to… but it just happened, and for that I am thankful.
My mood improved drastically. I was happy again (not that I wasn’t before), but I had some “me” time, and that made a 100 percent difference emotionally for me. My friends, Nichole, and Alycia were constant support along the way. We kept (and still do) keep an ongoing conversation going about running/ training, and other mindless things that we can laugh about.
I looked forward to long runs (mostly) & , again I can remember almost every single one of them. Our 8 miler was hilly and was in Nichole’s neck of the woods. Her son joined us for the entire course on his bike and was a total trooper. Our 9 miler was when Nichole returned from her stay in Canada and we had taken the week before off from long runs- it was 3 laps around Cassadaga Lake (and our last long run there). Nichole is notorious for hiding bananas along the course so that we can refuel half way through. We have somehow mastered being able to eat the banana while simultaneously running. Mile 10 was a music-less run in a downpour rain testing out the course of the Lucy. It was our first double digit run. Our 11 miler was probably my favorite, starting in Jamestown, heading to Falconer, along some country roads in Falconer, taking us back out into Jamestown & up- hill for the last half mile. We saw donkeys, chickens, and lots of other farm animals along the way! We saw yard sales getting set up, and we even had a few people honk at us in encouragement and support! It felt great! Nichole always finishes strong (and with her longer legs) it makes it impossible for me to even try to catch up. I remember seeing her go ahead up that last half mile stretch on our 11-miler and seeing some folks smoking outside their apartment as we headed into Jamestown. I paused for a moment to walk as the hill got steeper, and they shouted “she’s beating you”, and I just smiled and said.. “we are just finishing 11 miles”, and watched their jaws drop while they said a few profanities as I continued on. That was our last long run before race day, even though Hal Higdon suggests a 12-miler prior to the race on his intermediate plan.
I really enjoyed the intermediate plan, alternating Wednesday runs with speed training, and tempo runs. Something I was not familiar with before this training program, and I do feel like those runs are what contributed most to my improved times. The only other thing besides my kickboxing on Thursday’s that I occasionally made time for was Power Yoga.
Here is another thing you must know- you may get some black toenails. These toenails will fall off. It can be painful. J But seriously, it’s worth it.
Race day was finally FINALLY here! I can’t even describe what that feels like. I picked up my race packet the Friday before (that’s how excited I was- TWO WHOLE DAYS BEFORE THE ACTUAL RACE)! There was no turning back now. The three of us rode together to the race, calming nerves along the way. The race began without hardly any warning- bam and we were off! We admittedly began a little faster than we should have, but we felt fine so we kept with that for a bit. The course begins at the Jamestown Ice Arena heading down Washington street, looping around Brooklyn Square, up North Main and then back across 3rd street just to pass the Ice Arena again, but it is kind of a cool start… once you go through the Ice Arena the second time, there is fun music blasting and lots of people cheering you on. I was able to see my in-laws cheering me along in Brooklyn Square on the first mile. After the ice arena- you’ll go through a down-hill ally-way that will led you onto Jones & Gifford. Right before the Ally way we saw “Lucy and Desi” standing outside of their hot rod and waving us on.
We made it into Celeron around mile 3.5 or so, and I began to feel a side cramp come on (or a side-stitch as a lot of people call them). This was my biggest fear. Luckily right as it set in there was a water stop where I took some sips of water and even Gatorade (normally I wouldn’t but I had read up on side-stiches earlier in the week and read that electrolyte beverages can help). I kept on running… during this mile I felt something on my lip, I touched my lip and something was stuck on it- I began to pull whatever it was off my lip and throw it. I immediately felt pain and realized it was a bee and I had been stung on the inside of my lip. This led to immediate screaming and some tears. My lip swelled and my pace dropped from 9:30 to a 10 minute mile. I hadn’t come this far to stop at mile four because of a bee sting. Thank god I am not allergic so I just pressed on. Nichole who could have continued on without me stayed with me, and for that I am so grateful. It was just kind of quiet and peaceful as we kept running through each town. Celeron lead to Lakewood, and Lakewood back to Celeron, and Celeron then back to Jamestown. It was when we arrived back in Celeron around mile 9/10 when things went from peaceful to, “let’s take turns complaining about how much this sucks now”. Looking back, it is laughable, poor Nichole started getting pain in her hips (which has been an ailment of her in the past but never returned all summer until race day), and my side stitch was back. We took some walking breaks at mile 10, I think I lost her around mile 12 (she went ahead as per usual), as we got to the last stretch on Jones and Gifford (that road seems like it never ends) and headed up the last hill. The hill. It was the same hill (the ally-way we took “down” in the beginning when I thought to myself- “oh this shouldn’t be too bad on the way back up”). It was bad, and I walked most of it with the worst side stich of my life. My goal for the half was to finish, and then I set a goal half way through training of a 2 hour 15 min half (secretly though I was hoping for around 2:10). My official finish was 2:12, maybe without the bee, and the side stich I could’ve done it. No, I know I could have done it… but that’s just the beauty of running, you never what obstacle you’ll have to encounter, and that’s what makes you stronger the next time, and the next time, and the next time. Next race will be like “if you can get through 13.1 miles being stung by a bee, you can finish this”.
Seriously, if you are on the fence about running, I dare you to get up tonight and either hop on a treadmill or pavement, don’t look at the time, don’t look at the distance, don’t even care at ALL about a calorie burn, and just move. One foot in front of the other. I guarantee tomorrow you will run a little further than today, and the day after that a little further. Soon the runs will be a little faster, and a little longer, and a little stronger. I am so glad in 2008, I “accidently” tried it. Just do it.
Takeaways:
1) Family support is a must
2) Train with a friend
3) Find a good training schedule/ program
4) Play tetris with training program – as life DOES happen and you won’t be able to be perfect about it.
5) Compete with nobody except yourself
