Weekly Wrap-up: Jazz Half Race Recap

Details from the Jazz Half Race

I did it!!!!

I completed my half marathon yesterday in under two hours!

My week was nice. I spent most of it preparing for my race: drinking extra water everyday and making sure to get at least 7:30 hours of sleep. I also tried to wake up around 5 or 6am so it wouldn't be so hard come Saturday morning.

About the race:

The race started at 7am and it was quite chilly. Not only was it colder than it has been this entire Fall {at 48°F with 25 mph wind ~ feeling like 40°}, the wind was whipping like crazy. Monday it was 81° and 5 days later it felt like half of that.

Luckily, I checked the weather before and knew it was going to be much colder than I was used to and brought some spare gloves kindly given to me by a friend.

That wind was a little rough at times, especially in the beginning. However, I was not going to let that wind get in the way of my run the half in under two hours goal.

Pre-race meal: I started my morning at 5:06am and ate some Pumpkin Protein Pancakes topped with maple syrup. I had some sliced beets as well.

I didn't want to drink too much before the race, so I only had a coconut water latte. Sounds so weird but it's actually delicious and a great pre-workout drink. Coconut water + coffee concentrate + lactose-free milk.

I put on all my favorite running gear, made sure my watch was all ready to go {I charged it the night before}, and gathered all my race necessities {bib, phone, etc.}

Then I carpooled downtown with some friends, and we got ready for the race. I started out with a jacket/windbreaker but knew I didn't want to wear that the whole race. I stashed it in my bag and made sure to get my playlist ready and double-knotted my shoes before I put my gloves on.

I did a few lunges and jumping around to get my blood pumping, sent some texts to my mom & sister and a kind friend that was coming out to watch me, and set my phone to do not disturb. I said a few quick prayers, and then it was go time.

My goal was the run that half in under two hours which meant my race pace needed to be between 9:00 and 9:10 minutes per mile. I knew I needed to warm up my legs so I decided I'd give myself the first mile or so to go at a nice warmup pace, weave through people, and set my race pace.

I included my splits - they are set in ½ mile increments. I find it motivating to know what my pace is every ½ mile instead of 1 mile. For some reason, I find it easier to digest things in ½ miles than whole. The ones on the left are from The Jazz Half {November 1} and the ones on the right are from The Rock n Roll Half that I ran in February {my first one ever}.

Around mile 5, I felt like a champ. It was going just as planned. The weather felt great and my I was rocking my time - about 9 minute miles meaning I'd finish under two hours.

Then I ran through Audubon Park {miles 8 & 9}. It was pretty chilly, and I knew I could run a little harder for another 4-5 miles. I tried to pick up my pace just a touch, so I'd still be able to finish strong. I enjoy running but I don't enjoy pain {and injuries}, so I was actively trying to prevent hurting myself just to complete the half marathon in under two hours.

A little ways into mile 9 I noticed that my left knee started feeling not so great. It felt difficult to lift my left leg up off the ground. No no no, this is just not going to work. I've got 4 more miles and I am doing this! I thought.

So I gave myself the option to walk if it still didn't feel good. Lo and behold, I saw another friend and that gave me the strength to get another ½ mile. Then I started singing "just keep swimming" in my head {gotta love Disney movies} and that got me through another ½ mile. By this point, I was almost at 11 miles. After saying a quick prayer, I picked my pace back up. A 9:10 minute mile was significantly harder than it was less than an hour before but I tried to run just a little faster.

Luckily, I had just a little extra energy to run faster to the finish line. Since I'd been focusing on my watch the whole race, I knew when I got to mile 12 that I could make it in under 2 hours even if I ran a 10:00 minute/mile pace. This was definitely comforting!

As I saw the finish line, the kind spectators cheered us on and one man yelled "finish strong!" So I pushed just a little bit more and crossed the finish line right as the clock said 2:00 {I didn't start the race right at the front so my clock time and chip time were different}. It was great to be done, and now I can check that off my goal list!! Woohoo!!

Thanks to all the fine friends that came out to support me and for all the people that donated to the Cancer Program at Children's Hospital! You mean more to me than words can express!!

xoxo, Meme