The Time I Ran a Sub Two-Hour Half Marathon

Sunday morning was half marathon #6--the Greenline Half Marathon. 

I started running in 2010 and was always about running longer...longer distances...longer races. I wasn't really concerned with my pace. But this year, I've really been working on getting faster, and I finally hoped the Greenline would be the half marathon for me to finish in under two hours (I had the same goal in the spring at the Nashville half...but I broke my big toe 5 days before the race. Total. Bummer.). My previous best time was 2:04:45.

I was also really excited about this half because it's at Shelby Farms where I run all the time, so I'm familiar with the course, etc. Plus it's 10 minutes from my house. Bonus.

Well, Sunday morning did not start out pretty. Heavy rain. Heavy wind. I was worried they were going to call off the race. The radar said 100% chance of strong storms with strong winds. But by our 8am start time, it began to clear, and it stayed dry for the entire race!

I'm not exactly sure what happened, but miles 1-5 were terrible. My legs felt like bricks, my hamstrings were tight, my calves hurt...I felt like the wheels had completely fallen off. I have never. ever. felt like that in a race. I almost cried at one point thinking it just wasn't my day for running.

Looking back, I think it's because I didn't warm up. And the rain/chill just made everything tight. 

My friend Marcia was cheering around mile 3 and was sure to snap a pic. Thanks, Marcia!

But somewhere around mile 5, everything magically felt better. I was feeling great and right on pace. I cruised through miles 5-12, and then kicked it up a notch to finish strong. The downhill at the end didn't hurt, either. I came flying down to the finish line running a 7:26 pace feeling like Lolo Jones.

And I finished in 1:58:50! Complete with an "I'm about to throw up" face.

Stats:

13.1 miles in 1:58:50 (A PR by 5:55!)

Average pace: 9:04
Age group: 8/55
Overall: 148/568

 Splits:
8:49
9:11
9:11
9:10
9:03
9:05
8:53
9:01
9:01
9:05
9:11
9:01
8:36
the last .2: 7:26 (my Lolo Jones moment)

I was so happy with my finish time that I almost cried. Then, Kristy and I went out for another 3 miles to finish out our long run (Kristy PR'ed big time, too, with a 1:59:11!).

So happy with how far I've come. It's nice to see your hard work pay off. Now looking forward to my next race--an 18-mile trail race--at the end of the month.

For anyone wondering, I took a Gu before the race, at mile 4.5, at mile 9, and at the end of the race before we started our extra miles. I drank Nuun during the race, and took a Recoverite after we finished. Legs feel great today!