Hartford Race Report

Well to start, i'm sure this will be long, because it seems I can rarely make any post very short...so hang in there with me. :-)

As I said in the Prologue, things on Friday had not gone well. I had just reserved that Friday would be the day for things to be bad and move on from there. For starters on Saturday the weather looked almost like almost perfect running weather. It was sunny, and cold with a starting temp at 8am of 37degrees. My only dilemma was what to wear...I even purchased a set of small gloves and a knit hat that I could throw away. But alas at 7am I sorted myself out in a thin long sleeve shirt, shorts and the hat I always wear. It turned into pretty much the most perfect thing to wear. I never was too cold (except before the start and then I got to sport a lovely garbage bag...i wish I had pictures of that, as that would be choice race pictures.) and only a few times during the 1/2 did I feel I was a little warm, but just a little. So, first dilemma of clothing worked out great in the end.

Now back at the end of tri season I started thinking a little about this 1/2 and what I might be able to dream of achieving. And the thought became "So maybe just maybe I can run the 1/2 in...errr"...under two hours. I didn't really know HOW to do this sort of training and graciously Joe B offered to lend his running expertise. Little did I know what I was getting into :-) He allowed me to still be a triathlete who didn't want to budge from her 3 days of running a week, with some swimming and biking routine.

He did change up the number of miles I ran per week, how I ran my long runs, and included much hill work and speed work. It was a different approach to running and the first few weeks hurt a lot, but I quickly started seeing what I thought were amazing improvements. Jumps in my speed week by week. It was really amazing to me to watch how my body responded to the training. But there was a point about halfway through the training that I really began to wonder if my goal of less than two hours was going to happen at Hartford. And through much discussion I realized that it would happen sometime if I kept at it and I made peace with that fact. I began to understand the beauty of having a goal and working at it, digging at it, and chasing after it. But I also started to understand that some goals will just happen over time as long as I chose to pursue it. For me I needed to have the goal of wanting to run a 1/2 marathon in under two hours and leave out the part that it was required to happen at Hartford this year. That resolve brought back much joy to my efforts.

So back to the race...it's a big one. Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners make up about 3000 people on the course at one time for the first 4 miles. There was a 5K also running that day but they start in a different area, thankfully, otherwise that would really be utter chaos. I weaseled my way about 1/2 way to 1/3 of the way toward the start, the star spangle banner was sung, a prayer was given (as well me saying my own for a safe, fun, race), and the horn was blown. And we were off.

Joe B and I had discussed my strategy for running last week...first 5 miles in 45:xx mins....second 5 miles in 45:xx mins, last 5K GOOOOO! At that discussion for my strategy for running I realized that under two was in sight. It might be possible if all no disaster took place. It was an exciting edge to be leaning on.

The first mile was of a little concern. I tend to go out a little too fast at the beginning although having a billion other runners around I found my concern became not weaving too much and not going too slow. I did catch myself at points wanting to run really too fast, but caught it early on and told myself to try to save it for the last 5K. Effort to not go too fast paid off:
mile 1: 9:23 Avg HR: 164

Cold fingers didn't quite get the split function the first time, but I did see 9:23 as it wasn't until 11 mins that I realized no split was done. So I figured I'd just be 'cleaver' and hit it again at two and do math. It's still early, my brain was still sorta functioning. Although at the two mile mark, I almost didn't see it as they were small signs on the side of the road.
Mile 2: 9:03 (18:26) Avg HR: 166

Mild panic at the 5K mark, because I didn't calculate how long it takes to run 0.1 miles so I thought I was slow....but then again, i didn't calculate how much time would be taking off my mile when I got to mile 4 as that was only 0.9 miles. Finally realized the two combined was 18:35...still which meant I need to pick up the pace just a wee little bit to be closer to 9mpm.
5K 10:04 Avg HR:167
mile 4: 8:31 (0.9 mile)Avg HR: 166

I hit mile 5 at 9:05 Avg HR:169, with a total for the 5 miles: 46:08.

Since my goal for the first 5 miles was 45:xx...it really means I can be close to 46 mins and still be on target. So at this point I knew I was pretty spot on with 'the plan'. The next five miles I knew might be 'trouble' as it's during these miles I can lose my focus. So I tried to be vigilant with my focus. Mile 6 I actually thought I was going really slow, yet turned up this:
mile 6: 8:32 Avg HR:170

Things get a little blurry from this point on. It felt like my world got turned into an early color movie where it is sorta like black and white with some colors thrown in here and there. It was a little eerie. I hit mile 7 at:
mile 7: 9:04 Avg HR: 168

Decided this would be my 'gel' time, and prepared my gel for the next water station. Mile 8 was a little weird and I remember getting confused last year because the course has aspects of it that you run both out and back on there are a couple of places where you actually get two water stops one mile. I tried to not let it confuse me (although it still sorta did) and I kept moving. The course had lots of DJ's and bands on it in different places along the way. As I was coming down the hill the DJ was playing "Eye of the Tiger"...made me think of 'Zilla and some of the race CD mixes she's made in that past for races we've gone to. The thought helped me dig in a little more.
Mile 8: 8:59 Avg HR: 169

This is where I start to fight with my focus. I'm drifting mentally, and I also realize that HR drift is definitely in place and I now need to play the 169-172 bpm game. I'd tune out and tune in...and found mile 9 at:
mile 9: 9:16 Avg HR: 170

And suddenly I was at the blessed mile 10 in:
mile 10: 9:06 Avg HR: 170

Total time for the ten miles: 1:31:07. SPOT ON!! Come on girl let's rock and roll for this 5K.

Due to the episodes of coughing I had started to endure on friday I found that my throat was really irritated and not in a great place at this point. It became a difficult battle to wage when I'm also starting to be short of breath just because I'm pushing hard yet my throat is really irritated. But I focused on holding my edge as much as I could at this point and pushed on. Now this was a cheezy thought that came into my head at the time, but it did help my focus. I thought of a quote from the "Prefontaine" movie I had watched a few weeks ago when Pre was asked why he liked the two miler...he said because it's a guts battle. Whoever has the most guts wins. So I started to dig into those guts because knew I had some and as predicted it began to hurt...a lot. I was lucky to see the mile 11 marker.
Mile 11: 8:54 Avg HR: 174

We all dig into different depths in our lives when things are put on us...whether we are just competing with ourselves or life in general is laying things on us. I was reminded of a song I love "For the Cross" by Matt Redman. And with the song...I was reminded my perspective.
mile 12: 8:22 Avg HR: 175

Of course a nice hill is thrown in right about here. I'm really thrilled (um...not so much). I start to see the park where the finishers line is...and i'm in the last stretch before it turns into the finishers chute and look at my watch and I see that it is 1:57:something. In my delirium I am unsure if I will be able to run this last short stretch (it was short) in 3 minutes. But I usually get a little goofy in races by the end. I turn the corner and into the finishing chute. There are quite a few of us clustered in the chute at this time as we head towards the finish line. I look up and see that time clock for the gun time says: 1:59:30ish...the announcer is telling the audience that we all are almost at the 2hour mark and starts getting the crowd to start CHEERING for us. The crowd goes NUTS!! It was electric. You could feel the energy in the air. I realized I was even going to beat the gun time clock under two hours!

Mile 13.1 9:53 Avg HR: 176

Gun time was around 1:59:40something
Final net time 1:58:14

IT WAS UNDER TWO HOURS!!! I was ecstatic! (i still am). I've never made a goal like that...a time goal I mean...set out and put what I had into training and then so tangibly see the work pay off. It was really, really, really, AWESOME. I don't really know how to describe it coherently....

I wrapped myself in the handy, dandy Mylar blankets which are so amazingly warm for such little stuff...got food...went to the massage tent (wonderful)...changed...and waited for my friend JM to finish her marathon. She sported an awesome finish just under 5 hours. I'm so proud of her, her journey to this point, from the first mile she ever ran just a few years ago, to that finish yesterday is so awesome.

This race ends my full training season and what a sweet way to end it. I've been enjoying the essence of the race and savoring each part of it which is why I took you all on a mile by mile account. It was a sweet victory for me.

This tri (and running) season has been full of so many things, my first (sorta) olympic distance races, entrance into blog land, I've watched friendships grow, gained new friends and discovered so MUCH about myself. It's been really amazing.

There are about a billion thank-you's but I will touch on a few. I was reminded once again on the course just how AWESOME spectators are...especially for long races. They make it fun, they are encouragement, they are really just great.

This season 'Zilla and JM have been mucho encouragement from training, to traveling to races, to days when the lab sucks, to life in general. I am always grateful for their friendships.

I am really grateful for Joe's willingness to coach and train me for this goal. I wouldn't have made it to this goal so quickly without his help.

I am also reminded and grateful for God's grace, hope and strength that he constantly gives me.

Well congratulations...you made it to the END!

THE END!! :-)