Last weekend I ran Capital City Half Marathon here in Columbus! I was super anxious the few days before the race and so ready to PR that I didn't end up tapering really at all. I'm honestly the worst at tapering! I was hoping to break two hours at this race, but I don't think my long runs have been long enough, and I haven't been doing a whole lot of speed work either, so I knew going into the race that a sub 2:00 was a long shot.
On race morning, J and I left super early and got a parking spot near the corrals. We met up with a friend, then started our warm up. I did just over a mile at a 10:23 pace which I took as a good sign because my birthday is 10/23 (I'm such a numbers person!). J walked me to corral E, then his crazy fast self went to corral A. I don't remember much of the start other than the CBJ cannon going off because I was just SO ANXIOUS and ready to start!
Mile 1 - 8:55
Oops, too fast. I planned on running the first few miles around a 9:15-9:30 pace and see how I felt then try to push myself at the end. I was surprised by how many people were out cheering us on! The weather wasn't great, but everyone just seemed so happy to be there. This mile went by so fast! Miles 2 & 3 - 9:10, 9:19 I started settling into my pace a little bit better here, mainly because this was a long, slow uphill. My legs felt tired and I was already wondering if I was going to PR. I was freezing cold in my Raw Threads tank and Sparkle skirt. Miles 4 - 6 - 9:06, 9:22, 9:30 This part of the course went around campus and then started heading back toward downtown. I took my first gu at 4.5 then finally tossed the water bottle that I started the race with. I saw my friends Chris and Amanda who were out cheering on runners before running Flying Pig the next day. I was so happy to see them! Miles 7 & 8 - 9:02, 8:54 Struggle. Bus. I was running back down High St at this point and was seriously ready to give up on my PR. There were lots of spectators, but I was extremely annoyed by a large group of them standing in the middle of the course handing out green bracelets - I didn't take one and don't know what they were for, but I definitely didn't enjoy having to use extra energy to go around them. I was not feeling great here, then I passed Eric toward the end of mile 7 and told him I was struggling. He ran with me for a bit and gave me the best pep talk ever and also let me know that J was "hauling ass" (direct quote because obviously those words would never come out of my mouth haha!). Mile 9 - 9:23 Now that my mental game was back where it need to be, I took my final gu (only used two total!). I was tired, but enjoying the race. We caught up to the quarter marathon and 5k, and I actually passed the balloon ladies for the 5k before we split off again! Miles 10 & 11 - 9:38, 10:05 I love running around German Village and Schiller Park! There were so many people out cheering us on!! I kept focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and knew that I wasn't going to break two hours, but I was still going to have a decent PR. I remember thinking how slow mile 11 was, then I realized only a few months ago I thought a ten minute pace was super fast! Thinking about how much progress I've made helped me to keep going! Mile 12 - 10:05 This mile sucked. There were some little hills and I was so ready to be done. One foot in front of the other.... Mile 13 and the final .1 - 9:44, 9:48 The last mile went out over a bridge (hill) turned around and came back over a different bridge (HILL), then we went straight uphill for a half a mile before turning left and finishing. I didn't kick. I was completely out of energy and it took everything I had left to not walk to the finish like it seemed everyone else was doing. FINISH! - 2:03:54, a 9:27 pace Gosh I was so happy to see that finish line!! I had a PR by a little over eight minutes! After getting my medal, I made my way through Columbus Commons to find Jamie, who also PR'd (1:27:53!!). Apparently I was all blue/purple after I finished because I was so cold, so we said hi to a couple friends then went home to warm up! Overall, I think I had a great race! I wish we had nicer weather, but I'm proud of my new PR and love how much my hard work is finally paying off!!
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Hello, my name is Alyssa!I'm a momma to Emerson Lilly and two fur babies, a distance runner, and just a girl full of sparkle and quirks. I love traveling to races and exploring new places to run! I started this blog in 2014 as more of a journal to keep track of training for my first marathon, and I've continued to post about training, races, and other things happening in my life. Also, I'd like to be your best friend. :) Categories
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