A couple of weeks ago (Oct. 18th to be exact!) I ran in my EIGTH half marathon. I really wanted to PR, because I haven’t had a PR in anything for a year now (I’ve seem to have hit a wall)… but, I didn’t. However, I really, really enjoyed this race and I felt really good afterwards. I think that is what truly matters.
I really think the Rock N Roll is my FAVORITE St. Louis half marathon… the Go! is a nice one, too… but, the course seems a little easier and the live music is just so much fun! The weather was in the upper 30’s for most of the race and it felt AWESOME… this is the coldest half I have ever ran, but honestly… I took my mittens off after the first mile and I wasn’t covered in sweat at the end (which was nice for a change!). It was funny to be running and to see all of the fans cheering for us in big coats, but… us runners were just a little toasty, but not too bad!
Here is my official time… I finished at 2:08:50! This is not a half marathon PR for me, but it is a PR for the Rock N Roll race. When I ran this race in 2013 I finished at 2:09:19. My last half marathon was the 2015 Go! and I finished it at 2:08:07, so this year I have ran both of my half marathons at a 2:08 finish time. Interesting!
My best overall half marathon PR was at the Go! Race in 2014, I PR’ed at 2:06:51. My DREAM is to finish a half marathon at a PR of 2:00 or less then that. I have cut 10 minutes off my time before, so I hope I can luck out (ha) and get this dream PR someday! I told Brian if I ever achieve it, I am never running again. Ok, just kidding. ha, ha! But, I may be done with PR’s and I’ll just run for fun (which I should be doing anyway!).
Here I am before the race even started close to 7:00 a.m. They actually had water and bananas for everyone before the race and I chowed down and used the bathroom. It is nice to get to the race a half hour before it starts (6:30 a.m.! eek!), so you have time to relax and get ready… and to just prepare mentally for the next two hours. You’ll see I have my mittens on here.
Here are my official race stats:
Finished: 2:08:50 (my best half time is 2:06:51 from the Go! Half last Spring)
Overall: 2,333 out of 5,769
Female: 1,042 out of 3,609
Age Group: 206 out of 630
When I look at these numbers I always try not to be too hard on myself, I did pretty good overall!
Here I am crossing that glorious finish line. I thank God every time I cross over, for blessing me with a strong body that can take me across 13.1 miles! It is definitely something not to take for granted and I work hard to obtain it. Being healthy is important to me and I hope my kids see that their mom has tried to make healthy choices… and, maybe someday I’ll be running across that finish line in a much older body, but with my two kids when they are old enough! (That is a dream of mine!)
So, what’s next?
I am trying to figure out what’s next honestly. I want to run a marathon… I am researching marathons currently and I am probably going to travel out of state for it.
I’m currently looking at:
Rock N Roll in Las Vegas
Disney World’s Marathon
Rock N Roll in Nashville
Chicago (I’d have to enter the lottery)
Most of these don’t have set dates yet for when I want to run them. The Disney one is in January and so it is full and I would have to register for the 2017 race (if I select that one). There is even a marathon in Minnesota that looks interesting. So, we’ll see. If you have any to recommend, please let me know in the comments. I want my first marathon to be memorable… I am not looking to finish it in an honorable time, I just want to finish it and say I’ve done it. I don’t plan to run a marathon again, this is a one time deal for me.
I’m also looking at running the half marathon for the Spring Go! race here in St. Louis again. They do offer a full, so I am also considering that instead of traveling out of state. I’m just really undecided.
I have really hit a wall with PR’ing lately and I think it is because I am just not changing up my training. I’ve been running at the same pace, etc. and just trying to increase it at the race. This isn’t working and so therefore I am adding a little more speed to my runs and more hills… I run on the treadmill A LOT, too and I want to try to get outside more… even though it means I can’t read and run (which I love to do) and it takes a lot more time. I truly believe to PR you need to train faster and really it just comes down to running faster. I want to do it gradually, but I just feel I wasn’t pushing myself anymore. So, I’m going to push myself and see if it gets me anywhere on the next race day. 🙂
I wrote about how I was having a bit of a running burn out in a Currently post awhile back… and, its true. I feel changing up my training and training for a marathon will add some excitement back (I hope). I’m also due for some new shoes… Take me away, Brooks!
P.S. I am really scared to run in a marathon… I mean, isn’t it obvious since I’ve done 8 halfs? I’m pretty dang exhausted after the half marathons I run. So… cheers to facing my fears! lol! All my marathon friends tell me I am crazy for not doing one yet… that I’ll love it. But, secretly… I think they’re crazy. Sorry, not sorry. ha!
