It’s Raining It’s Pouring MORE 1/2 Marathon Recap

I did it! 13.1 miles in the pouring rain.

Sunday morning I was greeted with the sound of rain against the window. It didn't look that bad and I was  hoping for the best. My mom was kind enough to offer a pair of sweats & sweatshirt for me to wear and throw away. Please keep in mind that my mom is 5’2 and I am 5’9!

I got to the race a little early so I was able to use the porta-potty without waiting on line. I thought about staying in the potty to stay out of the rain – WTF?! That idea was QUICKLY put to rest. By this time it was pouring. Everyone had umbrellas and I worked hard not to get my eyes poked out. I stripped, got in my corral and got drenched.

The race promptly started at 8am. As my corral was walking to the start who did I spot in front of me!? Nicole, Miggy & Victoria from the Biggest Loser! I told them that they were an inspiration and wished them good luck on the race. When I told them I had lost 109 lbs they gave me high fives!

My only goal for this race was to finish. I knew the course was tough plus the weather was less then ideal.

Loop 1 Miles 1 – 6

I really wanted to take it easy the first loop. The last thing I wanted to do was go out too fast and get burned out on the 2nd loop of the park. There are 2 hills that really kick your ass. The first was around mile 2-3 and the next was around mile 5. The hill at mile 5 was brutal. It seemed like it just kept going. In addition to those hills there were a few rolling hills. Whenever there was a downhill I took advantage.

• Mile 1 - 10:52
• Mile 2 - 10:31
• Mile 3 - 10:02
• Mile 4 - 10:26
• Mile 5 - 10:54
• Mile 6 - 10:26

My feet were so wet and felt like bricks. I had on half zip shirt and I took it off around mile 4 – it weighed at least 5lbs cause it was so wet!

Loop 2 Miles 6 – 13

I do not like running loops and mentally it was messing with me. Knowing I had to run those hills again got to me. Around mile 7.5 out of nowhere I spotted 2 local running friends! It felt amazing to see 2 familiar faces in a sea of strangers. They were in the middle of the first big hill and I stupidly charged up the hill because I wanted to catch up with them. I needed someone to talk to. It was refreshing to chat and get my mind off of how much my legs were aching. They were doing a run/walk so when it was time to walk I told them I was going to continue on because I knew if I stopped I would cramp.

• Mile 7 – 10:09
• Mile 8 – 10:30
• Mile 9 – 10:25
• Mile 10 – 10:52
• Mile 11 – 11:23
• Mile 12 – 10:31
• Mile 13 – 10:47
• Mile .19 – 9:05
• Official Time: 2:19:31 Pace: 10:38

As you can see miles 10 - 13 were hard. The big hill was back and it kicked my ass. My legs were on fire. At one point I looked at my watch as I was going up the hill and it said 12:45. I didn't care – I refused to walk up any of the hills.

I tried hard to pick up the pace in the last mile but I had nothing left in my tank. As I approached the finish line I looked to my left and I saw my mom & daughter! My mom went back home, grabbed my daughter and a change of clothes. I got my medal, 2 bagels and headed for a spot to stretch my legs. At this point I looked down and realized how dirty I was and I was freezing! I couldn't feel my fingers or toes.

Thoughts

Although my time was not a PR I am most proud of this race. I finished Disney in 2:16:50. The fact that I finished this race less then 3 minutes from my PR on a course that was 50 times harder in conditions that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy is AMAZING! I am so proud of myself. I ran EVERY SECOND OF THIS RACE. In my previous 2 half marathons I stopped to drink/eat & use the bathroom. This time I carried my own water and ate as I ran.

I rocked Central Park!