Half Marathon Down

Well, I did The Half today. It actually went pretty well. I think I mentioned that I didn't know what time to expect. I was hoping it would go well, but I wasn't sure how to define "well."

As it turned out, I did about as well as I thought it was possible for me to do. (If I were really truly competitive, I'd probably say that those thoughts were what limited my performance to what it was. More positive thinking would have resulted in a faster time. More on that later -- perhaps.)

Anyway, I don't know my exact time yet. I won't know it till they post it on the web site. But I did at least a 1:58. I managed a sub-2 hour Half. I'm pretty excited about it. That time is based on my trying to look at the big digital readout over the finish line as I came across. I think it was actually a little under 1:58. And that would be "gun time." The real race is based on gun time: the time from when the gun goes off at the start. MY real time, though, the one I care about, will be my "chip time." Everybody wears timing chips: little transponders you tie to your shoelace. There are mats with receivers at the start and the finish (this race had no intermediate times available) that you run across, and so you know exactly what your time was from when you personally crossed the start and finish lines. I was about mid-way back in the pack of several thousand runners at the start, so there was some gap between the gun start and when I crossed the start. When the results are posted, I'll be able to see both my gun time and my chip time. Can't wait!!

ADULT CONTENT WARNING!! If you can't handle it, stop reading now!

My preparation was good, I think, except for one major problem. The preparation I'm talking about now is my actually race day preparation. I laid out all the clothes and gear I'd need, and set aside gels, and made sure I'd set my clock (time changed, remember...) and thought I was all set. Except for one important thing. I forgot to affix my band-aids. I didn't remember it till it was about 5 minutes pre-start, and too late to do anything about it. It was not a noticeable problem till about the 10 mile mark, and I'd forgotten it again, so I forgot to dread it. Is this a mystery? What band-aids? The problem is one I've had to deal with since I started training. Nipple chafing. When I sweat, which I do a lot, and my shirt gets sodden and heavy, which it always does, and I'm running, the shirt bounces up and down, and it chafes. Perhaps you'll never have the experience of showering with this particular affliction. I hope you don't. You wouldn't like it, I promise.

So at about 10 miles I started noticing a little stinging. I thought, "Darn!" (or words to that effect). The last 3 miles were progressively worse. But naturally there's nothing to be done at that point but try to ignore it.

End of adult content....

The actual run was fine. It is pretty hard, though. A few small hills. I did follow my plan and walk through all the water stops. That lets me drink more comfortably (without aspirating Gatorade, which I saw several people do) and gives me a little rest. The water stop at 12 miles was particularly welcome. I wish they'd flip the stops, though. Each stop is a series of tables with cups of drinks being handed out by volunteers. They hand out water first, and then Gatorade. I'd rather have Gatorade first, and then water, to get the sweetness out of my mouth. It took me (remember, this was my first race of this type) a couple of stops to figure out that I needed to take one cup of water to drink and another to carry for a minute, then get a cup of Gatorade to drink, and follow with the second cup of water. They've been doing this race and others for a long long time, so I assume there's a reason they do it the way they do. I think I may still e-mail them and ask about it, though.

It is fun to have people yelling by the side of the road. There are a lot of people out with signs for Mom or Dad, and there are groups like Team in Training who have people out cheering for their runners. It is a boost, even if they're not yelling for you personally.

I'm tired and going to stop. This is enough anyway. I'll sign off by repeating something I've heard repeatedly is one of the best things about running. One reason to run is that it feels so good when you stop.

Later...