Kim versus the Half Marathon: Hippity Roc Half

I totally had a bad attitude about this race.  It's not like me to have a bad attitude about a race.  It started out with the fact that I have been sick for nearly 3 weeks and unable to run do to a bronchial cough and major congestion.  Then my bad attitude grew wings and took off from there.  I found out there were only 375 registrants.  Pretty sure this is the smallest race I've "run" yet - and it was a half marathon!  BUT then I found out it was capped at that amount and that there was a waiting list...that made me feel a little bit better.  I have to admit I thought it was awfully cute that there was an Expo.  I mean my two Rock 'n' Roll half marys had Expos, but The Houston Half (that hurt me) didn't have one and the RunGirl 13.1 I was signed up for but couldn't run (because of the pelvic stress fracture) didn't have one.

I'm a bad blogger.  I totally forgot to take a picture of the Expo.  =(  I was uber impressed.  There were a few local businesses pushing their products - kettle corn, I believe, and a massage place, amongst others.  The thing that turned my frown upside down was the packet pick-up.  In my head, I had decided this was a rinky-dink race that wasn't even going to have a tech t-shirt.  I knew they had gender specific shirts (which I appreciated), but I was wrong...it's the best tech shirt I've received yet!  Normally a packet pick-up comes in a paper envelope or a plastic bag.  This one came in a purple reuseable bag - something you could use for grocery shopping should a girl choose to go green.  There were all kinds of awesome swag goodies inside.  Check it out!  Yep, a reflector for night running, a water bottle with the race logo, sports beans, 2 Gu packs, and a Chomps pack.  Best swag bag to date!  So...total shift in attitude.

Race morning I made arrangements to meet up with my race buddy Melissa in the parking lot of the high school located across the street from The Bridgeland Community.  Once there, I completed gearing up (accidentally leaving my visor behind - MISTAKE #1) and we trekked over to the porta-potties.  It took us about 30 minutes or so to get through the line and then we stretched and grabbed a place at the start.  This was where I found Bobbi Jo!  Remember her?  We did the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago half together last year - my very first half!

Now I decided I was walking this whole race - something I've never done before - because I had not run in 3 weeks, I was still a bit congested, and I have another half marathon in 8 days.  I had a goal in mind of 15 minute miles, but secretly, I knew I could maintain a faster pace - at least for half the race.  Since I wasn't running, there would be no sloshing around of my system which meant I should be able to make it without a bathroom break AND I did just that.  I knew without a bathroom break I might just have a chance of PRing the race (sad, but true story since I'm THAT slow of a runner -ha!).

I started off incredibly strong.

Mile 1-  14:33

There was a water/Gatorade station around 1.5 miles.  I bypassed it.  MISTAKE #2.

Mile 2-  14:28

There was a water/Gatorade station just past mile 3.  I grabbed one DIXIE cup (yes, that small) filled with the most watered down Gatorade you could ever imagine.  MISTAKE #3.

Mile 3-  14:29

Mile 4-  14:22

Just past mile 5 there was another water/Gatorade station.  The Gatorade wasn't quite as watered down, I grabbed two Dixie cups.  At the start of Mile 4, I could tell I was developing a blister on the upper edge of my right heel.  Courtesy of wearing brand new socks, perhaps?  MISTAKE #4

By now the wind had picked up, but it was a weird wind.  Sometimes it was hitting us dead on.  Other times it was coming at us from the side.  Since there were so few people in this race, most were runners.  I was with a group of about 8-10 walkers.  There were 5-6 behind me.  As the mileage grew, so did the gaps.  Eventually I was alone.

Mile 5-  14:43

Around 5.5 miles or so, I passed Melissa and then Bobbi Jo as they had done the turn around and were headed back in the opposite direction.  It made me feel good that I wasn't TOO far behind them considering I was walking. I couldn't wait to get to the turn around - this was an out and back course as described in the information packet.  I figured with having the drink station at Mile 5 and the advertised drink stations every 1.5 miles, that the turn-around would surely have another drink station.  I WAS WRONG.

Mile 6-  15:04

Wind was still very much an issue.  It was HOT outside.  This course offered no shade at all and remember I left my visor in the car.  I could have cried when around 6.65 miles or whatever when we did the turn around and there was no drink station.  This meant I would have to wait until I go back to the one that was at Mile 5 - which would now be Mile 8 to have another drink.  I was dying.

Mile 7-  14:54

As soon as I saw the water station ahead, I got my Larabar out of my Spibelt and started eating it.  Now, I had made the executive decision to bring a Larabar instead of my usual Clif's Shot Bloks because my Larabar had 200 more grams of potassium in it and I was trying to avoid Charlie Horses - MISTAKE #5.  The only flavor I had was Chocolate Brownie.  I was overheated and despite the fact I was chewing gum, my mouth was dry.  Trying to eat the Larabar was like trying to eat dirt or mud - it was disgusting and so hard to digest. When I hit the drink station, I discovered they were out of Gatorade.  They handed me two Dixie cups of water.  I took them, gulped them down, then went behind them to the table and just started slamming Dixie cups like I had been in the desert for years without water.  I had to have taken another 6 to 8 of them.

Mile 8-  15:44

I was trying my best to ignore the blister.  My mouth still felt so dry.  I knew I just had to make it another 1.5 miles until the next drink station.  My pace was slowing.  I kept trying to will myself to go faster.

Mile 9-  16:43

I was getting hit pretty hard by the wind.  It was a weird feeling.  On one hand, it felt really good, but on the other, it was getting harder and harder to walk through it.  I started feeling dizzy.  I got to the drink station and they still had lots of VERY watered down Gatorade left, but they actually had some bigger cups.  Some kids handed me two Dixie cups.  I slammed them.  A woman handed me a larger cup.  I slammed it.  They could tell I was dehydrated.  Another woman filled up two more of the larger cups for me "for the road".  I slammed them both and kept going.  So many times I just wanted to pull over and just stand there, but I told myself to just keep going.

Mile 10-  18:06

I started feeling that all too familiar twinge in my left calf.  I didn't understand it.  I ate two small bananas with breakfast.  I had a banana every morning all week long.  I hydrated all week and even had 32 oz of water in the morning before the race.  I swapped out my usual plain oatmeal from the cannister that I make every morning for the pre-packaged crap (as recommended by some peeps on the internet because of the sodium content).  I tried to ignore it and kept going.  I felt so alone.  At this point I knew there were still 4 people behind me, but they were so far behind me that I couldn't see them anymore.  The two that had passed me were so far ahead of me that I couldn't see them anymore.  There were hardly any cops out at all - just a bunch of cones where we were supposed to make our turns (or so I thought).

I just kept telling myself I had to make it to 11.5 miles or so for the next drink station and then I would be okay.  My Garmin was showing 11 miles, but I never did see the mile marker.  I was confused.  I know I was walking a lot with my head down because of the sun, so maybe I missed it?  I just kept walking, but so slowly now.

Mile 11-  18:58

At some point, I crossed paths with another girl.  She was one of the people who had been behind me.  Yes, you read that correctly...we CROSSED paths.  She asked me which way to go.  I was confused.  We were passing each other.  Up ahead I saw a yellow-shirt wearing volunteer on a bike.  I called out to her and asked where we should be going and she pointed to the right up ahead - not the direction I was heading.  I then asked her where I was supposed to be coming from and she pointed in the direction the other girl came from. OH NO!  I had somehow gotten lost.  I trudged back up the road and turned right and saw a mile marker in the distance.  Imagine what it did to my head and heart when it read - Mile 11.

Mile 12-  21:41

My Garmin was reading 12 miles.  I had somehow managed to walk an extra mile!  At this point, I had gone 2 1/2 miles without a drink and the drink station was another 1/2 mile up the road.  My calves started seizing up.  First the left.  I would stretch it and try to walk again.  Then the right.  I would stretch it and try to walk again.  They asked me if I wanted a ride.  I said no.  I had to finish.  For the next half mile, I pulled over several times to stretch my tortured calves.  They must have radioed ahead to the drink station because as I approached it, one of the volunteers met me and asked me if I was okay.  She said she was a nurse and heard I was having trouble.  I explained that I got lost, it had been 3 miles since my last drink, and that my calves were in bad shape.  She hurried me over to the drink station and they put wet towels on my neck and started giving me cup after cup of ice cold water (they had also run out of Gatorade).  They asked me if I wanted a ride.  I told them that I needed to at least complete 13.1 according to my Garmin.  I said I would accept a ride after that.  The nurse, her name was Anita, said she would follow along in her car and I should just come to her when I had hit my 13.1.  My calves didn't seize up on my anymore once I had that water in me.  They were still so sore, but at least not seizing.  I finished up the 0.6 miles remaining and then let Anita take me to the finish line.  Once there, I briefly explained what happened to the race director and asked her if I could cross the finish line.  She said, "well you sure did do your half marathon, now didn't you!"  I said, "yes, ma'am"!  and then she crossed it with me and a little boy handed me the medal.

Mile 13-  23:52

Mile 0.1-  19:09

They explained to me they still had water left, but that they were out of cups.  I was desperate for more water.  A man had an empty water bottle.  I didn't care that it had his germs.  I filled it, slammed it, refilled it, and slammed it again.  Then I felt like I wanted to throw up.  I then hobbled to my car - pretty far away - and had to wait for my calves to stop screaming before I could drive home.

When I switched out my running shoes for my flip flops, this was the loveliness that awaited me:

I've never had a blister like this in my entire life.  The only other time I formed a blister while running was during my first 10K - HEB's Bayou City Classic - last year - when I didn't know about moisture wicking socks and just wore regular cotton socks.

So, yeah...this was a PW - personal worst.  I stopped my Garmin at 13.1 and my time was 3:39:27.  Whatever the official time is will be worse than that given the time it took to drive around avoiding the closures and my time explaining to the race director, etc.

Lessons learned:
#1 - remember the visor
#2 - get drinks from all drink stations
#3 - get the appropriate # of drinks based on the size offered
#4 - don't wear new socks
#5 - don't switch out products that have been tried and true
#6 - start carrying some type of Electrolyte drink on me
#7 - pick up the pieces / suck it up - many more races to come

Finishing Song:  Gnarles Barkley's Crazy

I think I've also determined that my issues with my Charlie horses come from dehydration after all.  I hydrate plenty the week before the race.  I just dehydrate during.  I usually don't drink the electrolyte drink offered during a race as I try not to drink my calories.  I made the exception during this race since I didn't have anyone passing me off drinks and I was trying to avoid Charlie horses.  Unfortunately, skipping the first drink station, the fact they didn't have a water station where they should have (at the turn around), and my getting lost amounted to three 3-milers without drinks, all leading to my demise.  During the Houston Half (that hurt me), I didn't experience Charlie horses at all.  I took water at all the drink stations and my siblings met me at various spots along the course with G2.  It was a hot/humid day that day, as well.

One of these days, I'm gonna get this whole fueling/hydration thing right.  One of these days...