If you've been following along on the blog with the weekly recaps, you know that I've been sick for a while. And was blah for a while before that. As a result, I hadn't really run in two weeks leading up to this race and hadn't done much a good week, week and a half before that, either. And I'd spent the last week or so coughing my brains out.
I was honestly wondering whether I should even toe the start line.
But, as I'd paid for it, and I wanted my post-race pancakes (damn you Flippin' Flapjacks for being so delicious), I decided to try. I told myself that if I had a bad coughing fit early on, I'd call it a day, and if not, I'd keep going.
Brandon came with his bike, so he hopped around the course taking pictures. Most here are him; some are official; two are mine. I'll note as appropriate.
While they were saying they were going to start at EXACTLY 7:45 ... we really got started like two minutes later. Whatever. I placed myself decently far back in the chute ... probably around the 3:00 pacers.
Right as the gun went off. Photo credit me. Yes I ran with my phone.
Starting out being mature. Photo credit husband.
First few miles went surprisingly well. I breezed past the 3:00 pacers as well as the 2:45 pace group and, much to my shock, even the 2:30s.
10:27, 9:59.3
Somewhere right around mile 2. Photo credit My Race Shots.
Around mile 2.5. Photo credit husband.
I walked for the first time around mile 2.6. My left calf was a little tight, but not bad. I coughed for the first time in mile 4, but it wasn't a bad enough fit to justify stopping. Plus we started getting into some hills and a part of Cherry Creek State Park I'd never been in before.
10:33, 12:08
5K split: 33:23
Oh hey, now I know where I am. Back on the Cherry Creek Trail part of the park and right near where I crashed my bike six years ago. I also decided to swallow a few bugs near here and hack them up. Gross.
11:15, 10:32, 11:35
10K split: 1:08:40
Around mile 7. Photo credit husband.
At this point, I was almost surprised with how well I was feeling. I was coughing a bit, but it wasn't bad. I was walk/running, but still able to keep my lead on some people I had passed.
11:34
Just after 8? I think? Photo credit husband.
I think around mile 9. Walking, clearly. Photo credit husband.
11:46
At this point, it was starting to get warm. And I realized I forgot to put on sunscreen. And I was walking quite a bit, and coughing a bit more. I think my residual fitness from the beginning of the year was wearing off and the lack of anything the past few weeks was catching up to me. As did the 2:30 pacers who passed me twice, the second time for good.
In short, the wheels were falling off.
Buuuuut I still managed to find the energy for a good jump shot. Mile 9.5ish, maybe? Photo credit My Race Shots.
10 mile split: 1:54:55
13:18, 12:48, 13:25, 14:07
I was trying to hold it together, but it just. wasn't. happening. We popped back on the trails I know so well ... which are also kinda hilly at that point in the race. I was dying slowly.
My general feeling. I did actually run it in, but it doesn't look like it here. Photo credit My Race Shots.
Final Stats:
Time: 2:35:26
30/39 AG (F35-39)
163/218 gender
301/378 overall
(Garmin: 2:35:29 for 13.23 mi)
While it's my ... third slowest? half marathon, I'm actually pretty proud of this one. It's the first one I've run in three years and that's the first time I've ran that much without walking in a ridiculously long time. I'm considering doing another half as a training run sometime in mid-May for a more accurate gauge of run fitness ... and when I'm not stupid sick. Hopefully. As this ... whatever I have ... is still lingering.
Walking back up to the car. Photo credit me.
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