Say hello to some feet that are more then ready for an awesome half marathon!
Yesterday, I completed my 5th half marathon in Huntington Beach! Shanaz ran with me & completed her 2nd, for which I am super happy! I love converting people into crazy marathon runners! Oh boy, was this race a race! Wait- that makes no sense. Let me explain…
We arrived at the shuttle pick up with plenty of time to eat our second breakfasts and head over to the starting line. With a 37 minute start delay, I decided to take pictures.
Although we were both feeling super pumped, but something was telling me that this race was going to be a doozy. Why did I have this notion? I think it is from my experience in marching band. In high school, whenever our marching band would have an awesome rehearsal the day before a comp, our comp performance would completely stink!
Now, in the case of this marathon, it was by no means a “stinky” race- it was a grueling course, nasty weather, and a sweet, sweet finish line- complete with TWO PRS! Who PRed, you ask? (well- a lot of people I am sure, but anyway)…
THESE GIRLS!
The entire race was hot. Hot x a billion. For some reason, though, I forgot to take off my jacket until mile 10- what's up with that?! I had an idea in my mind of the pacing I wanted to keep up throughout the race. My goal was to eventually fall into a 10 minute mile pace. Yeah- that didn't happen. But, what did happen was a comfortable 10:45-11min mile pace, and hey- I'll take it! Shanaz struggle throughout the entire race, but I am so glad she did! I knew that she was capable of so much more then what she thought. And, even though it was a struggle, she finished in 2:28 min! That's under 2:30 min! I didn't want to say anything before, but Shanaz's first half marathon time was 2:54 min. But, now that she has definitely surpassed that time, I think it is safe to say that Shanaz is a beastttt!
What was my time?
Please do not be fooled by the 9:36 pacing. I am pretty sure I ran that for all of .2 miles- but still! I am super happy with my time & cannot WAIT to break the 2:20 mark! I also loved running with a Garmin. Why is it that no one ever told me how awesome these things are?! I am just kidding. I know that everyone and their mother has one of these puppies. I am just bad at keeping up with the times, I suppose. 
The Pros of this Race:
- I loved being able to sleep in a little. The race didn't start until 7:45am, and I didn't end up starting until 8:37am so it was nice to let myself wake up a bit before racing.
- The BEACH!!!! Oh my gosh, I loved every minute of the miles that were parallel to the water. It was so peaceful!
- There was never a moment in the race where the course was congested. I hate having to slow down my pace because of crowds, so it was nice not to have to deal with that.
- Along with wearing my new and amazing Garmin, I also wore a pair of compression socks. One word- MIRACLES! I honestly didn't have any calf pain throughout the entire race & only had normal soreness post race! Typing this seriously makes me want to cry because I finally found something to help my stupid calf pain.
The Cons of this Race:
- Because it started so late, it was way too hot! I felt like I wanted to die because it was humid and almost 70 degrees. Yuck.
- The spectators were not as enthusiastic as I like. The whole crowd seemed to be tired… or maybe they were just saving their energy for the Superbowl Game.
- My shoes & the fact that I was carrying too many things. This isn't the race's fault, it is my own, but it really made it difficult to get into a groove. Sorry, Mizunos, but I am going back to Asics.
All in all, this race taught me a lot about pushing my clients past their mental limitations. It also taught me a lot about my own training & what it takes to run a 2 hour half marathon. Both lessons learned today are invaluable. While this race might have been one of my toughest, I really think that is why it was so great!
My Question For You Is…
- What was your toughest run/ race/ workout that you have ever endured?
- What is your go-to running gear?
See ya~ Kay
Posted with Blogsy
Congratulations on finishing your 5th marathon & pushing through the heat. I sure hope you treated yourself to some yummy food afterwards
Jessie recently posted..Marvelous In My Monday :: Challenges
I did!! I had a burger with fries:)
Way to go on the PR! I don’t like heat at all – but other things about this race sound super fun!
Paulette recently posted..Becoming a Trail Addict
That’s exactly how I felt. The race was awesome… Just not the Cali sunshine!
i was gonna say at least it wasn’t cold at the start delay but I didn’t think about what would happen if it was delayed weather wise. congrats to completing it none the less!
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..MIMM: Mental Reminders
Haha I didn’t think about that either, at first. Thank you!!!
Congrats girl!!! Ahhh what an AMAZING accomplishment and your time ROCKED
You’re ahead of me on the equipment train…I still don’t have a garmin 
I’m not sure if I want one though…I mean I do haha, but I’m a little worried that I could become too concerned with numbers which would ruin running for me…something to keep in mind!
Caitlin recently posted..The Lovely 14 Survey
I love the Garmin! I was against it when I first started running because I didn’t want to get obsessed with paces and times. But, I am trying to run a sub 2 hr. half marathon, so I figured it would help me accomplish that.