These are the words of wisdom that we GREENies got heading into the Publix half (or full for some) marathon last weekend. Man...This got me fired up! And a little verklempt. Those that know me a little may be surprised by that. Those that know me well, won't. :)
Anyone who has taken any of my spin classes knows that I actually choose songs deliberately to match the workout, creating a new playlist for every workout, and although ya'll make fun of me for it, you secretly appreciate that you are listening to an angry Eminem song and not some random unfortunate slower number (...Brett...) when the tough intervals come around.
The playlist I put together for this race was one of the best I've ever put together (for me) for a running race. Call me crazy (or worse, lol) but I actually created the list according to the terrain and what I knew I'd likely be going through at those moments. My Suitcase of Courage (I just LOVE this visual!!) looked like this for the first standalone half marathon I've run since 2006, starting from where I figured I might be about mile 9.5 to the finish, where it was all Z4 all the way home:
- Highway to Hell (Quiet Riot version)
- Best I Ever Had (Gavin DeGraw)
- I Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)
- Harder to Breathe (Maroon 5)
- Kick it in the Sticks (Brantley Gilbert)
- Lose Yourself (Eminem)
- Remember the Name (Fort Minor)
- Fighter (Christina Aguilera)
And it sure did what it was supposed to do. And I have to say, I am loving my new shuffle and short cord earbuds. Where have you been all my running life...
So it's funny the things that you think about while running a race like this, and at least for me, one of them is, can I really finish this at this pace? I knew I'd set a PR, given that I've only run one other standalone half, and it was long before I ever became an 'endurance athlete'. Sure there was a small chance I wouldn't, but that would mean the wheels had fallen off big time. The question was by how much. My aggressive goal was 1:45. And that was more of a pipe dream, a someday wish... I'd have been happy with anything in the 1:4x.
This was a tough course. Way tougher than I really expected, though Coach's prep email went a long way in helping me feel prepared. I had my plan, and I think I executed that plan really well. Truth be told, the PR is great, but the good execution of the race plan is the real win here for me. It's possible I could have stepped it up a little earlier, but I was erring on the side of conservative, if only by a hair. I still have to figure out where that line is - that ever elusive line of giving it all and not an ounce too much - which likely means at least once giving that extra ounce and failing. (fail early. I know. It's what I teach every day...)
In any case, I ran a steady and controlled HR through the first half, I kicked it up at mile 7, and then when I crested that hill at mile 10 I threw it into overdrive and never let up. It was windy as hell, which made it even tougher, but I managed to hold steady. I knew rounding Piedmont at mile 9.5 that the 1:45 was mine to take, and I just needed to 'stay strong between the ears'. Those last couple miles were all willpower, and I recall thinking in a very detached way how amazing it is that we can train our bodies to do things in a race that we would never do otherwise. It's like you go on auto-pilot of sorts, and shut down those messages that say "stop! for the love of god STOP" and you just keep going. Finally it was very simply a matter of '2 more miles', '1 more mile', '3 more minutes - you can do anything for 3 minutes' ...and when I came around that final corner and could see the finish line, and knew that I could actually beat my goal, I just went, and it is amazing how you manage to find that final burst of power when you would've bet the farm that there was nothing left. Where that comes from, who knows, but it's almost always there - the magic of racing.
I can't even tell you how thrilled I was to cross the finish line in 1:44:52. So thrilled, especially knowing that I am still building fitness, and this is only the start of the season. Congrats to all my Dynamo teammates who ran as well, and all the PRs that got set out there. My Coach is a genius. That is all. :)
Please remember to support my Ironman fundraising efforts for Crohn's and Colitis: http://www.active.com/donate/IMchattanoogaCCFA14/IRONMANKFergus
Happy Training
Kat
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