Geist Half Marathon – Fishers, IN (May 17, 2014)

Race: Geist Half Marathon

Place: Fishers, Indiana

Date: May 17, 2014

Time: 1:38:52

NEW. HALF. MARATHON. PR.

F*CK YEAH!

Okay…so it was a PR by 8 seconds, but that’s still a PR.  And given the fact that I wasn’t pushing or truly giving my all on this race and course since I’m racing again next weekend…well…this was a surprise.  A very happy, welcome, great surprise.  Especially since this course was quite hilly.  Hilly enough that my calf muscles protested every single one of them.

Note to self…hill work is a must!!

But, once again, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let me start at the beginning of this journey…

Friday.  I did a short shake-out run that morning…1 mile…in the pouring rain…because…it rained on me after I headed out on the run and at that point…I was out and wet.  I then…stupidly…went to my spin class.  I did not put on my heavy heavy when we were told to take it to heavy…so, that counted for something, yes?  After that…a long day at the office…and finally got let loose a little early…just past 3:30 to start on the journey up to Fishers, IN…north of Indianapolis.

The car ride took forever!  Seriously.  First…storms.  Dark clouds…rain…apparently Indianapolis had hail.  The area the race was happening on Saturday morning was getting marble size hail.  Because when I race…I bring the storms.  Every…freakin’…time!  Anyway…the weather put us a little behind…but so did the traffic!  GOD…the traffic!  Apparently people panic when it rains up there because we saw so many accidents.  Some were roll-overs.  Some were just one-car things.  Some two-car things.  All of them…pissing me off because it was keeping me from picking up my packet and getting to food and my friend Julia…who was meeting up with us for dinner.

UGH!  But, we made it to St. Vincent Fishers Hospital.  The packet pickup was being held in the visitor’s waiting area near the food court.  I posed for a picture by the banner outside and then headed in.  This race never has much of an expo…so this was going to be a quick stop.  I think we were there for a grand total of 5 minutes.  Just long enough for me to walk up to a table, get my bib and long sleeve tech shirt, check my timing chip, pick up a poster (that has my name on it!), and leave.  The rain cleared up for a moment, but it was definitely chilly out.  I already knew from checking the weather that race morning was getting an unseasonably cold 39°F temperature.  Usually this race has killer heat…so this was different.

So…it was off to dinner.  Julia was already at the restaurant with a table…and we were 10 minutes away.  Except 10 minutes took 30 minutes because of traffic issues and accidents on I-69.  We learned…never take I-69.  HAHA!!  Thanks for the tip, Julia!  But…we arrived at Rockstone Pizzeria and Pub in Fishers and found Julia at the table in the bar.  As we settled in, a table in the back stood up and I spotted Laura, Tammy, and Mike from my running group!!  YAY!!  We talked for a moment…and they headed out.  It was now 7 p.m…a full hour after I would normally have wanted to eat…but that’s life for you.  We placed our orders, all getting the Vava Veggie Pizza (mine was gluten-free…hers was not).  The pizza was good.  Cathy and I split mine because I really wanted some gelato for dessert…but in the end, as it was now past 8 p.m…decided against it.  I was bummed.  But…race was important.  We talked some more with Julia, but around 8:30 p.m…we headed out.  I needed to pick up a banana for race morning and get to the hotel to get stuff ready.  And I was hoping to be in bed by 9 p.m. that night, but with all the delays…I hit the bed around 10:30 p.m.  And then slept like hell.

My first alarm went off and I got up to shut it off and do my first morning ritual on race day.  Then, back to bed for an hour.  The second alarm went off and I was up to get changed, put on some sunscreen, and get my stretching in.  At 5:30 a.m., I woke up Cathy and finished up with doing my traditional race hair and eating some gluten-free cereal for breakfast.  I took in some water, took my vitamins, and then got pinned up and ready to run.  We left the hotel room…and went back for the bananas…then left again and headed out to the high school where we chose to park the car.

On the way, I was messaging back and forth with my friend Chris from a running group I belong to.  He and his girlfriend, Becca, were running Geist on a last-minute decision.  Awesome.  We were planning on meeting up.  He said he’d look for my “race hair” (HAHA!) and I told him that I was dressed as Wonder Woman…so he said he’d look for a superhero.  Chris is truly this awesome.

Cathy and I parked and started the mile walk from the parking lot to the starting line.  I kept looking in the groups of runners walking that way for Chris…but never spotted him.  At 7 a.m., I broke out my second breakfast…my pre-race banana…and that was when he found me.  HUGS ALL AROUND!  And photos.  We talked for a few minutes and then he and Becca headed back further in the corral line-up.  The announcement was made that the start of the race was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, which turned out to be a woman who was running the half marathon and on her way to the start, running in a crosswalk…when she was struck by one of the buses that was acting as a shuttle that morning.  It happened at 6 a.m….and the race course hadn’t been cleared yet.

But, once the go-ahead was given, opening ceremonies began.  The national anthem was sung beautifully and really set the tone of the race.  I shed my hoodie and passed it off to Cathy, who went to find a spot on the other side of the start line…and I shivered for a little while and made new friends, as I always do.  Everyone was so nice!

And…a moment later…we were off to the races!!  Instead of a staggered start time for the half marathon and the 5K, this year, the Geist races began at the same time…on different sides of the road.  I headed out, crossing the start mat and getting into a groove.    I saw Cathy, waiving my sign and cheering me on, so I flashed a peace sign…and carried on.  The first mile had a lot of people…but not too bad since I was up near the front.  This was the first trip across the bridge…and I had two children running the half (boys!) who were trash talking their 5K friends.  Acting all tough.  And then I hear, “I have a cramp.”  Followed by “Let’s not talk as much…”  And then I moved past that disaster waiting to happen.  Mile 1…and I feel a tap…and turn to find Tammy!!  TAMMY!!  Tammy is awesome…fresh off a fast (and Boston Qualifying) marathon in Fargo the weekend before.  She ran with me for a mile before she said she was dropping off the pace because she said she wasn’t going to race this one.  Crazy girl still came in 3rd in her division…and not long after I finished either.  Drop off the pace, my booty!  I want to be Tammy when I grow up!

So, I was out on the course now on my own, runners beside me, runners in front of me, and runners behind me.  I was taking it all in.  We were now in a small neighborhood and people, despite the cold air, came out to cheer at the end of their driveways.  As I rounded the corner, I got my first WONDER WOMAN shout out…and then the woman started doing the Batman music.  That made me giggle.  I knew this part of the course.  It was the 5K course all the other times I ran this race (I did the 5K twice before…but not the half marathon.  Nice change!).  So, as we headed across the reservoir, I got a shout out from the photographer.  Also was told I had the best running outfit ever.  HA!

So…the race turned out to be a challenging one.  This was a brand new course for the Geist Half Marathon, making the 5K and the half marathon an out and back instead of a point-to-point as it had been in the past.  NICE!  But, with this new course came some new challenges.  Those are called hills.  And those hills are what I need to really work on this coming summer.  And not just talk about it…do it.

The first part of the race had some minor climbs…but after I hit the halfway point, that’s where the challenging hills really came into play.  I took in some fuel, even though I didn’t think I needed it (trying to get back into good habits!), at the halfway mark and continued on.  My legs were really fighting the hills.  They slowed me down because my calf muscles wanted to protest every climb.  But…I had a goal…and that was to try to keep as even a pace as possible on this run…even with all the hills.

TONS more shout outs for my Wonder Woman outfit happened along the way, and I soaked up the atmosphere, the beautiful surroundings, and just the feel of the race.  My hands were so cold that it was hard for me to hang onto the water bottles from my fuel belt, but…again…trying to get back into good habits…I made sure to hydrate throughout.  Even if it took some effort to get the bottles back into my fuel belt.  My hands don’t work well when they are cold.  In fact…they don’t work at all.  And I didn’t think to pack gloves…because…it’s May…

Mile 10 came into view and I was still feeling good.  The legs were still feeling strong.  And I knew I was a 5K away from my finish.  I was happy with the way I was feeling…challenged for one thing…but not tired.  I came into a turn at Mile 11 and was sent up a hill in through another neighborhood.  That hill slowed me down a little, but I powered up it, feeling it in my calf muscles.  But as I crested it and hit a flat road, the legs adjusted and I kept on.  Mile 12….another trek over the reservoir.  I had been hearing tales of the “hill at the end” and wasn’t sure what to expect.

It was…KILLER!  I thought Chicago was evil for putting a hill at Mile 26 of the marathon.  This was the half marathon equivelent.  Not only do you climb this hill…you then round a corner and the finish line is right ahead.  So, with legs screaming at me…I got up the incline and took the turn…and there it was…the finish.

With no clock.  I had no idea what my time was.  Not at all.  Yes…I know I was wearing a watch…but I never glance at it.  If I pay attention to my pace, I struggle.  When I am a zen runner…I do better.  That’s just how it works for me.  I saw Cathy screaming at me and I put on my barely-there kick to get across that finish line.  I passed the photographers (who were all shouting WONDER WOMAN!) and paused my Garmin.  Since there was no race clock, I glanced down…and saw 1:38:and change!

Cathy came over to the rail and I said, “Um…I PR’d.” She didn’t seem surprised at all.  This was the second time in as many weeks to PR in a race.  And both times, I wasn’t trying.  I wasn’t setting out to PR.  I was just running.  I do better when I “just run” for enjoyment and all.  Seriously.  It’s when I start to put pressure on myself that things go to hell.  I should really focus on the joy of the run more often than the competitive part.

So…I headed into the recovery area.  There was a power outage at the results tent, so it wasn’t going to be set up.  We meandered about for a moment, and as we turned around, I saw Laura, who had just finished up.  We talked about the run…and the evil hills…and took a picture together.  Then, she and Mike went to walk around and Cathy and I went to do the same.  We were waiting on result times so I could get an official time.  But it was taking awhile.  So…I got a post-race massage!  And it was awesome.  My massage therapist was a really nice guy who thought I had a fantastic time for the half marathon.  He asked about my upcoming races…and I told him about them and he said that if I wanted a traveling personal massage therapist…he’d love for me to hire him.  HA!  After my massage, I hopped down and went to find Cathy again before we wandered off for a little more.  I did notice that the jeweler in the recovery area was doing medal engraving for $9,95…so we thought we’d do that when they opened.  Why not?

Results finally posted after many times of scanning my bib. It showed my official time and I was THRILLED!  A new PR!!  The jewelry store opened early and we went in to see about getting my medal done.  They asked for my results, and I said the results tent was down and no slips were printed.  This was aggravating…so he went to pull the results up online.  It took some time to find the page, but he did…and found me.  The race was still running, so my overall status would stand, but the number of finishers was still unknown at this time.  He said that he could at least engrave my name and finishing time…and he’d do it for free.  AWESOME!  He said to give him 15 minutes, so we went to walk around a little bit more and stretch out the legs.  We picked up my medal and took the hike back to the car…then…drove back to the hotel so I could take a nice hot shower.  We left the hotel and went to my required stop for lunch…Cheeseburger in Paradise…because I can get a gluten-free veggie burger on a gluten-free bun…with gluten-free fries.  I devoured the entire plate.  HA!

So, the official results of the Geist Half Marathon was that I finished in 1:38:52, setting a new half marathon PR for myself.  Thrilled!  I was 87/1506 finishers overall.  That’s amazing!  I was 14/703 women to cross the finish line.  And I was 4/??? (the race results don’t have the divisions for female up…just division female) in my age division.  If they ever get that posted, I’ll put in the number.  FOURTH!  That’s fantastic, I think.  I was beyond proud of these results.  I mean…it was hilly and cold (two of my least favorite things!), and I was focused more on keeping an even pace (THAT…was a success) than my finish time.  And BAM…magic!  Even better…my distance was actually 13.24…which means I PR’d running past the half marathon mileage.  I need to take corners tighter!  So happy!

I am starting to feel so much more confident and better about my running after these last two weekends of running.  I’m coming back…and coming back strong.

I definitely would love to run this race again!  I love running Geist.  Third year back…first time doing the half.  BOOM!