Halloween Half Marathon (Provo, UT)

Key Words/Phrases to Look for in this Post

Phone Call

Port-a-Potty

Three Musketeers

Friends

Good Charlotte

9

Miley Cyrus

12

I stressed over running this half marathon for the past several weeks.  I didn't feel physically prepared and I worried most about my bowels and pre-race jitters.  Well I'm happy to report that everything went well and it was a fantastic experience!

The day before the race I drank TONS of water, had a couple Gatorades, and went to the bathroom like crazy.  I ate oatmeal w/ bananas, 2 apples, one little piece of celery, even had a slice of pizza (oops), a big frosted sugar cookie (double oops), and later on some tasty macaroni & cheese from Noodles & Co.

I got a surprise phone call from Rebecca Miller that evening before the race.  She is a long time friend of the family and I had recently read her blog post about running a marathon a few weeks ago.  She is super-human and inspiring in all her accomplishments.  So when she randomly called me to wish me luck on my race and give me a few tips, I was all for it!  I picked her brain and asked her all kinds of questions.  The best advice she gave me was on how to pace myself and go out with a plan.  She explained how I needed to hold back in the beginning, push harder after the first couple of miles, then slow it down later on, and go strong in the end.  It was kind of comforting to have her "approval" to go slower than normal during the race.

I had a fun "Girls Night" with Cassity and Bekah, and it was a great way to calm my nerves and just relax.  I grilled them for their opinions on what I should wear-- which gloves & bandanna looked best with my tie-dye shirt. I know, I'm ridiculous, but I kind of care about my color coordination.  No, I didn't go all out with a cool costume.  I spent that energy on Justin Bieber for work.  And I sure didn't want to run 13.1 miles in skinny jeans, so I decided I'd just be me and stay comfy.  Tie-dye shirt and a bandanna.  Some people might have thought I was trying to be a hippie or something.  Nope, I usually run in bright colors anyway.  Ha!  Fooled them. :)

After a quick night of 4 hours of sleep, I woke up at 5am, showered, and got dressed in my race attire.  I had to go to the parking lot at the University Mall (luckily less than 1 minute away) and hop on a bus to ride up the canyon.  The timing was perfect; I got there at 5:45am, walked right onto a bus and we left just a few minutes later.  It was a huge caravan of charter buses from Orem up to Aspen Grove, and let's just say those canyon roads are pretty narrow and not necessarily good for buses traveling in both directions.  So for a while it was a little chaotic, trying to get everyone situated.  It was dark and cold and seemed like no one really knew where to go or what to do.  Finally we unloaded and trekked off to the giant, heated tents set up on the grassy field at Aspen.Grove.  I knew my first stop would be at the port-a-potties, then I found a corner of the tent to sit in while people filed in.

I was by myself, which felt kind of lame because I knew quite a few people who were also running it  I just didn't come with any of them.  Bekah was supposed to run it with me but started having hip problems in the last few weeks, so that was a bummer.  So I sat there and watched people mingle with excitement-- some with crazy, fun costumes, or bundled up in warm blankets.  Luckily I brought a hoodie and warm pants to wear over my running clothes, but I was still soooo cold and it was kind of miserable.  Finally I saw a friend of mine who was also sitting alone.  I got up and joined her and was happy to have someone talk to. The race started at 9am and it we still had 1 1/2 hours of waiting.  Boo. I was surrounded by creative costumes and felt kind of like a bum sitting there in my sweatshirt.  Oh well.  My biggest concern was staying warm.

Gradually, my toes became cold and numb and I was just chilled to the bone!  It was about 8:30am so I decided to make another run to the Port-a-Potty. Luckily, the sun was out and it felt like maybe it would warm up a little.  But the lines were long and I stood there for 30 minutes waiting-- all the while my toes were getting more and more frozen and numb.  The faster runners were starting at 9am, and they were starting the others at 9:20am.  I was definitely starting in the second group so still had plenty of time.  I decided I should take off my shoes before the race and rub my feet and toes to get the blood flowing.  But before that I got back in line for the port-a-potties to make sure I was all clear. :)

Turns out I was the LAST person to come out of the port-a-potties!  I stepped out and the field and tents were deserted.  Everyone was at the starting line, and right then I heard over the megaphone:  "We'll be starting in 3 minutes."  Yikes! I still had to tie my shoes, take off my warm layers, get my iPod ready, and throw my bag in the big semi-truck.  Not to mention it was a good distance to walk from where I was to the starting line.  Last minute panic!  So I jogged to the semi-truck, stripped off my clothes, grabbed my iPod, and tied my shoes tighter.  No time for a quick foot rub. Crap.  I hadn't even really stretched much, other than what I did while I was waiting in line.  Not a great way to start a half marathon.  I got situated just in time for the big crowd to start moving forward.  Here goes nothin'!

The first 5 miles were all downhill, from Aspen Grove, past Sundance resort, to the main road through Provo Canyon.  I didn't want to go too fast because it would burn out my quads and kill my knees.  I kept a pretty steady pace of 10 min. miles.  Even though Rebecca had advised me to try to run most of it at a 9:30 mile pace, I couldn't quite push it.  I figured just as long as I didn't slow down, I was doing okay.

I also realized that I didn't have any kind of treat to give me a sugar boost during the race.  Last year my doctor mentioned eating a few Pez, which I did, and I think it worked out just fine.  But this year I had nothing and hoped that the little cups of gatorade at the marked stops along the way would help me out.  I've never been one to eat the "chews" or "gu's" or anything like that, but I knew I'd probably need something. Luckily I was running behind this big dude in a Greenbay football jersey.  He was wearing a big fanny pack and suddenly candy started falling out. I ran past the first few pieces, then finally stopped to grab one.  A tiny 3 Musketeers.  Jackpot! Haha.  It was like this guy was a pinata or something.  There were tootsie rolls and other mini candy bars, but I was content with my tiny square.  So I kept that little silver-wrapped candy in my closed fist and decided I'd eat it when I felt like I needed a treat. I dropped it once and even ran back a few steps to retrieve it-- I was going to hang on to that thing like it was the last morsel of food in the world. :)

Despite a ridiculous side cramp that came about in the first couple of miles, I pushed through it and was feeling pretty good.  The downhill portion wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated and my legs weren't dead yet.  Around mile 5 we were running on the main canyon road.  Traffic was backed up since they'd closed the road off in favor of the runners crossing, and it was fun to have all these spectators looking on.  Finally we got to Vivian Park and Cassity and Bekah were there waiting to cheer me on!  It was so fun to have supportive friends to keep me happy and motivated.  They waited at 2 other points along the course and it was always a good "pick-me-up" to keep me going.  :)

I didn't have any rules against walking intervals but didn't want to walk more than I needed to.  Rebecca had advised me to walk at the water stops and take small steps, but not walk too long.  So I would stop and walk for maybe 15-20 seconds and force myself to run again.  At around mile 7 my feet really started aching.  Like, real intense pain.  And my knees were killing me.  All I wanted to do was stop.  I wasn't giving up... I just wanted to walk.  But then a certain song came on my iPod:  "Hold On" by Good Charlotte.  This was a song I put on my playlist in honor of Heather and all the health issues she's been dealing with.  I knew if I thought of her it would motivate me to keep going.  So of course this song came on and I thought, "Dang it... I have to keep running, I can't stop now!"  It was a pivotal moment and kept me going.  I had several songs on my playlist that I chose for specific people who have inspired me, or who can't run for themselves right now.  It was a good way for me to stay emotionally invested in my goal.

Finally I made it past the Mile 9 marker and felt a sense of relief:  Only 4 miles to go.  Even though I was in pain and didn't have loads of energy to try to run faster, I just kept going.  It was a weird point in the race because I somehow missed the Mile 10 and Mile 11 markers.  I was confused and this stretch of the course seemed to go on forever.  Did the race coordinators purposely leave these out to keep us guessing, or to trick us into suddenly finishing before we realized we'd gone that far?  As I was thinking about these mystery mile markers, another pivotal song came on.  "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus.  I'd never run to this song before, but I've always liked it and I appreciate the positive message it shares.  This was a song I added for a friend who couldn't complete all the marathons she'd planned on this year because of knee problems.  This song also reminds me of one of my favorite teens at the Boys & Girls Club-- she used to be obsessed with Miley Cyrus. :)  So here I am, lost between miles 9, 10, and 11, and "The Climb" helped me rise to a new level.  No pun intended.  It was a great moment!  I actually loved running to that song-- it was a good pace for me and I felt happy.

A few minutes later I saw the best surprise up ahead:  MILE 12 MARKER.  What?!  1 mile to go!  I looked at my watch and it read 2:07:00.  I was so surprised!  My goal was to beat 2:30:00, and I was going to make it in before 2:20:00!  A huge accomplishment.  I suddenly had all sorts of energy and ran faster and it felt good to pass a bunch of people on that last stretch.  I decided to hold back a little for a few  minutes so I didn't burn it all out, then pushed it hard for the last few minutes.  The finish line was near the Riverwoods off a side rode along the Provo River Trail.  I'd never been to the park before and didn't know exactly where the final "end" was located, but I just kept running.  The path was lined with spectators and it was like moving through a cattle shoot made of humans.  I was kind of stuck behind a group of people dressed up as jailbirds, and at the last minute I broke through, ran ahead, and crossed the finish line solo.  Yay!  It felt so good.

Cassity and Bekah were right there and I was relieved I didn't have to go looking for them. I grabbed a water bottle, a finisher medal, orange and apple slices, and moved my way through the big crowd to greet them.  I felt good, physically, and was so happy about my time!  2:18:30... 18 minutes faster than my first half marathon last year.  Good job me!

So now I feel a huge weight lifted off me.  I stress myself out with these races.  I'm just glad that it's all over and that I actually enjoyed it. :)  I don't have any races in the near future and I kind of like that.  I want to relax a little, eat freely, and exercise for fun, not because I have to.  These next few months will be chill but I refuse to let myself fall off track and go crazy in the other direction.  Nope. I want to stay fit, eat smart, and just be healthy.  Here's to a good and productive winter!