Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon Race Report

 The Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon

This race has been on my schedule for a while. I wasn't too excited about it performance wise because I just came off the ING Miami Half with a PR. I didn't think back to back PR's existed in the Half. WRONG-O!

For race week I knew I wasn't going to taper. The Boston Marathon is my goal. But I wanted an easier Saturday pre-race. So I did what any logical runner would do. I ran 75 of my weekly miles in the 5 days preceding the race so I could do 6 miles on Saturday. I padded the front of my week with heavy mileage. 

Well, it worked! When I headed to the elevator Sunday morning at 5am I felt like a million bucks. I was saying to myself, "are you kidding? I get to run this race with this body?" Meaning, I felt so strong and rested that it was almost third person. It was like I was going to the office. This is what I have worked so hard for. Now I get to go tour the city for 13 miles on these legs that I worked so hard to train. All the special diets, no sugar, cross training, freezing rain, exhaustion. Now, it's the easy part.  My goal was 6:30 pace.

heated seat warm up, SURE!

I arrived at the finish area of the race and was bussed to the start. It was freezing. I didn't want to warm up. I didn't have a drop bag. I stood outside for an hour in booty shorts and a sports bra in 50 degrees plus wind chill. I was shivering. I would stare at people and try to will them with my eyes to give me their shirt. I got few, "hang in there's." It sucked. I couldn't wait to run. I saw some old friends and chit chat was nice.

The next 13 miles plain old rocked. I felt great. My only issue was to try and slow down. I didn't think I could run so fast for so far. I did all those dorky runner things. I high five'd every aid station worker. I talked to runners on the course. I cheered every walker I saw. The race seeded the walkers first for logistical reasons. So I'd try and say something cheerful as I passed which was usually countered with, "No, you good job!! I was having fun!

My splits and thoughts were: Garmin here:

6:18   you just blew your race. Good job Slick.

6:25   slow down

6:28  

6:28   ok, this clearly will be my pace

6:20

6:26

6:18  WTF, how is this happening?

6:29

6:28

6:27

6:29

6:19  for real?

6:24  I don't want this to end. I want to keep running. I love running!. lol

5:58 for .25

CHIP time 1:24:51 

4th female overall

1st age group

17th overall of 1901 runners in the half. results here.

So upon finishing I felt like a rockstar. My mind was sharp. I felt like I could lay out this:

 I never looked at my garmin aside from the splits.  I wanted a surprise. That it was.  I went to my car for my phone to make the usual calls to my family and coach. 

Then I switched out of my racing flats into my pure flow II's and set out to find my friend who was doing the marathon. I wanted to do a few miles with him near the end of his race. So I set out for 5 miles. Immediately upon entering the crowds it dawned on me. Where the hell my friend? I have no idea. So I figured I'd just stand there and wait on the marathon course...lol Suddenly, my brain went to mush I couldn't calculate what mile to go to.

Post race dumbing set in

Well, I was looking for a dude with a red shirt. As we discussed pre race. So I used all my brain power and focused for a red shirt. Suddenly I see a guy carrying a red shirt. I screamed out, "you're not wearing the shirt damn it!!" So much for my motivational chit chat. 

I ran along side him. We decided I'd be better off meeting him on the other side of the loop he was doing. So I took off in the opposite direction. Long story short. I never found him. My dehydration was turning into delusion after waiting 40 minutes on a curb all alone. 

Awards were coming up soon. It suddenly dawned on me that *maybe* the 3 girls ahead of me were in the marathon. Or at least 1 of them!! I could be top 3!! So I shuffled quickly back to awards. That pipe dream was killed quickly. I was indeed 4th female. I won this:

 

After I received my award I headed to my car to leave.  A met a few of you guys along the way! I LOVE that! Sometimes I feel like I'm typing into a dark hole in a galaxy far, far away. So when someone says hi it's awesome. 

The Nitty Gritty:

I brought espresso from home and had about 4oz at 4am heated up in the microwave.

I took a caffeine pill around 5am.

I sipped Street King energy drink on the car ride over.

I had a Cliff Shot Cherry Chocolate gel at the start and sucked on one for the first half of the race.

I took 2 sips of water on the course.

It was 50 degrees. Swirly wind and a 6:40am start.

Overall, a great race. A new PR. A great confidence booster going into Boston. I am writing this on Tuesday still so freaking tired I could nap all day if it weren't for my voracious appetite that keeps me staggering to the fridge.

A few more weeks of training! Happy Running Guys!!!

Laura