Clearwater Halfathon, Jan. 20, 2013, Clearwater, Florida: race recap

You know those days when from your first step, you know it’s going to be an awesome run? Well, Sunday (the day of the Clearwater Halfathon) was not one of those days. 

But thankfully, around mile 5, it turned into one of those runs.

Before that, as I saw the 5Kers make the turnaround to go back, I wanted to go back. As I saw the 5-milers turn around to go back, I wanted to go back. I kept going (afraid to walk at a water stop because I was afraid I would never start running again, so I proceeded to spill water all over myself). 

Then, glorious mile 5 came along, and I didn’t want to stop running. The rest of the race went by so quickly (this is a relative term because I am not quick). Instead of “Ugh! It’s only mile 7,” it was “Wow! It’s already mile 7?!” This went on for the remainder of the race.

Yes, the race that scared me. The race with the big, scary bridges. THAT race. 

You know what? It turns out that I liked running up and over two big and scary bridges, and I liked running back over them to get back to the finish. Well, “like” may be a strong word for the bridge at mile 12. But, it was doable. But, it was also a challenge. It was fun to run up it when so many walked. I felt strong. I felt amazing. I felt empowered.

Before I even hit mile one, I went up the first big bridge (Clearwater Memorial Causeway). Then, I made my way to Clearwater Beach and up another big bridge (Clearwater Pass Bridge) before mile 5. Miles 5-9ish were flat until we went back up the bridges on our way back to the start. 

Before mile 1 (picture not taken on race day)

Down the other side

The weather ended up being pretty awesome: 60s and overcast. Considering it was in the mid-80s earlier in the week, I thought it was fabulous.

And, the course was beautiful. 

I never got bored on the course, and I think the bridges helped with that … as did the sweet views of the gulf. 
 

I took GU Energy Gels (mandarin orange and island nectar) at miles 4 and 8, and I took water and sometimes Gatorade (blech) from each water stop.

As I made it to Mile Linda (mile 11), I made sure to enjoy every step (which wasn’t hard since I was already doing that). But, it was a beautiful mile (I wish I was talented enough to take photos while running, but I’m not).

It was also at Mile Linda that I started calculating my possible finish times. For some reason, I am terrible at math while running (this is not the case when I’m not running). I could not figure out why my finish time was going to be so high. It felt like a great race despite the pesky bridges. Um, unfortunately, it’s because I thought I had 3.1 miles left at this point (instead of the actual 2.1 miles).

When I made it to mile 12 (and the final bridge),I realized my math was off, and I got excited about my possible finish time. That final bridge ascent really wasn’t fun (and it was pretty darn slow for me), but a sweet descent to the finish followed. 

Across the finish

My Garmin time was exactly the time of my official chip finish time: 2:38:29. It’s my second-best half marathon time, and it was on the most difficult course I’ve ever run. This is exciting to me! 

So, even though it wasn’t a personal record, it was an amazing race, and I’m really happy with my result. I loved the race, I loved the experience of the bridges, and I love that I’m back in the 2:3Xs for a half marathon time.

Have you ever been worried about a race and ended up surprised at how well you did? Do you like running bridges or hills?

An eerie calm

I tend to panic. It’s not a good thing, but it happens.

Thankfully, I already went through my panic stage for the Clearwater Halfathon. My panicking usually happens closer to a race, so this is kind of strange for me. The race is Sunday, and I have an eerie calm about me.

So why am I so calm?

•  I know I can do this. I can run 13.1 miles. Even if I didn’t run for a few weeks around Christmas and the new year, I’m still quite capable. Why? Runners don't lose much V02 max over a 10-day period of inactivity. And if you have to miss two weeks, it only reduces it by 6%. Thanks to Julie, I know this and feel so much better. I love her (not in a weird way … don’t be scared, Julie).
• I’ve done this five times before.

• It does involve big, scary bridges, but the Holiday Halfathon did, too (but not as big and not as scary). Guess what? I actually liked the bridges in that race. It broke up the race. It was something different. It was a challenge. That’s a good thing. 
• I'm running mile 11 for my friend, Linda. I've dubbed it "Mile Linda" (sounds better than mile 11, right?). She's been on bed rest during a good deal of her pregnancy. No matter what, that is difficult; but, Linda is a runner, too. So I'm running the 11th mile (her favorite number) in her honor.
• I’m really looking forward to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in St. Pete and view that as my “A” race this year. I love that race. This race will be a build up to that.
• When it comes down to it, it’s only a race. It’s not life or death. I’d love to finally beat my best time, but if I don’t, there’s always another race. It’s not that I’m not taking it seriously or that I don’t want to do well, but on the “what’s-important-in-life” scale, it’s not at the top.

Do you panic before races (or any big events)? Or are you more rational than me? I hope so.

Time to panic

I’m not sure why I keep doing this to myself.

The last two years I’ve taken time off from running over the holidays. Some of it is due to a crazy December work schedule. Some of it is due to family visiting. Some of it is due to travel.

Last year, I panicked. I assumed I’d lost all running ability. I adjusted my training schedule and realized I did not lose all running ability. Even with the time off, I got my beautiful half marathon PR of 2:33 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in February.

This year, I’m panicking again. I tried to remember that I took the time off last year and was fine. The only problem: this year I have a half marathon in two weeks. Yikes. And, it’s not any half marathon. It’s the Clearwater Halfathon, possibly “the most challenging half marathon in Florida” (according to the race website). Double yikes.

Why is it challenging? It has two ascents over two “relatively” tall bridges connecting Clearwater to the barrier islands.

And, by “relatively” tall, they really mean gigantic, scary and huge. Triple yikes.

So, even though I’m trying not to panic, I am.

Even though I ran 7 pretty awesome miles on Sunday, I’m still panicking. 

Awesome miles, but not awesome hair

Even though I’ll have four more weekly runs and one more long run before the race, I’m still panicking.

Gah.

How do you deal with being unprepared for a race? Do you panic? Should I stop panicking? Ever run over “relatively” tall bridges? How does one do this?