Happy New Year! Happy 2014 readers!
I have been asked several times about my favorite race or best moments of my half marathon journey, so I thought I’d give you the highlights – the best and the worst of each race!
Triple D Half Marathon (January)
Best: Winning! I was the first place female finisher and received an awesome metal foot medal. Also, while Jason was competing in the bike race, our friend Jeff ran the half marathon and was there at the finish to help celebrate my big win! He was a big supporter to me all year long and I really appreciate it :)
Worst: Running in zero degree weather. It was seriously bone chilling cold. And several miles of the trail were ice covered, which made it an interesting run.
Disney Princess Half Marathon (February)
Best: Seeing (parts of) Disney for the first time. It was fun running through the parks. Also, they really know how to put on a show. There was singing, dancing and Disney characters all throughout the race and it made the atmosphere very fun.
Worst: The horrible heat. Heat advisories (because of high humidity…that you don’t train for in January in Iowa) were in place all weekend. Also, the 4:30 a.m. lineup was bad. The fact that I had to get up at 2:45 (so I could make the 3:30 bus) was too much. I couldn’t even eat a proper breakfast because I wasn’t hungry.
Napa Valley Trail Half Marathon (March)
Best: All of it. The scenery, the trail, the weather, the wine. I loved this race a lot. It ranked up there as one of my favorite races. It fell just short of the first place honor. The trail really was beautiful and it was just tough enough to really have to earn the finish.
Worst: We heard the distance was short of 13.1 miles. I didn’t sign up for a half marathon to run anything short of 13.1 so if it was, I would be a bit disappointed.
Drake Relays Half Marathon (April)
Best: FRIENDS. A couple good friends came out to cheer me on and they made me a sign. That seriously ranked up there also as one of my favorite moments. It meant (means) a lot to me – thank you friends :)
Worst: I started feeling too sore during this race (especially in my hamstring) and it lead to many, many visits to the sports massage therapist to try and help me fix it. (Thank you Cindy, you did help me fix it!) I just didn’t feel great during this race and that feeling stuck around for the next few.
Quad Cities Distance Half Marathon (May)
Best: The weather was chilly on race morning, which made it great for running hard. I turned in a pretty good effort and was pleased with my time, especially for how I felt at the last race. I was still feeling sore, and my hamstring tender, but I pushed through it. I really felt after this race that I had a shot at hitting my big goal of running all 13.
Worst: I still didn’t feel my best. A good portion of the race wasn’t pretty scenery and I felt like I stared at concrete for days, which made me yearn for trail running.
Grinnell Games Half Marathon (June)
Best: Finishing. I showed myself I had the strength physically and mentally to do it, even when I felt badly and wanted to stop.
Worst: This was a two loop race and I couldn’t have felt more tired and down at mile 6, just shy of where I had to start the exact same loop over again. I saw Jason near mile 6 and felt like crying because I was feeling miserable. I was sore and feeling frustrated. I’m certainly glad I made it to the finish line in this race.
April Sorensen Memorial Half Marathon (July)
Best: Running a race in honor of someone who could no longer race. I felt really honored to be a part of the race. It gave me the strength I needed to run during a thunderstorm. Despite the weather, I was pleased with my performance, as I pushed really hard to finish. I remember passing a handful of people mid race and that is a good feeling.
Worst: Well, running during a thunderstorm isn’t pleasant. I was a little unnerved as the rain pelted my face and lightning was flashing all around me. Did I mention we ran next to a large lake for part of the race?
Mountain Chile Cha Cha Half Marathon (August)
Best: Not letting this race get the best of me. I did enjoy the scenery. I did enjoy the weather. I did enjoy having family there to cheer me. I did applaud myself for finishing and not giving up.
Worst: I was disappointed to have had walked so much of the race. The climb was tough but the elevation was too much for my “flat land” heart. I have never had to walk that much during a half race and it was one of my worst times on a 13 mile run. Oh, and the mismarked trail just ticked me off. But with all that said, I’m still glad I participated in, and most importantly, finished this race.
Wabash Trace Trail Half Marathon (September)
Best: All of it. This was my favorite race! It was one of the most beautiful, chilly-but-perfect-temp days to race. I also got to compete with Jason, and I greatly enjoyed when we were able to enjoy the same race together. I almost ran a PR (which again, didn’t expect this year!) and was the third place female finisher (in a larger race!). I also met a really inspiring runner, Don, who at 76 completed the half marathon in just over 2:10. Don still motivates me today; I hope I am still a runner at 76!
Worst: My shoelace came untied somewhere after the second mile. I had to stop, which kind of cheeses me off.
Loop de Loop Half Marathon (September)
Best: I ran two half marathons in the month of September. I ran two races two weeks a part. I also ran four total (including these two) in an eight week period. That’s kind of intense and I’m proud that I completed all four.
Worst: The nasty hills near the beginning of the race were tiring. It made for a long race, which was unfortunate because the scenery was beautiful. Several people also blasted past me near the finish. It felt pretty defeating.
Des Moines Half Marathon (October)
Best: My nephew and sister-in-law ran their very first ever race (the 5k, that went off around the same time as my race)! We had lots of family there to cheer us all on during our respective races. I remember the excitement of hearing my brother’s voice as I was running the final .25 mile stretch and looking over to see my family yelling and cheering for me.
Worst: Getting worn down. I was really tired by the time this race ended, as it was my fourth race in eight weeks. I mentally needed a break after this race.
Gobbler Grind Half Marathon (November)
Best: Reaching this point in the journey. This was the first race that I spent time reflecting on the previous 11 races. I spent time thinking about the best and worst moments and appreciating each step of the race.
Worst: The cold. I really didn’t expect to have to run in an extremely cold race again (like my January race). Also, I had run a half in the same area the year prior and it was 40+ degrees. I wasn’t happy about the cold but I’m still glad I was there and that I completed half #12.
Lucky 13 Half Marathon (December)
Best: Finishing half marathon #13 and completing my goal of running 13 half marathons in 2013!!! The weather was warm, I got to race with Jason and the course was right up my alley (or, more accurately, right on the same path I’ve spent years training on!).
Worst: Having to push up the race two days because of an expected ice storm. I had a large group of family and friends planning to come and cheer me on. I had SO LOOKED FORWARD to that moment of seeing them all clap and cheer for me. I was seriously disheartened to have to change my plans. However, it did actually end up being icy on my original planned day (now I see why there aren’t any halfs in the Midwest in December).
There are so many other moments I could share about each race, each training run, each meal and each moment of participating in this journey. These are just the highlights :) Check back as I share a few more lessons learned soon.
Miss FitGab
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