Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Oshkosh Half Marathon Recap

I was so excited to finally get out there and race on Sunday!! The last one I actually ran was the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5 miler. Since I didn't have my mileage up high enough to complete the half marathon I was happy to learn they had a relay option for the half so I found a friend to do it as a 2-person relay. I've never done a relay and was excited to run a race as a team. I was going to doing the 2nd half of the race so I struggled a little with my morning planning since I was actually going to start running until 8 but still had to get there a little after 6am!

We had a blogger meetup before the race, it was fun meeting my fitness buddies.

JenniferKimRachel, Jess, me, Michelle(relay partner), Sarah
 A few minutes before the race was set to start we parted ways, Kim and I were both running the second leg of the relay so we began the 1.5 mile trek to get to our exchange and everyone else headed to the starting line. I ditched my long sleeve shirt so after we hit the exchange point I proceeded to get colder....and colder....and colder.....potty break....sooo cold....getting anxious....time to start, oh wait that was some other chick that looked like Michelle.....freaking out.....and there she is!! We only had 1 bib between us so I had to attempt to pin this thing on while running, I am not sacrificing any time just to put that on! We had decided to only use 2 pins to make it easier for the switch.

I was so excited to finally get going I had to mentally tell myself to just keep a good easy pace at the start. I was passing people right away and I was really worried I would lose my energy and slow down, but I looked at my garmin after the first mile and I was right about where I wanted to be at 9:30ish so I just kept it going. I continued to pass about 10-15 people every mile and was wondering when I would actually stop doing that and hit the pace I was running, but that never happened. Finally hit the last turn and I can see the bridge so I stepped it up even more as I still felt like I had plenty left in the tank. As I'm cruising a hear a girl say "How did she get so fast?" and I felt awesome. I think that gave me the extra burst of energy I was looking for.

The last part was running over a bridge and then a quick straightaway to the finish. We only had the sidewalk to run on and I hear a runner yelling at people to move over so she can pass by. I kicked it up another gear because I was not going to let her pass me...and she never did! I continued to pass people all the way up to the finish line and then thought I was going to hurl.

Why do I always look so weird in the race pictures?? Although it looks like I have awesome arm muscles in the first one, I saved you the even weirder looking ones.

 
Finishing off toget101639-104-009

This race was the best experience ever for me. I didn't feel tired or labored breathing at all and I was having fun with the spectators along the way. I cannot wait to do another race by myself as I'm basically guaranteed a PR due to how speedy I have become lately. I just wish there was a half marathon around here that I could do in the next month. I'm not paying the $80 to race the Green Bay Half and there aren't any other flat ones close. I don't have many hills on my run and don't think it would be a great idea to run a super hilly half when I'm not trained for that one.

Next race up is the Soleburner 5K in 2.5 weeks and I can't wait to see how I can do!!

8 comments:

  1. If I can get my IT band in check, I'm considering signing up for the GB half at last minute!!! You could venture up with me :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wait, you're doing the sole burner?! I just posted on Kims wall about that! I'm considering it because I haven't done a 5k in forever!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This will be my 3rd year running this one and it's a lot fun. I like hanging out in downtown appleton after the race is over. We can carpool for either race if you want. The only thing is the $80 it would cost to sign up for GB, that is if you sign up before 4/30. Let me know what your thoughts are!

      Delete
    2. Oops just saw this! I forgot to check for a reply and kept waiting for it. LOL. I need to see how my IT band is for the GB one so it will be a late sign up for me if I do it. It is expensive though! I am totally down for doing the Sole Burner!!

      Delete
  3. You and Michelle did awesome! It was fun to have another relay team to join Kim and me. Keep up the awesome work!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I found your blog from Run with Jess. I live near Oshkosh and am doing the Wisconsin Dells 1/2 on June 3--might be an option for you. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you done this race before? I was thinking it may be slightly hilly and I really only run 1 or 2 major hills on my runs and wasn't sure if it would be a good fit for me.

      Delete
  5. So glad this race was good for you... can't wait to hear about your new PR at the Soleburner!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you!