I was able to make arrangements to stay at Josh's uncle and aunt's home in Pocatello on Friday night, even though they weren't going to be there. At first I was a little anxious about staying in someone's home alone but when I got there I quickly realized what a blessing it was to be able to tweak my playlist, sprawl my things out across the living area, curse at my non-working iPod shuffle charger, and be quiet for awhile. I couldn't get my shuffle to sync or charge with my computer, so my minimalist plan to run with only my shuffle and Garmin was thrown out the window pretty early in the evening. I was glad I threw my running belt (ok, it's a small fanny pack) into my bag before leaving Boise, because I was forced to run with my iPhone for music and I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off without the belt.
The buses were scheduled to load at 7:00 am with the first one leaving as soon as it was full and the last departing no later than 7:20, and I wanted to be sure I got on the bus as early as possible to get myself some time at the race start. I awoke around 5:30 to be sure I got enough coffee and water in my system with plenty of time to let it run through me and to apply my Body Glide for the first time ever. This was my first half not wearing tights, and I was concerned about the possibility of chaffing, so at the recommendation of a few female bloggers out there, I tried out the Glide, and it was a worthy investment.
I packed up the truck and headed out around 6:30, since I wasn't entirely sure where I was going. My real first excitement for the morning came around 6:45 after I parked the truck (and then moved it when I realized I was sticking so far out into the parking lot) when two middle-aged women accused me of backing into their truck and taking off some paint. Of course, they were wrong and I proved to them that there's no way my truck could have hit them in the place they were saying it did. I didn't hit them, and I'm certain of that because I got out to see exactly how close I was to them and how far I was sticking out into the parking lot and saw there was room between our vehicles (they did a stellar job of parking too....so stellar that the bed of the truck was at least 6 inches over the line). It was no way to start the morning. I loaded the bus shortly thereafter and all of the buses left at 7:20 to go to the start line, which meant a lot of full port-a-potties at the race start. I dropped off my duffel (very cool race give-away, by the way) at the UPS truck (seriously, this was the BEST bag check EVER - more later) and stretched a bit. And then with little warning, it started.
I crossed the start line, started my Garmin, and was on my way. I don't remember much about the first 4 or 5 miles, mostly because it was pretty uneventful. I tried to keep my pace between 11:00 and 11:15. There were a few downhill stretches, which were awesome and made me feel super fast without zapping all of my energy. Every so often a Team Beef runner would pass me (or in a few cases, I passed them), and it was fun to yell out "go beef!" or "Team Beef" to them and to hear it in return. At mile 6 I ate 3 Clif Shot Bloks and chased it with a gulp of water. There was a ridiculous hill between miles 7 and 8 that a lot of people walked, including me....I walked the 2nd half after realizing I still had 5+ miles to go once I got to the top, and I think that was a good decision. The aid stations came almost every mile thereafter. I ate 3 more Clif Shot Bloks at mile 10 and felt way better than I did at mile 10 on my last long run on the Greenbelt.
It was shortly after that when I descended into a recognizable part of Pocatello, and I grinned from ear to ear. There was something about the moment that changed me. I was running in to Pocatello. I was running in a place where I had been so inactive and allowed myself to be slovenly and gross and fat. I was running there and proving to all of Pocatello (and myself) that I am no longer that person.
At mile 11 I looked at my Garmin and realized I had been running for just over 2 hours. I grabbed a cup of Powerade at the aid station and powered on. I passed a guy walking on my left, slowed, took out my headphones, and yelled, "I have to tell someone - I'm totally going to meet my goal!" He cheered me on and encouraged me to keep up my pace. Thanks for being there, random middle-age man, because I'm starting to think if you hadn't been there for me to say it out loud, I wouldn't have had as much ambition to actually meet my goal of running the half in under 2 hours 30 minutes. I had 25 minutes to go 2.1 miles and I was certain I could do it, given how great I felt.
The 11th mile was fine, but mile 12 hurt. I walked for a few seconds after drinking my water at the aid station and then pushed on. When I got to the mile 13 marker, I took out my headphones and tucked them into my shirt. The number of people along the side of the race route grew as the finish line came into view, and I kicked it into high gear. I didn't look at my watch, but I felt so close to failure and didn't want to let Pocatello and the old me win.
I crossed the finish line, stopped the time on my Garmin, gathered my medal, and looked down to see 2:29. I almost burst into tears on the spot.
Instead, I looked to my left to see a woman hand me my race duffel with my extra water, Nuun, flip flops, and some other post-race clothes. There was no standing in line waiting to get my gear, just a lady handing it over the makeshift fence to me. Some guy (who did not look official at all) handed me a cold bottle of water. I found a clear spot near the finish line and stood there for a minute. I was out of breath and thought I was going to vomit and the thought of that made me want to cry. I didn't do either. I held it together as I stretched and shared the good news via text message to Jamie in Chicago and then wandered around until I found the official time check. I stood in line in front of a couple whose daughter ran the half that morning and when I got to the computer to check my time, I turned to them and said, "I just want you to know that if this says I'm over 2:30, I'm probably going to cry." They nodded their heads as I turned to punch in race bib 1404.
2:29:32.
I turned around and high-fived them before walking away to find my car.
There was no intense celebration at the park, nor did I partake in the free beer and food; it's not quite as fun to drink a beer at 10:30 am without someone standing by your side. (Don't worry, there was much celebration afterward with the in-laws.)
For now, all I have to say is this: I win, Pocatello. I win.
| Bib | 1404 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gun Time | 02:30:22 | |
| Chip Time | 02:29:32 | |
| Pace | 11:25 | |
| Gender-Age | F-32 | |
| City | Boise ID | |
| Division | Half | |
| Division: Half | 270 / 350 | |
| Division: Half - Gender: F - Age Group: 30 - 34 | 50 / 60 | |
| Division: Half - Gender: F | 164 / 231 | |
| Division: Half - Age Group: 30 - 34 | 61 / 73 | |
