2012 Last Chance Half Marathon Race Report

Pre-Race Rambles

Sunday morning would be the second half of the Virtual Half Goofy Challenge – the Last Chance Half Marathon.  It would also most likely be my last race of 2012.  Honestly I had put no thought in to this race.  Well, no thought other than the fact that I did not feel ready for it.  My longest run to date was the Tower of Terror 10 Miler and that was way back at the end of September.  I definitely didn’t feel ready for the distance.

When the weather was looking not so nice for the weekend my coach suggested an indoor half marathon at the oval.  The thought of running that many loops around an indoor track would be enough to make me feel loopy.  My other teammates felt the same way and we all decided we’d rather run outside in the cold than run a half marathon around a track.  Plus then I wouldn’t be able to wear the race shirt if that happened!

The weather was definitely nicer on Sunday than on Saturday.  It was about –9C at the start and expected to warm up to –5C over the day.  I dressed up in tights, a long sleeve shirt, my lululemon Toasty Tech Pullover and a vest (plus hat and gloves).  We had an option to start at 9:30 if we thought we’d take longer than 2.5 hours.  Everyone else would start at 10:00.  I knew my friend Kelly was going to start at 9:30 but she wanted us to run our own races.  I never bothered to do the math on how long I would take so I started at 10:00 am.

I met up with the rest of my team and my coach Angie before the race.  I confided in Angie that I didn’t feel ready for a half marathon and she acknowledged that I wasn’t.  She knew that I responded well to big challenges though so here was another one!  My goal for the race would be to try and remain mentally strong the entire time instead of fading and giving in at the end, something I’ve been guilty of in most of my races this year.

We had a moment of silence to remember our fallen heroes since it was Remembrance Day.  We gathered for a team photo, then it was time to go.

Here we are, my fellow Team Tri Lifers and I all bundled up!

Last Chance Half Marathon Race Report

I tried to start slow and just let everyone take off.  In order to stay consistent I wanted to stick with my walk breaks as scheduled.  Soon I was near the back of the pack.  I wondered if I shouldn’t have started at 9:30 but it was too late now!  The pathways were fairly clear to start off with, but as we ran along they was definitely more snow and things were icy.  I slowed down to make sure I kept my footing.

I happened to run past the Remembrance Day ceremony on Memorial Drive just as it was happening.  It was special to be able to see it.

There was a couple running behind me with a baby stroller.  I made it my mission to stay in front of them.  I kept my eye on some of the people ahead of me with the hopes that I would catch up to them at some point.  At about the 14 km mark I leapfrogged with a couple of ladies for the last time.  From then on no one would pass me again.  With 5 km left to go I kept telling myself that this was just a little lunch time run.  5 km left, no big deal.  My legs felt awesome (or so I kept telling myself).  I was still sticking with my scheduled walk breaks.  I kept picking off the people ahead of me and just kept going.  I even had a little left to sprint for the finish line.

All in all this was a slow half marathon for me based off my old times, but it was right in line with where I’m at for Goofy training.  I wasn’t ready for the distance and I was running on tired legs.  I stayed strong the entire time and ran a well executed race.  Overall I’m really happy with the miles I put in the bank for the upcoming Goofy Challenge!

Final Results:

• Chip Time 2:37:40.30
• Overall: 350 out of 384
• F3039: 77/86
• Females Overall: 195/228