Done, state #11 and my first race of 2013.

Check out the course and elevation maps.  Yikes!!

I arrived in Jackson at 1:30 and took a cab to the hotel.  I was meeting some friends at the hotel.  They had already picked up their packets but were nice enough to walk again with me.

After packet pickup we went to the Elite Restaurant.  Nothing fancy but the rolls were DELICIOUS!! We asked the waitress to keep bringing out rolls.

Race morning came and I was a bit nervous because of the weather.  It was 36 degrees with 40% chance of rain.  I decided to wear a long sleeve shirt underneath a short sleeve shirt, biker shorts, and compression socks.

We were off at 7:05.   By mile 2 I was already warm.  Did I mention it was a hilly course?  Very hilly.  But not as bad as the race in Minnesota.  I walked most of the hills but also tried to jog through them.  I need to make them my friends.

The split off between the full and half marathon was around mile 5.  I was so glad I was not running the full marathon.

I took an ibuprofen at mile 6.5 and a Gu at mile 5 and 10.  I felt good through much of the course.  I did take some walking breaks but kept pushing myself to keep on running.

A little before mile 11 the first marathon runner passed me.  Dang!   He was running fast!  Then another passed me.  And another.  A total of 4 marathon runners passed me before I crossed the finish line.

Now let me tell you about the finish line.  I had to run up a hill to get there.  Not fun.

I knew I was not going to PR but am happy with my finish time of 2:29:29.  I know that if it was a flat course then I would have definitely PRed. 🙂  I guess all of my speed workouts have helped me run a teeny tiny bit faster.

The best part was the medal!   Don’t you love it? Also, I loved the post race food spread.  Yummy!!

I am so glad I ran this race.  Oh by the way, it rained just a little bit during the race. But by then I had showered, changed, and on my way back to the hotel after eating pizza again.

Next race is the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Arizona.

Just Keep Running!

Done, state #10.

This race had an awful course with a lot of headwind.  I was so happy when I was done with it.  My finish time was about 2:41:06.  Am I happy with it?  No.  However, I have no one else to blame but me.  I did not run smart.  I did not train properly.  Anyway, it is done and I can’t do anything about it.

I did not get into Birmingham on time to pick up my packet so that meant I had to pick it up on race day.  The hotel was nice enough to give those that were running the race a ride to the start line.  I picked up my bib and dropped off my bag and it took less than 5 minutes.

The race was supposed to start at 8 am but due to some complications/problems it did not start till 8:30 am.  Yeah, not happy about it.  I was chatting with another runner whom I met in the hotel lobby as we were waiting for the hotel shuttle.  The announcer mentioned that Ruben Studdard had arrived but I did not see him.

The race started and off we went.  The first half of the race took us through the “not so nice areas” of Birmingham.  There was zero crowd support.  If it weren’t for the cars that were stopped at intersections by the cops to let the runners through, the city of Birmingham would not have known there was a half marathon going on in their city.

The headwind was awful.  I thought it was never going to end.  It lasted till about mile 10.  Terrible!!  By then I was running with another girl and we were motivating each other.  She told me that we only had a 5K to go.  Hmm, so simple but yet difficult.

Finally I saw the sign for mile 12.  I was so happy to see it.  I was struggling.  My neck was bothering me and I could feel some blisters forming on the bottom of my right foot.  I was annoyed about it.  I rarely get blisters on my feet.  I was wearing compression socks with my Brooks Glycerin.  In the past I’ve worn the same socks with my Brooks Connect.  Hmm, maybe the shoes?

I saw the finish line and picked up the pace.  Not a good idea.  I stopped for about 10 seconds to catch my breath and took off again.  I heard the announcer mention my colorful shoes and my name.  That made me smile!  🙂

I got my medal, picked up some food (pizza and chips with salsa) and walked back to the hotel.   It was a gorgeous day to walk plus I think it helped my legs.

The race was blah.  Next race on my calendar is the Run 3.14 Pie Race on Thanksgiving and the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon in Jackson, MS on January 5th.  That reminds me that I still need to register.

By the way I loved the hotel and my room!!

Run Happy!