charlottesville half marathon race report

We headed to Charlottesville on a beautiful Friday afternoon. Our hearts were and are still heavy with grief from the shootings that had occurred at VT on Monday. As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to run the 1/2 marathon to support and in honor of the Hokies. Here is a picture of the back of the shirt I made to wear in the race:



We left early enough that Nathan got in a quick visit to Monticello while Liam and I checked into our hotel and grabbed a few zzzzz's. We went downtown to pick up my race packet and search for some dinner. I had a minor heart attack when they couldn't find my packet and then found it in the marathon pile... and were unsure if I'd be DQ'ed for doing the half marathon instead. I have to say (not to complain, OK I will) it was not the best organized event. Dinner was overpriced and forgettable, but our bellies were filled. We found a gelato stand and indulged. After wandering around the pedestrian mall and watching bubbles and street performers, we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. Oh, did I mention they changed the start time to 6:30?!

Yeah, that was a bit of a shock and disappointment that was announced about a week or so before the race. The previous start time had been 7:30 - still early! I was up at 4:00 AM and dozed until 5:00. Even though the weather forecast was in the high 70's for the day, it was a dark and chilly morning...





Yes, my son is eating Wheat Thins for breakfast!

I'm excited?

I spent the entire 15 minutes of extra time at the start line waiting in line for the port a potties - no surprise there. Then I headed toward the back of the pack with my peeps - the slow pokes. :) In hindsight, I probably could have started farther up, but with my unpredictable injury I didn't want to get in anybody's way, soooo... I didn't even hear the start gun (or whatever) go off, we all just started moving like a herd of sheep, though a small one.

The hills started almost immediately. We ran through the downtown and university area - very beautiful and historic campus setting. Old, obviously. Nathan and I had planned to meet at miles 3 and 10, so I knew I didn't have too far to go before getting a boost of inspiration. I don't know if it was due to the early start time, but there was very little crowd support save the race officials and motorcycle cops (they didn't seem to happy to be working, either!). The roads were not fully closed either, so it was kind of hard for some of the runners to find their safe boundaries. I ran the first three miles probably slower than I would have under normal circumstances. My shin was OK, just OK but I certainly wasn't pushing myself. Seeing Liam and Nathan was so great, but I think Liam was confused (and sad) when I just kept running!



I also knew that I wouldn't see them for a while, so I was trying to think of other mental games to play to pass the time. I had my shuffle on, but instead of listening to it, I decided to enjoy the entire experience, the beautiful morning, and scenery. Around mile 4 the shin started flaring up. I was concerned, but continued to push onward. I felt good, although I was freezing. I couldn't really feel my legs, forearms, and my hands were like ice blocks. I got a very pleasant surprise around mile 5 when Nathan and Liam re-appeared, though it seemed they were followed by hills of gargantuan proportions every time I saw them! We were running through some beautiful country - golf course and then a wooded area. I was running alongside another gentleman, kind of lost in my thoughts when two deer crossed literally RIGHT in front of me. I screamed, "Oh my God!" It wasn't like cute Bambi deer - in the instant they passed me I thought they were wolves! haha, kind of funny now that I look back on it. I think with all of the recent "gunman" talk, it is safe to say I am on edge.

Mile 6.5 - the turnaround point - was quickly approaching. At the point where the marathoners split off, I felt pretty sad not to be joining them. At that point, I felt like I could have pulled off the full 26.2 - very easy to say at mile 6.5! The actual turnaround point was incredibly lame and anti-climactic. One orange cone at the end of a cul-de-sac with a white glove on it. No race official, no nothing. Oh well, on we go.





I decided to push myself for the second half since I felt ok and I knew what to expect (the course was an out and back). I'm proud to say, I did not get passed once the whole second half and passed several people. I firmly believe that my full marathon training helped me finish strong, though the hills were killer. I ended up doing a negative split for the second half - about 4 min. faster than the first half including a potty break.

I got to kiss this face every time I saw my two biggest fans!



All in all, I'm happy I ran the half marathon. I won't lie - I certainly felt some pangs of disappointment that I didn't run the full 26.2, but that is life. It was a good race and I was glad to be able to show my support for the Hokies. I don't know that I'd recommend this race unless you LOVE hills. It was beautiful scenery, but the crowd support was pretty much limited to the finish line.







Thanks to all my friends and family for the support they've shown me over the last four months. I've had fun sharing my marathon journey with you and I hope you'll keep reading to see what's next. One thing I realized is that it's lonely running races alone, so... who's coming with me next time?