12/4/10
8:00 AM
Winston Salem, NC
Time: 1:39:48
Placed 143rd out of 1,068
The Mistletoe Half Marathon was going to be the first HM for Summer. However, due to a sickness she had been fighting since October, she decided it wouldn't be the best idea for her to sit this one out. We were going to run together the entire time but the weather was planning to be very cold and possibly start snowing before the end of the race.
So I went at this one alone. At over 1,000 runners, this was easily the biggest HM I had attempted yet. No chip timing, so I got as close as I could to the front. We started out and the first couple of miles were slightly uphill. This was hard as I had to pace myself and not blow out right at the beginning. We reached a point then where we ran around a traffic circle and headed back the way we came. Yay downhill!
Then we ended up going through some up and down small hill neighborhood areas. Some people had come out to their front yards and were cheering us on. They had a table of candy and other goodies should we want them at one point. I remember seeing loads of twizzlers. I always hated twizzlers.
After the residential area, we came up on Wake Forest University. This was what ended up being, the biggest hill yet. But luckily a water stop as well. I grabbed a water and kept on trucking. Going through campus was easy. Mostly flat. After rounding through the campus, we were back at the water stop and kept on trucking. Going back through Graylyn estates, I started to pick it up.
By the time I re-entered the residential areas, I was passing people. I felt good. I remember just passing people. And I thought to myself, I wonder if they went out too hard on that first uphill part? I didn't. And I kept trucking. Coming back to where the race started, I had turned on my jets. But wait! The finish was NOT where the start was. It's like, 1/4 mile up the road. So I had to maintain. I ran down a slight hill, and then up and through the chute. A new PR!!!
I was stoked! I finished below 1:40! We were ordered to stay in line as they took our numbers for finishing spots. There was a guy way in front of me who ended up flaking out and the paramedics had to assist with him. Glad I wasn't that guy and I hope he's ok!
Overall, a success to a race I didn't think I'd be running alone. But a new PR. I'll take it!
The Mistletoe Half Marathon was going to be the first HM for Summer. However, due to a sickness she had been fighting since October, she decided it wouldn't be the best idea for her to sit this one out. We were going to run together the entire time but the weather was planning to be very cold and possibly start snowing before the end of the race.
So I went at this one alone. At over 1,000 runners, this was easily the biggest HM I had attempted yet. No chip timing, so I got as close as I could to the front. We started out and the first couple of miles were slightly uphill. This was hard as I had to pace myself and not blow out right at the beginning. We reached a point then where we ran around a traffic circle and headed back the way we came. Yay downhill!
Then we ended up going through some up and down small hill neighborhood areas. Some people had come out to their front yards and were cheering us on. They had a table of candy and other goodies should we want them at one point. I remember seeing loads of twizzlers. I always hated twizzlers.
After the residential area, we came up on Wake Forest University. This was what ended up being, the biggest hill yet. But luckily a water stop as well. I grabbed a water and kept on trucking. Going through campus was easy. Mostly flat. After rounding through the campus, we were back at the water stop and kept on trucking. Going back through Graylyn estates, I started to pick it up.
By the time I re-entered the residential areas, I was passing people. I felt good. I remember just passing people. And I thought to myself, I wonder if they went out too hard on that first uphill part? I didn't. And I kept trucking. Coming back to where the race started, I had turned on my jets. But wait! The finish was NOT where the start was. It's like, 1/4 mile up the road. So I had to maintain. I ran down a slight hill, and then up and through the chute. A new PR!!!
I was stoked! I finished below 1:40! We were ordered to stay in line as they took our numbers for finishing spots. There was a guy way in front of me who ended up flaking out and the paramedics had to assist with him. Glad I wasn't that guy and I hope he's ok!
Overall, a success to a race I didn't think I'd be running alone. But a new PR. I'll take it!
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