At 3:45am on race day the alarm sounded and after a quick breakfast we set off for race HQ to get things set up. I was signed up to help with Registration at 5:30am, but as Elizabeth needed to be there at 4:45am and given what had happened at Early Packet Pickup, I knew I was going to be needed earlier.
We arrived at 4:40am and began setting up the tables for Registration and Timing Chip Pickup. I ran around for the next 50 minutes getting things ready and searching for lost race numbers (a genius had decided to mix the Half Marathon and 10K race numbers together). I took two sections of the Half Marathon Registration and handed out race numbers until 6:30am. Finally it was time to prepare for the race!
It was a warm (65F, 17C) morning with high humidity (over 85%) - certainly not good running conditions. I had hydrated well all morning which I knew would help me deal with the humidity better than some other races I had run in the past, but I knew it would be tough with the hills on the course. I lined up near the front of the 700 runner Half Marathon field, and soon we were under way. I wore my breathable hat (that I got at the Shamrock Half Marathon), a singlet and shorts, knowing that I would be covered in sweat quickly - and I was right. Within half a mile I could feel my body temperature rising and the sweat forming. I was glad I had my hat on to keep it out of my eyes.
The first mile passed in 7:17, which I wasn't too worried about as I seem to always have a fast first mile. The next few miles were rolling hills, and the group I was running with run down the hills quickly (leaning forward as you go downhill makes you go faster with not much effort) so I was happy with 7:49, 7:41, 7:24, 7:37. At each water station I had been dumping a cup of cold water over my head in an attempt to keep myself cool. There were water stations at about 1 mile, 2.5 miles and 4 miles and at about 4.5 miles the first giant hill came in to view. I stayed with the group I had been running with and we made our way up the long twisty, turning hill in fairly good time. As I neared the top of the hill, I was ready for another cold water shower, but the water station was about .75 of a mile away. I think this was about the time my race began to unravel.
I finally made it to mile 6 and the turn around with a split of 8:40 (just under 46:30 for the first 6 miles) and I dumped the water over my head. As I made the turn, I began to feel drained for the first time and all of a sudden my legs felt heavy. Mile 7 had a slight downhill and the split of 7:35 is misleading as I knew I was dragging. Just after the 7 mile mark is the other giant hill on the course. It is long and steep and I quickly realized I didn't have anything left to get up the hill - the hills had already drained my legs, and I was only just past half way!
I walked/ran up the hill, hoping that taking a rest would allow me to run the rest of the race. I took on water and Gatorade and my watch beeped a 10:20 mile split at the top of the hill. The rest of the race is probably best described as a hard mental/physical battle against the hills and a lack of energy. Fast forward, and splits of 8:48, 8:27, 8:53, 8:39 and 9:47 took me to the finish line in 1:50:28 - which I am happy with.
Looking back at my race, I realized a few things:
1. I am not experienced with running on hills and I need to address that before the Marine Corps Marathon (as that course has some big hills as well).
2. I didn't deal with the humidity very well. High humidity (like heat), makes the body work harder, which increases heart rate, which increases body temperature. The only real way to address this is to become fitter, which results in the body being more efficient, a lower heart rate and a lower body temperature.
3. I didn't have a goal to push me along. This is just a fact. I knew a PR was out of reach on the hilly course and although I wanted to get around the 13.1 miles as quickly as I could, I didn't have the mental desire to push really hard when my legs felt heavy and I was drained at the 8 mile mark.
So, with all that said, this next statement might sound strange... but I loved the course and I can't wait to run this race next year. I plan to run on hills more often (I want to run this course at least once every three weeks from now until the Marine Corps Marathon) and now I have a goal time to beat (1:50:28).
My race finished at 8:50am, and I grabbed some refreshments, cheered on some friends and chatted for a while. At 10am I made two trips with a truck out to Water Station #1 and loaded up the used and unused water containers, coolers tables, chairs and trash and unloaded them back at Race HQ. The 40lb water containers felt more like 60lbs now!
I managed to watch some of the awards ceremony and then went out in the big truck to Water Stations 2 and 3 to break them down and bring back the supplies. We returned to race HQ at around 12:30 and unloaded what felt like another 50 40lb water containers still full of water. After a quick lunch with the race director, we moved tables, chairs, water containers and trash to the lower level of Race HQ and packed up the truck with the shed supplies. As the truck pulled out for it's journey back to the shed at around 3pm, Elizabeth and I returned home and I took a long relaxing bath!
Elizabeth did a fantastic job as volunteer coordinator and I am very proud of her for not only getting involved in my hobby, but doing such a great job!
I really enjoyed volunteering at the race, and I certainly learned how much goes in to organizing a race. It was a long weekend, but it was great to be a bigger part of a race than just a runner and the race director and other members of the NCRC were certainly appreciative of our efforts.
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