Pi River Rotation Half Marathon

After training for 10 weeks, I was ready for race day. I had put in the time, training and miles. I stopped eating out and drinking. I knew the trail where my first half marathon was going to be.  I prepared the night before my race by enjoying a spaghetti meal with my family. I tried hard to get sleep before the race. I woke up on time with everything I needed ready to go. Plus, the weather turned out to be perfect. It was in the 40’s and misting.

Before race photo with my dad.

 

            My parents and I arrived 40 minutes early, just in time to see the 5K racers come in. I started to see some familiar faces of people that I had met along the journey of training this race. Many of them were Trail Hawks. My heart was beginning to pound as each minute got closer to the start of the race. I ate my honey stinger to get my prerace nutrition going and made my way to the starting line. Other participants started to gather for the start of the race. My friend, who believed I could do this race, suddenly pushed me to the back of the runners and told me to stay there. It was so “I wouldn’t go out like an asshole” and blow all my energy in the beginning miles of my first official half marathon.

            As the race director counted us in, we all started running like a heard of gazelles down into the trail. The race is set up so that you loop around three times. First you run it counter clockwise and then clockwise and then a smaller loop counter clockwise. The first loop I stayed behind the back of the pack, only passing people when they stopped to walk or just slowed their pace. The rain from the night before left the trail tacky in some spots and a few puddles here and there, but nothing that was serious problem during the run. Half way through the first loop I ran into a friend that I had just got to know the weekend before during a preview run of the race. She is a Trail Hawk. I was happy to know someone that I knew and could converse a little with during part of the race. I was so inspired by her since she ran both the 5K and the half back to back. I stuck with her and a few others until almost the end of the second loop.

            At the very end of the loop there is a part of the trail that has three hills. Some call it the bunny hills, some call it the pointless ups and downs. I like to think of it as the place where you run fast so that your momentum will keep you going for the next hill. As soon as I reached that point in the end of the first loop I took off, passing all the people that were in front of me. After that the trail leads into a clearing where my parents were waiting with signs to cheer me on. I forgot to tell them that I was running the first loop slow. My mom screamed “Run faster,” and I did. I passed the aid station without stopping and began the clockwise loop. I passed my parents again and went through the pointless ups and downs. That second loop I flew through the trail. I passed several people and it ended up being my fastest loop. I saw my friend further off on the trail and it pushed me to go faster to try and catch up.

 

Photo of me as I completed the first loop of the Pi River Rotation.

 

            As I started my last loop I realized there wasn’t a lot of people for me to pass. At the beginning of my final loop I got side stiches on my left side, which was so weird since I hadn’t had that problem during training. It went away after five minutes, but it slowed me down. And with no one in sight for me to catch I was on my own for most of the third loop. As I was reaching the pointless ups and downs, my friend came running toward me. He had finished already and was coming to see where I was and to help me finish. It took me so much by surprise, it through me off a little bit as I was getting tired. He was saying all these encouraging things to get me to the finish. It felt like one of those moments when a mother is giving birth to a child and the husband is trying to be comforting to the wife, but the wife is like “Fuck you, you got me into this” moments as this was the same friend who said it was possible for me to do this half marathon.  Then we hit the clearing and all I had to do was run to the finish line and get my pie. I had been eyeing this s’mores pie ever since the race director put it on Facebook.  As I approached the finish line I could see all of my family was there. They had cowbells, signs and were cheering me on. I didn’t have much left to push me at the point, but what I did have I used to get me to the finish.

A picture of me seconds away from finishing the race.

 My awesome supporters!

Here are my results of my first half marathon:

• I finished in 2:07:25, which was better than my original goal of 2:15
• I finished third in my age group
• I finished 23^rd overall
• I finished 8^th out of females
• I finished one slice of s’mores pie

            It was amazing to see all my family waiting for me at the finish line. I couldn’t ask for a better family! It was a moment I don’t ever want to forget. I accomplished something that I had never tried. I ran on trail, which is much tougher than road. I had run my farthest distance yet. It was a great moment for me. I even have video to remember it. I am so happy I choose this as my first half marathon. The pie was worth it all!