Diva Half Marathon Race Recap!

On April 29, 2019
By Virjinia
4 Comments

Good Morning and Happy Monday! It is a very happy Monday indeed because I got my PR yesterday! While it wasn’t 100% the race I planned for, I was still able to meet my goal and I’m so very happy about that!

My awesome friend Elizabeth went to support me and I am so very grateful for her. She drove and we just chatted. It kept me from freaking out or getting into my head early on. She also met me on course and gave me the push (gentle, loving shove) I needed to keep going when things started getting a bit rough.

The race was quite a bit early on Sunday so I made sure to set everything out and check that I had all my gear on Saturday night. I forced myself to go to bed early since I needed to be up, eat breakfast, and lather myself up with sunscreen. The race takes place on Galveston island with a good chunk of the course on the seawall. It’s early enough in the race that the sun isn’t beating down on us but there’s plenty of sun.

The weather was cool before the race started. I think it was in the high 60s with wind coming off the water of course. The humidity wasn’t quite terrible yet but I knew it was coming. I warmed up and did the best I could to just have a good mindset. Elizabeth helped with that and it was good to tell her my race plan. I tend to get loopy when I’m out on a course for too long so it’s not uncommon for me to forget my paces (I used to write them on my hand) or completely forget my plan all together so it was good to talk it out. Soon, the national anthem played and we took off! I was in the first wave and actually in the near the front of the pack.

As we took off, I settled into a comfortable pace. There were a group of guys I ran with for the first four miles. I wasn’t necessarily working hard to stick with them, I just fell into my rhythm and they were there. We made the turn onto the seawall and we were met with the sun coming up over Galveston Bay. I’m not a huge fan of the beaches of Galveston because I’ve seen California beaches. However, it was a very cool sight to see and my music at that moment was perfect. At this point, I was averaging 8:30-8:40 minute miles.

Here’s where it started to get spicy. After the seawall, the course takes a turn into a residential area. By this time it’s around 7am so the sun is getting HOT. There is also little shade and ALL road (asphalt) running. Mile 8 is when the wheels started coming off. This course is the same I’ve done before so I don’t know why I thought this part would be any different. However, seeing Elizabeth twice and getting the pep talk I needed kept my pushing. I will admit I took a few walk breaks to breathe because I kept getting chills (I was dehydrated) and just felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. Texas heat is BRUTAL and can sneak up on you.

At this point, I can’t do math because I’m convinced that I’m dying. So dramatic but true. My sub 2 felt out of reach but then a fellow runner caught me and she’s like “No, you have two miles left. Come on!” It was the motivating push I needed. We stuck together and my mind cleared up a bit. Don’t get me wrong, my legs were cramping, I was getting all the signs of dehydration but I still had to get back one way or another so I just kept pushing. As I hit mile 12, I did the math (I totally used my fingers) and I realized that there was a slim chance for sub 2. I pushed everything I had out of my body as I made the turn and sprinted through the finish line.

The announcer said that we were officially in the sub 2 club and I was so happy. However, in my effort to sprint it out, my stomach was so not happy with me. I crossed the finish line and immediately got sick. I’ll spare the details but it wasn’t fun. First Aid got to me and I got in the shade and began to sip water. Elizabeth came and found me in the tent to make sure I was okay. Then we saw that my watch said 1:59 so maybe I had done it after all!

Once I was cleared, I went to get my medal and I was very happy to be done. I saw that runner again and gave her my thanks for keeping me going. It’s so dang awesome to be motivated by strangers on the course and I was so thankful for her. She showed up in the nick of time! Once Elizabeth and I were in the car, I checked my results. My official time was 1:59:19 and I CAME IN FIRST IN MY AGE GROUP! I refreshed the page countless times and totally felt like it was a mistake. Elizabeth told me that it was very possible and that I should be happy. After the shock wore off, I was so dang happy guys. It’s wild because it’s something that I could have never imagined doing and sure it enough! With all the work I’ve put it in during this short training cycle, I’m so happy that it paid off.

I took it easy for the rest of the day and naturally woke up early today. Did 20 minutes on the bike to get the blood flowing and get recovery going. Will be taking it easy this week and then plotting my next race. It will be nice to see how I improve over the summer and what a fall race will bring! I’m so happy with how the race went and I met my goal! I learned a few lessons but I wouldn’t change any of it!