A big fire was burning keeping us cold runners warm after the race.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My side of the race!
It was a very cold foggy morning. It was colder than I expected it to be but I run better in colder weather, so maybe that's a plus! My husband and I both were going to run the half marathon. We parked at the school and rode the shuttle over to the park. Our friends got there early and parked in the park. The shuttle bus ride was a few miles. We were dropped off in time to use the port a potties before taking off.
Packet pick up was going on over near the finish line. My friends had already picked up our packet, so we were good to go!
9:00 am came quickly. My friends Erika, John and Emily were also running the half with Jerry (my husband) and I.
Eric was running the 10k a half hour later so he took all our extra layers back to the car before he started at 10. It was so cold the tips of my toes felt frozen.
As soon as we started running I forgot about my cold toes. We started on Fish Hatchery Road. It was calm and beautiful. We ran about 3/4 of a mile out, then ran back to where we started. Then kept going out from there. It was a very large loop course. I was worried the short out-and-back may get congested but it didn't at all. The road was plenty wide. As the other runners went by I looked for my friends and gave them all a thumbs up! We were just getting started!!!
I planned on using this race as a faster "tempo" run. I wanted to hold a 8:00-8:10 pace for the first 10 miles, then see how the last 3.1 miles goes when I get there! There was a few inclines in the road but I was doing well. My pace was under an 8:00 and I was feeling pretty good.
About mile 4 there was a water station. I chose not to stop for water. I ran on wondering how long I could keep up this pace.
About mile 7 we turned onto Richardson Gap Road. I felt like there was a slight headwind on the road and I also felt like the elevation was starting to go up. In other words, it was starting to feel hard to keep up my tempo pace.
It was very foggy but that didn't bother me. I just took it mile by mile. Looking for my bib number at every mile marker to see if I won a prize. It was how I kept my brain busy out there all alone. I didn't have anyone close with me this time to pace with. I will typically pick a person or two to pace with during half marathons, but the others were too far ahead or behind for that to work this time.
I saw several farm animals out, even in the foggy coldness! I just kept moving forward. Finally I got to mile marker 10. My tempo run was done. Now I took a minute to talk to myself. Was I going to speed up, slow down, or just maintain the pace into the finish line. I had just over 3 miles left to go.
Since it felt as if we were going uphill slightly, I decided maintaining was the best I could do at the moment.
About mile 11.5 or 12 I took my gloves off. I needed some fresh air to finish strong (I know this sounds silly, but that's how I felt at the time). Soon I saw Eric. He has finished his 10k and was looking for his wife Erika. He took my gloves and I found out he ran his best 10k ever (a PR for Eric)!!! He ran on to find Erika. It was just the boost I needed to finish with a little more kick! Seeing a friend on the course is such a nice thing when you are getting tired!
I went over a beautiful covered bride. A school band was playing and the beat of the drums helped me speed up. I was feeling really good!
Then the last little hill came. There was no more music, my friend was gone...just me and a line of parked cars and a hill!!!! I could hear the announcer at the finish line. Soon, I took a right into the park. There it was, the finish line! Still very foggy and very cold, I was done! I had just PRed by 3.5 minutes! My husband was waiting for me!
He got my jacket and we grabbed an orange and some water. Off we went to look for Erika and John who were hoping to break 2 hrs today for the first time!
I ran into Susan (another running friend) who had finished the half. I always love seeing her at races!
 |
| Erika and John |
 |
| Erika's Sub 2 hr Half Marathon! |
Soon I saw Erika coming around the parking lot! She was MOVING, but I couldn't see the clock to know if she was under 2 hrs or not!
I headed to the finish line and sure enough, she made it, just under 2 hrs. So did her brother John! GREAT job you guys!
 |
| Waiting for awards! I got a 2nd pace ribbon, whoot whoot! |
 |
| Eating potatoes with friends! |
This is a race I would recommend for your 2016 race calender. The price is affordable, its a fundraiser for Lebanon Cross Country team. Its a great country course. It's got a fun finisher atmosphere with fun prizes. It even ends with a meal! The hot potatoes and chili was a nice bonus! This is already on my list for next year with my friends! Hope you can join us!
Race photos can be found here.
Race results can be found here.
Follow me at ZaoFit. If your in the Dallas/Salem area, we often have free group long runs on the weekend.
Happy Running!
~Julie
