From Within Training for the 2012 Boston Marathon: Feb 25 Scenic City Half Marathon, Chatt Tenn. --- Boston 2012

Scenic City Half Marathon

4:00 a.m. alarm has gone off and I am up and getting dressed for my race. Laid everything out the night before so I wouldn't forget anything. Quickly got dressed, grabbed some dry cereal for the ride and Charlie and I headed off to Chattanooga. I was so tired and I was worried about what a two hour car ride was going to do to me. I wanted to be sure that he was going to stay away driving so I was fighting going to sleep until we were about 45 minutes outside of the city. Finally I closed my eyes and sneaked in a power nap. I awoke just as we were pulling into the city. We still had an hour and a half before the race started so we headed back to the Choo Choo hotel where we could wait in the lobby and stretch our legs. Started talking to the manager of the hotel restaurant and shared with him that I came in from Chicago to run this race. He asked if I was hungry and gave me some free food for energy. Nice guy.

It was a sunny day but not as warm as I thought it was going to be. The temperature at start was close to 30 with the wind blowing but I knew that the sun would warm things up as the morning progressed. Running for me in the 30s is always good. I've had some of my best runs in this type of weather. My body responds well to running in shorts at that temperature. Decided on a long sleeve shirt and a Boston knit hat. Ditched the gloves before the start. Found out later that was a mistake. Could have used them. I had lined up for the race towards the very front of the pack and at 8:00 a.m. we waited with baited breath for the sound of the starting gun. What? We are in Tenn and there is no gun to shoot at the start? Unheard of. So, they did the next best thing. They started it with a famous familiar slogan, "Ready, Set, Go". No kidding. That was how they started the race. Ok. No big deal. Didn't want to get caught behind anyone that wasn't sure what pace they were going to run. I knew that I was going to try and run an 8 or 8:10 pace and I didn't want anything to get in the way. As we headed down the first hill we made a quick right turn and were on our way. I knew that my pace was quick, I just wasn't aware of how much until someone yelled out, "that was a 7:14 mile". 7:14? Oh noooo, I need to slow down. So, I pulled back a little bit but then told myself, to run the way my body felt. As long as I wasn't hurting and the pace felt comfortable, keep this speed and see how far I could go. I was so focussed on the keeping my pace under 8:10 that the miles just flew by. Coach told me to break the race up into quarters and that was exactly what I did. The course was full of rolling hills and had a 1 mile hill around mile 9 that was crazy steep. The best part about running up the hill was that I knew once I was at the top, I would have a 5k left. When I did my two mile warm-up before the race, I ran it out and back on the last mile of the course. So, when I got to mile 12, I knew exactly how much further I had to go and where I could push myself to the finish. I checked my watch and knew that if I kept going this fast, I would PR. With a strong push to the finish I crossed the line and read my time; 1:42:31. A new PR.

I texted my husband and coach to share the good news. I could not believe how good I felt and how fast I ran. With a quick check of the results board I saw that I had finished first in my age group. WoW! That was a big surprise. The race was fun, hilly, challenging and best of all, well organized. I would definitely come back and run it again.

Choo Choo Train, Choo Choo Hotel

Lucky Mizuno Shoes-Thanks Finchie.

After the race.

First In Age Group

1/2 Marathon Medal

I always think that the best way to test your training is to put it to use and race. This race showed me that all of the effort and training I have put forth is working. My body and mind have gotten stronger and I am looking forward to continuing to work on getting ready for Boston.

Mile Times for Half Marathon

Mile 1 7:36

Mile 2 7:22

Mile 3 7:39

Mile 4 7:28

Mile 5 7:35

Mile 6 7:52

Mile 7 8:05

Mile 8 7:54

Mile 9 8:33

Mile 10 7:48

Mile 11 8:00

Mile 12 8:09

Mile 13 7:51

.1 :31

Total Time 1:42:31 New PR Previous PR 1:46:36

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My afternoon recovery was spent taking a tour of the University of Tenn campus with Charlie and Beth. So cool, saw the football stadium up close, rode on a campus car, saw some academic buildings and enjoyed the fresh air. A great afternoon. Took Charlie and Beth out to dinner and walked around the downtown market area. And, to top it off, went to a party that night and celebrated the day with some champagne and met a lot of new people. It was a great day and by the time my head hit the pillow at 11:30, I was exhausted and looking forward to sleeping in.