2014 Grand Forks Half-Marathon Recap

Call me unoriginal, but I approach every half-marathon the same way: I run the first half conservatively (I call this is my “enjoyment” phase).  I talk to other runners, smile at bystanders, give high fives to every child, whether they request it or not (which results in some confusion, I’ll admit).  And then when mile six hits, I turn it on.  I put my music on, head down, and run as fast as I can.

Please note that I am an ultra-runner, so this means I aim for a 8:27 – 8:30 pace. I am not fast.  I am the tortoise who never beats the hare.

My goal is to run until I feel the pain, and then keep moving, because I think (or at least I tell myself this) we can do anything for less than an hour.  Plus, the faster I run, the faster the race will be over.  Which, at mile ten, is incredibly motivating for me.

This was still my plan for the Grand Forks Half-marathon but in the spirit of “let’s make this interesting,” I decided I would jog to the start.  According to the odometer in my car, it was about 2.5 miles, which seemed like an appropriate warm-up. As per usual on race morning, I took my sweet time drinking coffee, eating breakfast (soy yogurt and gluten-free granola) and then getting dressed, but I ran out of the house at about 7:30 am.  The race began at 8, so this would be plenty of time.

I’m not one for waiting around at the start.  Or, well, waiting period.

I was enjoying my jog until I glanced at my phone to see that it was 7:44.  And I was over a mile from the start. Like most races nowadays, the start was chip-timed, but starting WAY after everyone else seemed boring, so I put myself into a sprint and raced the clock to the start. As I ran down the road that the runners would be coming down in literally minutes, I got some strange looks (and I waved and tried to be funny in various ways) and made it to the start right as the gun went off. Out of breath and thirsty, I headed to the back of the pack and walked to the start while drinking some water.

And then, I started.

I really enjoy starting in the back.  People are a bit more chill there, and I’m not pressured into running too fast, too soon (you know, sort of like a sprint to the start).  I also really enjoyed the first couple of miles.  I’d slowed down considerably from my invigorating warm-up, and it feels good to move past others in a race.  The course is along historic Grand Forks, which is really beautiful, and the course was well-marked.  Call me crazy, but I also try to keep a smile on my face in races, because I think (hope) it’ll inspire the bystanders to run if they don’t already.

This continued until mile seven, when it was time to get serious.  I picked up speed and started hitting my goal pace (8:27).  It still felt good, and the course headed along the Red River, which is beautiful.  But what I didn’t calculate when I decided to run to the start was fuel.  Normally, I won’t eat during a half marathon because it’s less than two hours (my fuel-rules, which only apply to me, so don’t get all upset), but since I ran to the start, I was actually running 18+ miles.

Right on cue, I hit a wall around mile 10 (which was really mile 13), and found myself slowing down.  Luckily, this was also when they had gels at the aid stations, and while I normally avoid those because they make me queasy, I gratefully consumed a vanilla one.  A few minutes later, I felt the sugar hit, and I pushed on.  The second part of the course was running into the headwind and slightly uphill (this course has very few significant hills) but I pushed.

And pushed.

And then, when I was running towards the finish, something happened that has NEVER happened to me before.  I started to feel like I was going to throw up! Now, I know it’s crazy to be excited about a rather disgusting thing like this, but to me, this meant that I was pushing myself beyond what I’ve ever done before.  I embraced the suck, and sprinted towards the finish. Where I did NOT throw up.

But it was a PR, with a 3-mile sprint to warm-up.

And then I jogged my 3 miles home.

Great race with awesome swag (a bright orange pullover that I LOVE), socks, and a nice cup + plus an epic medal. And I’ve heard rumors that next year, we get a marathon!

Finger’s crossed.