Half Marathon #3: The Armadillo Dash

Family, friends, countrymen:

Please, do not be alarmed by back to back posts. I warned you that this was coming (if you read my last post, you would know).

So I want to touch on a few things that I didn't mention in my previous post. The first and most import, I got new shoes! Better yet, I got two pairs of new shoes. And compression socks. So many things! I might love one pair of my shoes more than the other, though. My Newton Lady Isaac shoes may be the best things that have ever happened to me. My Nike Free Run shoes are the first pair of Nike's I've owned in over ten years. I am pleased with both, but the Newton shoes are lovely.

Wow. That was boring. Onto the race!

The Armadillo Dash takes place in College Station, TX. I managed to convince my dad that he had to run it with me, too. Yay, moral support! This year was the Armadillo Dash's 6th year in existence. Naturally, you would think they would have all the little kinks figured out by now. This race was hands down the most disorganized disappointment of an event in which I have ever had the misfortune of participating. Ok, maybe not ever, but you get my point. My dad and I stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in College Station the night before the race. We woke up and left with plenty of time to get to the starting line. My dad estimated that we would arrive about 30 minutes early. He estimated wrong. Traffic was so congested that we sat in it for over an hour. The race started at 7am. We didn't even get to the starting line until 7:35am. Yes, you read that correctly. We were 35 minutes late to the start of our race. Fortunately, I had my GPS and that nifty little electronic time chip most races have you attach to your shoe; therefore, I was able to at least keep track of my time and pace.

Half the fun in participating in these monthly half marathons is the opportunity to run a race. No one would care if I ran 13.1 miles on my own one Saturday morning. I wouldn't care. Races are so official. Somehow, they matter, even if only to the people running them. I ran cross country and track in high school. Something about being at the start line with all the other runners gets your adrenaline going. You all experience this sense of anticipation as you wait to hear the gun signal the race start. That energy is exciting. That energy makes these races fun. I missed out on that experience last weekend, and that was disappointing.

However, I would like to mention that I knocked ten minutes off my time in only two weeks. Yes, that is correct, I dashed the Armadillo Dash in 1:59:01. So I actually knocked almost eleven minutes off my previous time. Go me. No tightness, no painful final mile, no disappointing finish. I felt great. After the Rhythm & Blues race, I couldn't even think about the Armadillo Dash. After the Armadillo Dash, I felt fresh and energized. Ok, not really. I was pushing so hard through those last few miles that I skipped the water stations...which would have been fine, except those super smart race coordinators ran out of water at the finish line. I repeat, they RAN OUT OF WATER AT THE FINISH LINE. This race wasn't some silly 5K (no offense meant to 5K runners), this was 13.1 miles. People are going to be THIRSTY when they finish. I was wandering around like a mad person at the finish line. I was pushing people and bumping into them. I wasn't walking straight. All I could think about was my quest for water. I almost thought about running back to the last water station on the race course. (I didn't really consider doing that). I couldn't focus on anything else. My dad (who still managed to finish before me) and I immediately hopped in our car and drove to the nearest gas station. I then proceeded to enjoy the best tasting water ever to have touched my lips. What a delightfully refreshing experience that was.

This race was a unique experience. I doubt I will ever run the Armadillo Dash again, but I am pretty pleased with my time. For half marathon #4, I shall return to St. Louis. The race takes place April 15. I have six weeks to prepare. The St. Louis marathon was the first marathon I ever ran. I remember the course being pretty tough with plenty of gradual hills. I am mentally and physically preparing myself for those hills. I also get to visit all my old college friends who have made wonderful promises of beer coolers at the finish line. Needless to say, I'm excited for many reasons.

Get ready, St. Louis, y'all remember what happens when I come to town. 

Half Marathon #2: Rhythm & Blues

Salutations, friends!

My pops before the race.

This post is about three weeks late, but you know what they say: better late than never! Life has been so busy lately that I can't seem to find a spare moment to even update my blog. But never fear, my slacker tendencies haven't extended to my running. It's been quite the opposite, actually. Those of you who know me understand how much I hate waking up early. Consider a testament to my commitment that I have been waking up at 6am to squeeze my runs in pretty regularly. Now onto the reason you actually read my blog (maybe)...

The Rhythm & Blues half marathon took place on February 19 in downtown Houston. I have to admit, I was a little excited to be running in my home town. I had these fantasies that all of my friends were going to wake up, make signs, and cheer me on as I ran those 13 miles. But alas! I then remembered all of my friends are in their twenties and probably went to bed only a few hours before I woke up. Oh well, that's why we have parents. 

This race had its ups and downs. Literally. I never realized how many "hills" Allen Parkway had. (Houston joke!) Back on track: the best part about this race was that my dad ran it with me. Running is our thing and it was really nice to have him standing next to me at the starting line. I twisted my ankle (i.e. had a rough fall) running at Memorial Park the weekend before the race so my main goal was not to hurt myself any more. I started the race a little faster than I intended. I was feeling pretty good though so I decided just to roll with it. The race consisted of a 4ish mile loop along Allen Parkway. Three loops around allowed runners to become familiar with the course without making the course too monotonous. Once I hit the halfway point, I started to slow down. My ankle wasn't really giving me trouble but my knees were a little sore from the pavement pounding. The race became increasingly difficult. That last mile was brutal. My hips tightened up and all I could think about was how much I didn't want to be running. I felt like I was crawling past the finish line. The experience reminded me of a cross country race my freshman year of high school. Haley, Adrienne, and I were the very last three people to finish the Rice University race. The memory makes me laugh. After finishing that high school race at Rice, all I could think about was how I never wanted to run again. The feeling I experienced at the end of the Rhythm & Blues race was similar. I hurt so bad in so many places. Fortunately, beer was available at the finish line. My mother, who had been moving along the course cheering for me all morning, was waiting to congratulate me. Despite feeling absolutely miserable, I ran the race in 2:09:54, thus knocking a solid 2 1/2 minutes off my previous time. Success! 

Pops and me post-race with our finisher's medals

My father, a seasoned marathoner, clocks a 1:57 half marathon these days. I haven't told him yet, but halfway through the year he is going to be pushing himself to keep up with me. 

I even have pictures from this race! Don't get too excited though...I haven't uploaded them onto my computer yet. But once I load those puppies, you can feel like you were right there running beside me. Half marathon #3 has already come and gone, as well, so I will be posting my reflections on that race before the end of the weekend. And I really will, do not let my past failures lead you to doubt me. The story of number 3 is better told sooner than later!

Ciao bellas. 

My momma hangin' out with me as I sip my post-race beer.