2014 STARS & STRIPES HALF MARATHON REPORT

Almost all of the half marathoners moments before the start of the race at 7:30am.

Pleased to report I had a pretty good race Saturday at the Stars and Stripes Half Marathon. While it wasn't the perfect race, mostly because of my own doing, I was able to fight through it and achieve my main goal by a mere 12 seconds. Like I suspected, the competition was a bit more stiff this year, but I was still able to finish third overall and set a new PR by almost two minutes.

The start of the half marathon! You can see my left shoulder.

If you are Facebook friends with me you might have seen a lot of talk about clam dip. Maybe I am blaming too many bad choices on the clam dip, but it certainly didn't help things. If you are confused, let me back up. The race was on July 5th, meaning the day before was the Fourth of July. I went to a BBQ and ended up eating way too much clam dip. Like probably a thousand calories of clam dip. And probably one too many beers.

That, coupled with five hours of sleep, and I wasn't necessarily setting myself up for great success. I wasn't hungover or anything, but my stomach just hurt and I was afraid of the "result" of all that clam dip and beer. I really should stop sabotaging myself before races, it seems like every other race I am running through some sort of bad decision.

Anyways, my legs felt alright and honestly I didn't feel that bad. So off to the race I went! Woke up at 6:45am, left the house at 7:00, and was at the race by 7:10. Gotta love these local races. Packet pick up was a breeze and after saying hi to the numerous people I knew there, I tried to get toward the front of the starting line so I wouldn't be trapped behind people on the narrow sidewalk at the start. After a few words from the race director we were off shortly after 7:30!

LAP ONE - THIS ISN'T EASY! (24:01, 7:20/mile)

Weeee races are fun!

Lining up toward the front helped this year as I was able to find room and run my pace right from the get go. My friend Glenn from run group was also running this race and we ran the majority of the first two laps together (I kind of pulled away toward the end of the second one). It was nice to have him as company for a while though.

It took me two whole miles before I felt settled in. During those first two miles I felt out of breath and like our 7:20 pace was a sprint. I couldn't believe I was able to do a 5k at 6:38/mile and a 10k at 6:56/mile. This 7:20 pace was killer! I just kept waiting to settle in and was talking with Glenn saying that I hoped this would get easier because at that rate there was no way I could maintain.

Thankfully after two miles I seemed to settle in. For the next four miles or so I actually felt pretty good. The course was exactly the same as last year and I run that park all the time so each lap was kind of like deja vu. While I really like this race, I also appreciate how new scenery can distract me. No surprises here. Just you and your body.

LAP TWO - LITTLE BIT EASIER, BUT FOR HOW LONG? (24:08, 7:22/mile)

Portions of the route had runners going both ways. You can
see Glenn in green behind me. This is lap two.

After the first lap I took a quick stop at the aid station and drank a cup of way too strong Gatorade. It was getting hot outside and I knew I needed to stay hydrated. While this next lap technically took me longer, ten seconds of that was the aid station stop so really I didn't slow down at all. And who am I kidding, seven seconds over the course of 3.28 miles is nothing.

This lap I felt settled in and got into a good groove. While I was feeling good I was really doubting I could maintain it for the entire race. My stomach was a little rumbly and it was getting warm outside. It was only in the mid to high 60s, but parts of the course were in direct sun and it felt a lot hotter, especially at a quick pace. I could hear Glenn laboring behind me so it was nice to know I wasn't the only one struggling with it.

Speaking of Glenn, I loved his company but I also really wanted to make sure I beat him. So I kind of channeled my inner Shalane Flanagan when I heard him breathing harder and almost stepped on the gas a little more. If you've seen the 60 Minutes piece, she "raced" Anderson Cooper and let out a cackle of joy as he began to struggle and she blew past him. Anyways, by the end of the lap I probably had ten seconds on him.

LAP THREE - OKAY, THIS SUCKS NOW (24:24, 7:27/mile)

Is this thing over yet?

I had one and a half cups of water this time around at the aid station. The other half cup went down the back of my neck in an effort to cool off. My strategy of dropping the hammer on Glenn kind of backfired in that I was now all alone. He paused a bit longer at the aid station and the next time I saw him on the course I probably had at least thirty seconds on him.

So it was just me, myself, and I. Those three jokers started to struggle too. As you can see, I pretty much maintained my pace, falling off only 5 seconds a mile, but it was a struggle. The heat and speed were starting to get to me. I just kept telling myself to hold it, it was now less than a 10k, etc. If the course was more shaded I think that would have helped... I was feeling pretty good in the shaded sections but once I got into the sun it was just a little too hot.

Throughout the whole race I was saying hi to the other marathoners and half marathoners I knew running the race. Since the course is a loop with a couple out and backs you had a lot of chances to see people. Toward the end of this lap though I started missing people because my head was down or I was spacing out just grinding along. I'd hear a "Good job Thomas!" and I would shout back "You too!" if I could muster the energy.

LAP FOUR - DON'T BARF OR LOOK AT YOUR WATCH (25:15, 7:42/mile)

Before the final lap I drank a cup of water mixed with sports drink and poured an entire cup of water down my back. This aid station stop was a little longer than the other ones as I was really trying to catch my breath. The race, and the clam dip, was starting to catch up with me. My uneasy stomach plus the heat and pace were starting to make me feel sick. I thought I might throw up and I just wanted it to be over.

Commence death march.

Eventually I came up with a plan. I'd run as fast I could without resorting to vomiting. So I ended up slowing my pace a little bit to make things more comfortable. Part of this plan was also avoiding looking at my watch, because I knew it would freak me out. I had a pretty good idea of where I was time wise, and at this point I could run 8:00/mile and still PR, so I told myself the sub 1:38 was okay to miss given all the things working against me.

I seemed to regain my bearings a bit after a slower mile (7:49). It helped calm things down and the feeling like I needed to barf went from urgent to a nagging concern. I picked it up a little on the second to last mile, clocking a 7:38. Once I was within two miles of the finish line I got a shot of adrenaline because I knew I was almost done. I could hang on for two miles. I could do this!

Anyways, when my watch beeped at mile twelve I did look at it. My overall time basically right on 1:30:00. Meaning I had 8:00 to finish the 1.11 miles. I knew I'd have to run about 7:30 to make that happen. After that glance however, I only looked at my watch maybe twice more to make sure my pace was still okay. I switched away from the page that showed my overall time. Whatever happened, happened.

THE FINISH & AFTERMATH

That last mile I was mostly running on feel. I was running it as hard as I could and the finish line being so close was a huge motivator.  By the time I got to the small hill up to the finish line I started to basically sprint. My body was screaming at me to stop but I could taste the finish line now. There was a group around the aid station table I kind of had to weave around but I was able to negotiate that and fly through the finish line.

Glenn and I at the finish line.

It was over! I did a quick glance at my watch... I hadn't looked at the overall time since it read 1:30:00... and I clocked my time at 1:37:50. I had done it! The official time ended up being 1:37:48. As soon as I confirmed my "A" goal being reached I flopped down in the grassy shade and tried to catch my breath. After a minute or two of huffing and puffing there I stumbled to say hi to my friends who came to cheer.

Anyways, overall it was a really successful race. I beat my previous half marathon PR by 1 minute and 52 seconds, or about eight seconds a mile. Doesn't sound like much, but I could definitely feel I was pushing myself hard right from the get go. My stomach was able to settle down once I got done running even after putting a fatty, sugary Starbucks drink on top of it (thanks Lib!).

Another successful race in the books! After hanging out for almost an hour and a half after finishing to cheer others on I stumbled home and took a nice, warm bath. I hope to prepare myself better for the Crawfish Crawl Half Marathon coming up in a month and maybe shave a few more seconds off, but we'll see. I really need to start focusing on the marathon now.

Official Results: 1:37:48 (PR), 7:27/mile. 3/66 overall, 3/24 male.
Mile Splits: 7:27, 7:19, 7:14, 7:25*, 7:19, 7:19, 7:36*, 7:24, 7:33, 7:58*, 7:49, 7:38, 7:33.
*includes aid station stop time