O2 Fitness Charleston Half Marathon 2020

O2 Fitness Charleston Marathon 10 year anniversary

Beginning the year with a Half Marathon is certainly a new tradition I could get used to.  The runner's high is amazing and addicting!!

My alarm went off at 4:45am and I immediately thought to myself "why do I sign up for these races?" but I know exactly why I sign up.  I snoozed my alarm once and it felt like I blinked and it went off again, so I got out of bed, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and began stretching.  I've been struggling with my IT band on my right side for a few years and it's all due insufficient stretching and foam rolling.  Note to anyone reading this: stretch and stretch some more.  My race gear was laid out so I jumped into my clothes and made sure to take some ibuprofen.  Start time was at 7:30am, so I had to make sure I was ready and out of the house no later than 6:15am. 

I arrived at the parking lot on Hagood Avenue at 6:45am, parked and took a deep breath.  I walked over to Burke High School which is where the start line was and found a slightly quiet corner to stretch and relax as much as possible.  I had about 30 minutes until start time, so I turned on my meditation app and began breathing and focusing on being mindful in the moment; something new I'm working on.  Everyone was laughing, talking, and moving around, but I managed to tune them out as much as possible.  At 7:15am, I walked outside and made my way to the start line.  Everyone was so excited and taking selfies and group pictures; I was just happy people watching.  There was a light mist falling, but the temperature felt wonderful and at 7:30am, it was time to go!

I usually get caught up in the hype of taking off too fast which hurts me later, especially running longer distance races.  Today, I paid close attention to my pace for the first 2 miles and once I was warm, I just continued at that pace because I felt comfortable.  While running through Hampton Park, I dropped my protein bar without noticing and with all of those runners around me, no one tried to tell me; oh well.  When I was running down Lockwood Drive I noticed my protein bar was not in my pocket, but it was too late so I kept moving along down to the Battery and all the way down King Street.  Not too many spectators out, but thankfully my playlist was on point and kept me happily moving along.  I couldn't believe when my Nike app kept telling me I had completed another mile; I thought something was wrong with it, but it was functioning just fine.  I was just very comfortable and felt great!  Crowd support so important during races.  I love to see people be silly and having fun while cheering us on.  Here is a clip from mile 6 on King Street:

By mile 7, my belly was growling and I had no snacks on me so I knew I had to stop and drink at every water station to stay hydrated; it worked.  Last year, there was a small hill around mile 11 that looked like a giant mountain to me, but only because I did not train correctly.  As I approached it, I stopped running and walked over it because my hips were hurting so bad and I didn't want to push any harder than necessary.  However, this year, I knew it was coming and I was determined to run over it and I did!!!  I was so proud for pushing myself mentally and physically over it and it also appeared to be much smaller than I remembered.  Being familiar with the course certainly helped.  

There was a young lady who kept running next to me or slightly ahead of me the last 2 miles and I knew I had to beat her crossing the finish line because she made it a point to not let me pass her.  Yes, I'm petty like that, but apparently, so was she.  I usually pick someone every race I must beat and today, after her behavior, she was my target!  I let her stay ahead of me keeping my eye on her and as we turned into the park, I knew the finish was just up ahead, so I took off.  Apparently, I still had a lot of energy in my tank to push harder in the end and yes, I blew right by her.  Once I crossed the finish line and got my medal, she walked by me and I just smiled at her and she smiled back.  Good sportsmanlike conduct on both ends.  

In an effort to be completely transparent, here are my finish times:
Nike app 2:29:32 (paused because I stopped to stretch twice)
Apple Watch 2:34:22
Chip time 2:36:13

Although my finish time was similar to all my other half marathons, I believe this is the first time I still felt strong in the end.  I was very pleased with my run and I know strength training was a huge factor.  Running is great, but you have to incorporate resistance training and build your core to be a strong runner.  I've learned so much over the past few years and I'm finally able to put all of that knowledge into practice.  I'm excited and looking forward to my upcoming races of 2020...let the training continue! 

#JQRuns