Sunday, July 6, 2014

Cellcom half marathon weekend

In mid-May it was time for me to run my third half marathon. The race took place in Green Bay and is close to home which meant no overnight stay to get to the start line in time.  This was nice because packing a family of 5 up for the weekend can add a little too much stress to the equation.  I had signed up for this race less than a week after I finished the princess half. My husband laughed at me when I told him I had registered because on the bus back to the hotel after running at Disney I said I wasn't going to do another half until August when I was scheduled to run the Madison Mini. This weekend was a bit different than other race weekends as I was walking the 5k on Saturday and then running the half on Sunday.  I had lost a lot of focus between my first half marathon and Disney so I was worried about this race. I trained hard, put in the work and when race day came I needed to trust my training.

I did the 5k with my daughter and sister in law. My daughter wanted to experience a 5k but wasn't ready to run the distance so I said I would walk the 5k with her and she recruited her aunt to join us. It was a nice day and the temperature was about as perfect as you could want. My husband was running the race as well so we sent him on his way to the front of the start area because I knew he was pushing for a PR in the 5k. It was a slow start but we were walking and having fun so we moved out of the way so those running could easily get around us. My daughter, who is 10, had never done this distance before so I wasn't sure what to expect from her. Before we knew it we hit the first mile mark and I high fived my daughter and we kept pushing on. Then we hit the two mile mark and we were approaching Lambeau field.  I had checked my phone and saw the alert that my husband had finished the race. He got his PR! After we got another quarter mile in, we were making the turn towards the stadium and knew we would be headed through the players tunnel and headed onto the field for a lap around the field.  My sister in law is a HUGE packers fan so I sent her and my daughter in ahead of me. I do have to say it was a cool experience to run through Lambeau Field even though I am not a football fan. We finished in about 51 minutes and had a blast.
Outside of Lambeau at about 2.25 miles into the race. 

The three of us before the race

On Saturday night I got all my race stuff ready. It was a long day as we had an all day tennis meet for our oldest daughter after we were done at the 5k. When she was done, I headed home to hydrate and properly fuel up for the next morning.
My race day outfit
 We arrived at Lambeau field about an hour before the race started and headed in to use a real bathroom.  While waiting in line I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in years. She was going to be running her first half marathon that day.  I was excited for her! My hubby went to the car and the kids and I headed to gear check.  As we went to gear check I felt some raindrops and knew that meant my mother in law was watching over me that day. I tried to calm my nerves but the start line always makes me a bit anxious. The gun went off and we were headed out. It was slow going at first but my strategy was to head out slow and take scheduled walk breaks from the beginning to keep me fresh.
About a quarter mile into the race

Waiting for the race to start

The first few miles went well and I was holding a steady pace. I was hoping for a PR that day and I knew if I kept that pace I would get my PR. The first few miles are a bit tough because sometimes I start out too fast and I pay for it at the end. My husband had taken the kids to mile 3.8 where there was an aid station so they could cheer me on. The kids were playing in the park so I didn't see them here but I did see my husband waiting for me. I stopped for a moment at that point, took a gu, drank a bit of water and gave my hubby a quick kiss before I continued on.

Not sure what is going on here but I think my husband was chasing me with the camera

The next few miles were pretty uneventful and was continuing at an steady pace. I took another energy gel at about mile 8 and shortly after that they were handing out freeze pops. This was a great treat because the sun had broken through the clouds and it was getting really warm out. At about mile 10 we hit a monster hill and I was thinking to myself "what the heck, they said the course was flat".  I walked the hill to conserve energy and as I was nearing the top I ran into my friend. I ran the next few miles with her and I was seriously zapped of energy. I had another energy gel but didn't take it and looking back that was a mistake. During my training I didn't practice my fueling strategy and this was a critical mistake as well. I was guessing at what was going to work for me and I miscalculated.  Since it takes me a bit longer than some to do a half marathon I need a little more energy than others do. This is just how my body works and need to recognize what works for some doesn't work for others. 

Next we hit mile 12 and shortly after we were making our way to the stadium. I was tired and hot at that point. I knew I was slowing down and wasn't sure if I was still on track to get my PR but I was still going to try. My family was in the stadium waiting for me but I didn't see them. We made our lap through Lambeau and headed out of the players tunnel and were headed back out of the stadium.  I knew the finish was close so I did all I could to get that PR.  I had taken my headphones out so I wasn't hearing the alerts every quarter mile telling me how far into the race I was which had me worried I wasn't going to get my PR.  


Coming through Lambeau
The finish line was in sight. I saw the clock and knew that that PR was mine. I gunned it across the finish line and completed half marathon number three. I felt pretty tough as I came across that finish line. I got my medal from a super sweet volunteer and it took all I had not to hug her and start crying. There is something so emotional about crossing the finish line that does it to me. Every. Single. Time. I got my gear and met my husband and kids. I knew I needed to sit down because I wasn't feeling so hot. I found a curb to sit on while my hubby got me Gatorade and my oldest let my parents and sister where they could find us. After sitting for a few minutes I got up so we could head out but felt really dizzy so I sat back down. My dad and sister got me fruit while my hubby went to get me water and more gatorade. After the fluids and fruit I was feeling much better.  I was slightly dehydrated and in hindsight I probably should have made my way to the medical tent but I am stubborn.  

All in all it was a great weekend and it is a race I would do again. Next year the 5k falls on my birthday so I have already told my family that is what we are doing for my birthday. 

My oldest and I after the race as I try to recover


My sister, dad, mom and I after the race

With my medal


My daughters and beautiful niece. My daughter wearing the Minnesota hat didn't want to be in the picture but my hubby decided she should be in it anyway.  Love that expression on her face



My hubby and I. 






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