Monday, April 30, 2018

Eugene Half Marathon: 2018 Edition


I am STILL on a post-race high, so sit down, kick up your feet, and join me for a recap of a seriously great race!! 

Our story begins Saturday morning. I had to go to Eugene for the Eugene Marathon expo. It was quite small, and not really many vendors I was eager to check out. I did pick up some new compression socks for a great price, so that made it all a win. And, as always, I got my free Steve Prefontaine poster to add to the collection. If only I had more wall space available in "my room". The race shirt is alright, but the fit is very strange. It almost feels like a crop top, so I'm not sure how much I will run in it, but we will see. After the expo I hit up Buffalo Wild Wings for some hockey with my mac and cheese. Once back home I was getting things all set so that when my alarm went off at 4am I could easily roll out of bed, into my gear and out the door.

Well, I was up on my own at 3:51am, which is pretty normal before a race. I slept pretty alright considering the nerves and excitement flowing through my body. By 4:45am I was out the door and the only car on the freeway for the majority of my drive. I hit my cruise control to 75 and called it good. It was 55 degrees and dry at home. By the time I arrived in Eugene it was 45 degrees and just stopped raining. Seriously? But I was prepared! I was on edge, hoping I wouldn't miss out on my favorite parking spot. I got the very last one which required me to ... wait for it... parallel park. WHAT?!! Yes, me! And I did it!! Once parked I was able to braid my hair and do the finishing touches of race prep before walking to the race.


Bag check and the potty lines were pretty long, but I made plenty of conversations with the runners around me, so it wasn't that bad. Gear check? Why? I was prepared for a deluge during the run. I came equipped with a small towel and fresh, dry shirt for after. Would I need them? Nope! As per usual, the weather for this race ended up absolutely perfect! Clothing is kind of a big deal for a race this long. You need to think of comfort, function and weather. I opted for my standard compression socks and skirt, with my "I'm ready for rain" hat, arm sleeves for warmth and then a shirt combo I created.... a hot pink tank top under a see through light weight shirt. Odd? Well, the thought was maybe dual layers will keep me dryer if it rains, and also a tad warmer, but not too warm. This was probably my favorite race outfit so far, comfort wise. I felt perfect!

Alright, here we go...


I made my way to the corrals and was happy to be reunited with Tabitha, my teammate at Ragnar last year. We were total strangers, and immediately hit it off while living in a van for a weekend. And now here we were again. She's still super tall!

Before the race I said, "I'm definitely not going to PR or even come close. Or maybe I am really awesome and don't know it!" Obviously I had zero confidence, and I was just there for a enjoyable run and to see if I want to resume my life of running 13.1 miles for fun. We started the race together and that lasted for, oh, a couple tenths of a mile because of crowds. That beginning area is so narrow. Cars line both sides of the street, and some people are there to walk the race, not run. This makes for awful congestion every year. Tabitha was able to slip through some people and get out of the crowd faster than I was. I did see her again later thanks to her bright shirt and her height, but we wouldn't meet up again until the finish line. 

So there I was, on my own, trying to formulate a plan. Run the tangents. Focus only on myself. Take my Clif blocks periodically (2 at mile 3, 2 at mile 6, 2 at mile 9). Save my water bottle for the gels, use the water stops for thirst. Have a banana and not throw it up. Don't fizzle during the last 5K. 


My plan was good I guess, but I didn't end up following it all, but I have good reasons why, and his name is Bill. I first saw Bill right at the start. He was one of the marathon pacers. I decided at the first bit to stay ahead of Bill. I was pretty much in a zone right away. My body felt great. I was running the tangents as planned. I grabbed a quick sip of Gatorade and water at the stops, not letting my pace slow too much, and then went back on my way. I can hardly even tell you about the people around me because this race was only about ME and doing the best I could. I did take those first Clif blocks at mile 3, but never again. I ended up by another marathon pacer for a while. We hit the first big hill and I waved bye bye to that and allowed myself to walk quickly up the hill, saving my legs for the remainder of the race. At the top Bill came up behind me with his small group of people. 


I've never followed a pacer before so I figured why not see what that is all about. Holy cow, he ran so steady - and carrying a sign the whole time! I was impressed. Sometimes I tried to match his footsteps, but he clearly was a little taller and he didn't have to take as many steps as I did to go the same pace and distance. So I stopped doing that and just kept marveling at his abilities. Every time I looked at my Garmin he was the exact same pace as the prior checking. I then began wondering about him. How many tattoos are on his body, because I could see a lot. How old is this guy anyway? If he was running the marathon on his own, what would his pace be? All of these questions made the miles go by. Before I knew it I was passing him with a plan, and 3 more miles had gone by. 

What was the plan? Run a little faster than him so I could safely slow down at the water stop to grab a drink, and know he'd be catching up, and I'd rejoin him. I increased my pace a lot because before I knew it I was beyond mile 7 and running while eating a banana! After that was the steeper hill, and that is when I said farewell to Bill.... or so I thought. I got myself up that hill will some walking and running, and was so excited when I caught up to him yet again! 

That's when I started doing the math. How many miles do I have left? If I go at this pace the whole way, when will I finish? What is my current PR? Can I get a new one? What?? Am I running well enough to even be wondering this?? I realized two things. 1. I didn't know my current PR. 2. No matter what I did at this point I was going to finish way faster than my predicted finish time. 

Around mile 10 I got the courage to run along side Bill and thank him for helping me out and possibly getting me a new PR. I was sad to have to part ways, since the marathon and half marathon courses split from each other. It was all on me now. My least favorite part of the course where my mind always gives out on me, and I was now in charge of keeping the pace by myself. Not gonna lie, it got harder. I knew it was all mental and I kept fighting it. So then I kept pushing. I have no idea where all of this came from. Its like my body was just going along with whatever I told it to do. Around Autzen stadium I tossed my water bottle - I wanted to finish the race with empty hands to grab my medal!


Near mile 12 the marathon course was right next to us again. I started doing major number crunching and realizing that I could not PR because I forgot just how fast my best time was, but I still knew I could pull off a miracle. I was deep in mathematical thought when I heard someone yell "Go Ronda!" That felt pretty awesome. My name is on my bib, did a random stranger choose ME to cheer for out of all these other people? Did she know I really did need it at that moment?? I smiled as I kept going and it wasn't until way after the race I learned it was in fact a friend who was there as an official photographer. Cool!

That last mile may have been my hardest. I wanted to just push it. But I knew I had to keep it under control a little while longer. I didn't want to repeat Prefontaine's Olympics and kick too early and then not get the finish line victory. (Yes, I really do think like that while I'm running. I know I am never going to be even a fraction of the runner he was!)  I ran down the final stretch, seeing the spectators lining the street as I approached the entrance to Hayward Field. This would be my last time entering the Prefontaine era of Hayward Field. I completely tuned out the entire crowd, had a chat with Pre as I really focused ahead and stared at those gates. I CAN DO THIS I said out loud and I charged forward. I stared at that track, enjoying every step and the feeling of it under my feet. I blew by another runner and had the final straight part to myself. I looked up, smiling. I was going to hit my new goal if I continue with this kick and amp it up a bit. I heard my name over the loud speakers and flew through over the finish line.

The new goal I created during the final 5K, I achieved it! You guys, with all this gap of non-serious running because of IVF and pregnancy and a baby ... I still ran my 3rd fastest half marathon! The other two that are faster are from the year I was marathon training. I feel so freaking satisfied. I know there is no way I could have run any better than I did at this race. My mind and body were in sync. I have zero regrets. This was an absolutely incredible race. It wasn't my fastest, BUT I think it was my strongest performance of any half marathon I have done. I don't know what happened!! I hope it happens again!!

Knowing Hayward Field is changing this summer, I was determined to get my photo while I was still on the track, and so I did! Tabitha was just a few paces away from me, recovering from her race, which made meeting up again pretty easy! As we left the track area we were given swag bags with food and a water bottle. I also found free grilled cheese sandwich bites!! Yeah, I totally went through that line 3 or 4 times, grabbing a cookie each time, too. I knew my baby at home would be happy to get her own cookie!

After saying good bye to my friend I wandered around a little more, getting some photos of Hayward Field as it exists now, including the statue of Bill Bowerman. I also became the photographer for some people from Alabama that came just to do this race. They said the trip was definitely worth it!

And for me, this was all definitely worth it. I learned I might love 13.1 miles now more than ever! I look forward to getting back to training, long runs, and picking out the next half marathon to prepare for.

WAIT! I have one thing that I would change and have learned a lesson from. Yeah, so I use Mission 5-Hour Anti-Chafe cream when I do long runs. It goes on my toes (I never blister!), where my shorts hit my inner thighs... and then up higher near an unmentionable area. Where did I forget to put it? Near that unmentionable area. All was fine until I got home, took everything off and got in the shower. OMG! Feel the sting. I could have cried! Lesson learned. So next time I will definitely NOT forget that!

















No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my little blog, your comments rock my compression socks!! ºoº