I had a rough first 5 miles but then we got to the bridge. The bridge was phenomenal. The slight incline was just what I'd been training at on my treadmill and the slight decline was perfect for speeding me along at a sub 11 min/mile. I made up a great deal of time on the bridge. With as tough of a course as it was, I managed to finish in under 3 hours, my fastest Rock n' Roll half ever!
My second race of April was the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon. Another tough, hilly course. What was I thinking?! For some reason, I thought this race was just great last year... But this year it seemed so tough! I'd like to blame it on some icky GI issues that started at mile 9, causing me to walk most of that mile until the aid station restroom at mile 10.25. I calculate that I lost a total of about 13 minutes due to the walking and the pit stop. I was on pace to beat last year until mile 9. Oh well, there's always next year, right? It was a really perfect day to be running though. The tulip festival was in full swing and the course was very pretty.
See the girl in blue? I heard people on the sidelines yelling "Go Emily, go! You can take her!" As I heard footsteps pounding up behind me, I realized I was the "her" that was to be taken! I couldn't let that happen, even as tired as I was, so I kicked it into gear and fought hard for the win. I've never been challenged at the finish line like that before, it was kind of fun. We high fived after; Emily is a good sport :)
As far as training goes, I'm doing pretty well on working up to my next marathon in June. I managed a solid 19 miler last Saturday, finishing it in 4:04:48, all on the treadmill even. I've also started with a personal trainer to round out my cross training. I go three times per week and I think it's making a difference. I know that if I can correct all the imbalances in my body, it will improve my running, and that's all that matters, right? I've got another half next weekend, one of my favorites. Just wait until you see the medal! I'll keep you wondering until next blog about what it is. Until then, happy running!
