I did it. I ran one of my dream half marathons!
The Austin Half Marathon!
After training at White Rock Lake and Flag Pole Hill for months, waiting for work to approve a day off so I could get my packet, and
obsessively watching monitoring the weather for more than a week I was going to Austin to be 1 of 15,000 runners to be part of the 24th Austin Marathon and Half Marathon! Other than my trip to Tyler, TX for the Tyler Rose Half this is by far the biggest destination run I've done thus far! Exciting!
(I'm going to be use in the exclamation point " ! " a lot in this post, so be prepared!).
TRAVEL
I am uber thankful to have my pit crew (aka mom) to drive from Dallas down to Austin for me. That meant I could snooze and adjust my sitting position as much as I could during the 3.5+ hr drive! Surprisingly, the roads were clear until we hit north Round Rock, which was unusual because I never experience traffic for no apparent reason in that area (and I lived there for 12 years!). And, of course, there was traffic when you got closer to downtown Austin. The real traffic really began when we tried to get to the Palmer Event Center for packet pickup! Wow!
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8 minutes my foot! It was more like 15, at least!
P.S. - The Long Center is next door to Palmer Event. |
MARATHON MARKETPLACE
The Marketplace was a hoppin' place! Packet Pickup was quick and easy. They organized it by race then bib number. What goodies did I get in my packet?
- Race shirt
- I got a Women's Large and it isn't to snug! Yay!
- Bib
- Safety Pins
- Event booklet
- contains info on pre-race events, spectator info, and the all-important race day course, start line staging and finish chute and fun stuff!
- Clif bar sample
- Vitamin samples
- Men's Collagen
- Gummy vitamins for kids
- Where's the stuff for women???
- All of this came in your clear Gear Check bag
- This is the only type of bag accepted at Gear Check
We walked the vendors, which was fewer than what I was expecting. We bought some Nuun. I bought some new shirts that I can wear whenever
(they're a bit big on me, but good to lounge in after a run).
THE HOTEL AND ROOM
I was extremely fortunate enough to have a friend pay for my hotel room
(thank you, thank you, thank you!) - and it was the
Austin Hilton (next door to the Austin Convention Center). Uber nice.
Our room was on the 17th floor and had a skyline view! Wow!
Just on the other side of the icicle style Frost Bank tower is where I'll be staging myself for the race!
The bed is one of the most important thing that I rate whenever I travel, especially when I need to run. The beds were actually a little too firm for my taste. I like sleeping on clouds. But the pillows
(you got four!) were quite nice!
The bed headboard had little reading lights installed in the headboard. Cool. The nightstand had a gadget that lets you control all the lights and AC in one spot. Nice.
The bathroom was clean, spacious, and had instant hot water and it got HOT! Very nice!
PRE-RACE DINNER
After experiencing the traffic downtown, we decided to walk to dinner! There's a lot of places to eat downtown, especially if you're near the convention center. Having eaten there before a few years back we went to the Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill cause I knew the food there wouldn't be too out there or spicy
(my second choice was going to be PF Changs, but I couldn't trust myself to behave!). The wait was about an hour, which was to be expected since it was race weekend... but it was also Valentine's Day
(boo!).
They have selection of tastiness. I really like their Cornflakes Fried Chicken salad, but I wanted something with more carbs since I really didn't have much of a lunch. So, I went for The Turkey Press. It was very tasty. I had asked for no boursin cheese
(since I never had it before I didn't want to have a lactose problem all of a sudden - especially the next morning.), but they put it on anyway. The sweet potato fries were yummy, and came with a roasted tomatillo dipping sauce, which was just spicy enough that I was afraid of heartburn the next morning. I am glad to say, that I didn't not have any tummy troubles! Yay!
Oh, and they offered free popcorn, which was buttery, a bit spicy, and quite salty and it worked while you waited for the main course. They also had jalapeño cornbread, but we passed on it.
P.S. If I wasn't running I would've so tried their Ruby Slipper Martini!
THE RACE
The weather was near perfect. It was 55 degrees with 4-10 mph wind and very high humidity. As any runner should know you want to make sure you wear the right about of clothes. I ended up wearing my capris, a tech tee shirt, a hat, and for the first couple miles some arm sleeves
(aka my $2 tube socks). During parts of the race I thought, "Maybe I should've worn my shorts or tank top?" to counter the humidity, but then the wind found me and it changed my mind!
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Wasn't thinking about taking race-day clothes picture.
Oh, and my hat is somewhere - hiding. |
This was my first official race that I wore my brand new Nathan Intensity hydration vest. I bought this to replace a belt pack and my handhelds. I like to be free. I got to say, it worked out really well! I was really nice skipping all the water stations, and you could focus on not slipping in crushed waxed paper cups. My shoulders were a little tight after running with this
(I didn't drink as much of my 2 liters as I thought I would), but it really worked out. Great investment! Wish I could justify wearing it during 5ks too!
We walked the 4 blocks blocks to Congress Ave and was there around 6:15am. After walking around a little bit it was time for me to get in a line to have a potty break
(I always needs to go twice before a race. Always. The first visit was right before we left the hotel.). Here's a tip: When picking a line to join find one that has men in it. Unless they have other business they're quicker going in and out!
When it came to staging I stuck myself around the 5:00:00 marathon pace time
(it's all done on the honor system here, peeps!), which was about two blocks away from the start. Mom and I chatted - aka plotting her path to a safe side walk and where she was going to be during the course. I got high-fived from two women behind me for doing the
Beat the Blerch Virtual Half Marathon (I was wearing the race shirt). The nerves weren't rearing their ugly head so far! Bonus!
The race started right on time, but by the time I crossed the start line it was 12 minutes after 7am. I swear I had mixed emotions when as I walked up to the start - It's weird and awkward to run a big race without a running buddy (a lot of people in my pace area had one), but then I remember I'm doing one of my dream races and I got happy again. Then I saw my mom right before the start. Sweet! Then moment I passed over the start and began to run. The adrenaline kicked in! I was off!
My pace was pretty steady for the first half of the course. Between miles 1 - 4 the course had you going up steady hills
(gaining about 200ft in elevation), which helped quite a bit in keeping me from going too fast. I was still going faster than I had started out doing in other half marathons, which made me worried a bit. But I was averaging close to a 12:30mpm at first then lower to just under 12:00. That's slower than what I've been pushing during training. I was also not doing any sort of intervals with my Garmin - I planned on a minute walk whenever my body told me it was time to do so. After Mile 4 we turned around and headed back towards downtown.
I got to see my mom and her motivation sign at around Mile 6 (1st and Cesar Chavez).
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| Thank you Geico for having blank signs for family to use at the Marketplace! |
Because my pace was steady I never really got winded
(at least not until some of those hills), but my legs were definitely feeling those hills that I already ran up and down. I didn't have to walk until I reached Mile 8. My legs felt like jelly for a moment, but I was able to start running a minute later.
When I hit somewhere between Mile 9.5 and 10.5 I had to walk up the crest of some hills cause they were a just steep enough on tired legs. Having grown up for the most part in Austin/Round Rock area it was really fun passing by places I use to see all the time!
At Mile 11 I stopped for a minute to stretch my achy hip flexors - knowing I had to prep myself for The Hill at mile 12. Now. Let me tell you - I've seen pictures of The Hill. But yeah, it's different when you see in person! A friend of mine who was also running
(and who has done this race loads of time) and I decided to call it Monster Mountain!
Yep. Those pictures above is of the Monster Mountain! I started out well. Keeping my hips under me and trudging up the hill. But just a over half way I had to walk it up, but right at the top I was able to keep on running. Whoa!! Perfectly enough, Katy Perry's song
Roar started playing when I was going up the hill and I was singing along until I had to walk. Screw you, Monster Mountain!
Also, I have to mention that the spectators who were on that hill cheering the runners on were AMAZING! They had loud music, cowbells, signs that read "This Hill is your B*#@%!". Awesome.
After going down the backside of Monster Mountain I was at the 12.5 Mile mark - just 0.6 miles to go! I was watching my Garmin, and I was debating whether I was going to, at least, match my previous PR time of 02:47:52. Hmmmm. I really, wanted to not go past that time, but I seriously didn't know if my legs could carry me fast enough.
There was a slight hill right before you got to the side of the Capital Building that had to be walked, but after that I knew I was close. Oh, so close! I ran.
And ran. Only a few blocks away.
And ran. It felt like it was taking forever to go another bock!
Look at watch at the Mile 13... 02:38:42 ... holy shit! I ran faster!
The spectators cheers were amazing! I turned the last corner on to Congress, right in front of the Capital. Ah! The finish line! Sweet! The MC shouts over the mic - telling people to get ready to help bring the runners in. I'm in the chute... running the last block to the line. My eyes dart around to catch a glimpse of the pit crew but I'm really focused on that finish line.
Run
Running
Still running
All of a sudden I hear the MC say my name as I run over the finish line. Arms go up in victory!
Ran across the line. Sweet!
Oh! Stop the Garmin.
And I slowed down to a stop.
I just finished a half marathon. 13.1 miles! Amazing!
FINISHING
My chip time was 02:40:41. That, ladies and gents, is a PR! This is 007:11 minutes faster than my last half marathon (The Tyler Rose)!
I would've danced around, but I was so tired! I was so happy to stop running. My legs were so ached! Oh, boy, did my knees hurt!
But I did it. I completed one of my dream races! The cheering around the finish line was awesome!
POST RACE FUN
There was quite a bit of stuff in the finish chute! You got bottles of water and cups of gatorade. You got your medal
(this baby is a heavy one!), and a little further down there were photographers ready to take your pictures while you walk toward the exit or you could stop by a booth and they'll take your picture with a backdrop
(I did that after I figured out where my pit crew was and we talked through the fence). Then there was the food! They had assortment of mini bagels, bananas, granola bars and an assortment of chips. Yum! After exiting the chute to join the rest of the world, I found an section of empty street curb to sit down and I scarfed down a blueberry bagel and banana with my water. I had half the mind to lie down, but I didn't.
Outside of the chute there were food trucks and other vendors. One that I really wanted to see was the engravers... they will engrave your medal with your name and your chip time... for $20! Done!
(I know that it's a little risky (?) to engrave your unofficial chip time before the official time is announced, but I really wanted to do it!).
I also got a coffee from the
food coffee truck
Lucky Lab Coffee Co.. I got a basic dripped coffee with steamed almond milk. Really well priced! It was yummy and perfect to keep me going a little while longer!
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| If you see this truck - give them a tip!!! |
There was a huge line for the PR gong, so I didn't do that. Maybe I should've tried
(I was a little self-conscious all of a sudden too - damn.) ... oh, well.
I got to briefly see and hugged a former-coworker-friend-fellow-runner while I was getting coffee too, which is so great! She's a great supporter for me on Facebook these days!
After about an hour recovery we needed to go back to the hotel to get clean, pack and check out by noontime.
By the way, a hot shower after a run like this
(especially in a nice hotel)... HEAVEN!
POST RACE MEAL
Wearing a comfy pair of sweat pants and a light hoodie, compression leg sleeves and proudly wearing my medal we found SUSTENANCE. FOOD! We drove back to Round Rock to eat at Chuy's Tex-Mex. They have the BEST chicken fajitas anywhere, and is perfect for a recovery meal. We had to wait about 40 minutes for a table, but thank the Lord they had chips and salsa available in the bar. I ate a whole basket while we waited... otherwise I was going to eat my mom's arm off!
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| Mine. All. Mine! |
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| Yummy!!! |
I RUN FOR KOLACHES... AND CINNAMON ROLLS (Aka the trip home)
One great thing about living in Texas the kolaches! I'm part Czech, and grew up eating the occasional kolaches
(they're a denser than the yeasty TX kolaches, though). One of the best stops between Dallas and Austin... The ol'
Czech Stop right off of 35! Well worth the line! Yum!
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| Drooool |
NEXT DAY ANALYSIS
My legs ached. One knee hurt a bit. But I was doing good. I slept well.
(I didn't really sleep well the morning of the race... maybe it was the firm bed?). I was extremely happy when I analyzed my Garmin stats.
Of my 02:40:41 time... I ran for a total of 02:32:03. I only walked/stretched for a total of 00:07:38.
I feel. Awesome!
When's the next race?
Image of hydration vest from
here.
