The swim started and I just took it easy. Finished in a respectable 37 minutes (1.2 miles). Then I was off to the bike. It was a fairly hilly course and there was a bit wind but somehow I managed to ride the 56 miles in 2:59. That’s over 15 minutes faster than my last half. Crazy!!
Unfortunately from there, I knew the toughest part was ahead of me…the run. As I’ve said in my past posts, “Oh, the dreaded run.” And in the heat. (It was SO hot. OMG.)
KC, of course, was in the Pro category so he started about 46 minutes before me. I figured at some point he might blaze past me on the run so it was no surprise when he ran up next to me on the 1st mile of the run. (He was on his last 4-mile loop but that’s beside the point.)
And instead of finishing strong, he took a big hit on his time and ran (slow) with me my first 4 miles. It was so great. But I won’t lie, it sucked beyond words when he got to go left to the finisher’s chute and I had to go right for my second 4-mile loop. I felt pretty good on that second loop but it was definitely getting hotter. As I passed by my fans (read: mom, dad and KC) and embarked on my third and final loop, I could tell I was kinda losing my steam.
At this point it might be worth mentioning that people were passing out around me. I stopped to help this one guy whose eyes were rolling behind his head (but somehow he refused my water??) And I passed a few people lying down with medics and some with IVs in their arms even. Um, yea.
Cut back to mile 10. That’s when I got this horrible lump in my throat and my mouth started watering. And it was pretty much downhill from there. I had to walk twice every mile and keep a cup of ice with me just not to throw up. It was not so great – both for my body and my time. But I did finally cross that finish line. Final time. 6:09. Better than I thought I’d do with my crappy (lack of) training but above my original 6-hour goal when I signed up for the race. Oh well, we’ll get ‘em next time!!
Next on the list...well, work is kinda crazy right now so I don’t really have anything on the list. Just taking it easy. But I am sure I’ll find something to do soon. Stay tuned.
And I have to end this with one last thing – Congrats KC on your first Half. Here’s to a great kickoff of the next 9 months. I know you can achieve your goals and I’ll be by you every step of the way.
