2012 Cap City Half Marathon

Well, we did it!  My running buddy and I (along with some other friends) ran the 2012 Cap City Half Marathon yesterday.  It was full of ups and downs, but overall I'm proud of our accomplishments!  We went into the race with the finish time of 2 hrs 15 mins in our heads.  Then we saw the weather forecast of a high of 81 degrees and partly cloudy, we started to wonder if that time was even possible.  As race time drew nearer, the forcasted temp decreased and I think the actual temp at starting time was around 65 degrees and overcast...perfect weather for running!  I guess it was a bit muggy according to other runners, but honestly I didn't even notice.  I felt awesome and was determined to reach my goal time.  Then around mile 4 or 5 Jenny told me it felt like her skin was crawling.  This is due to overheating as I read in an article that you can find HERE.  So we abandoned our plan to stop at every other water station and stopped at every one so she could get some electrolytes and/or water into her system.  And her pace also slowed down.  We had gotten a pretty good head start and was averaging a 9:22/mi pace (and to meet our goal time we knew we needed at least a 10:18 or faster average pace), so had some extra time to play with.  And honestly up until about mile 8 we were right on track with meeting our goal time.  But with each mile we both starting slowing down a bit more.  I was still feeling good so it was harder to not put a good gap of space between us with me running faster and her running slower than normal.  Every now and then I would look behind me to see if I could see her...eventually I didn't see her anymore.  So I started contemplating what to do.  Should I go ahead and run to the finish to try to meet my goal?  Should I stay behind and cross the finish line with her?  What if I ran ahead and she ended up collapsing or needing medical attention?  What would she want me to do?  I thought she would want me to go ahead without her, but what if she would be upset that I left her behind?  I tried to think of how I would feel had I been the one not feeling well.  In the end, I decided that we had trained for 12 weeks together in preparation for this race and we would finish TOGETHER.  The problem was when I stopped at the Mile 12 water station, I couldn't find her.  So I waited and started to panic at the thought of not being able to find her.  I decided that if I didn't see her, I would go ahead and run to the finish and stop just short of the finish line and wait for her so we could cross together.  Then out of nowhere there she was!  So we finished the last mile or so together and crossed the finish line at 2 hrs 20 mins and 49 secs.  Not too shabby considering the humidity and her not feeling well!  Last fall our time for the Nationwide Columbus Half Marathon was 2 hrs 24 mins and 29 secs...so we finished almost 4 mins faster.  A new PR.  We'll take it!  Below are some pics from the marathon...FYI - I'm NOT a photogenic runner, but Jenny is, so look a total goon in most (if not all) of the pics!  I will have to work on my runner face a bit!  lol 

 This was the night before the race after doing some carbo-loading with friends Dana, Shannon, me, and Jenny!

 This is a picture of part of our corral.  We were in Corral C..and I think there were 5 corrals altogether.  So just take this picture times about 10 and that will give you an idea of how many people were at this race!  (BTW - Dana, Jenny, and I are in this picture and we are waving, but's it's REALLY difficult to see us!)  Somehow our hubbies spotted us waving and took a pic!

 A closer up view of us as we were waking to the starting line.  We are the ones with the 3 pink visors on...I'm in the middle.

 Pre-Race pic of Dana, Jenny, and I!

 This pic was taken by our friend Hope.  She was planning to run this race, but a few weeks ago tore her calf muscle and couldn't run for 4-6 weeks.  That was such a bummer, but it was great to have Dana take her place in the race.  Dana ran the quarter marathon instead of the half because she's training for her first half in June!

 Another pic of us running.  I think I look a tad chubby in this picture..ugh.

 This was when we spotted Hope waiting to cheer us on!  We were stoked to have a fan!

After the race in Runner Recovery.  I was eating a bagel and Jenny's hubby decided to snap a picture!  Like I said, I'm not photogenic!   

 We met up with Shannon after the race for a pic.  Not sure what was going on with my hair, but hey, I had just ran 13.1 miles, right?

Enjoying a post-half-marathon-recovery lunch at Dave & Buster's with Dana and Jenny.  I look tired in this picture and rightfully so I guess.

So there's your offical Race Recap!  I hope I've inspired you!  Or maybe convinced you NOT to run ever...who knows.  lol  I actually had a great time on this run.  I just wish Jenny felt the same.  I actually thought this race felt way easier than my last half.  I guess that's a good sign, right?  If each one gets a bit easier, I will keep on running them!  For now, the plan is not to run another one until next year.  But you never know which one of your friends will get the idea to run another one and try to talk you into running it too, so only time will tell!