My Full Moon 1/2 Marathon Race Recap

Angie and I ran the Full Moon Half Marathon on Saturday night. This run was totally outside of our comfort zone as it started at 6 pm. Usually we are done with our long runs (or any run for that matter) by 8 am or shortly after depending on the distance. Having the opportunity to "sleep in" on Saturday was awkward and made me feel a little "off" all day. I was excited and slightly nervous about the 6 pm race. I don't know why, but I still get pre-race jitters, even for a half, which sounds silly since we're at much higher mileage at this point. I enjoyed a little clothes shopping in the morning and also running a few errands sans child! I love a little free time when I get it, so I take advantage. Once Steve left for work, I tried nap time for Jackson, but it's pretty hit-or-miss these days, so we ended up playing outside in the back yard and enjoyed the beautiful day before I had to get ready to head out for the race.

Enjoying the afternoon with My little buddy before the race.

Angie and I met at the school in Kohler WI to catch a bus out to the start. Although the ride was NOTHING like our ride out to the start for Grandma's Marathon, it still felt like a long ride. That was the 2nd time I've been in a school bus in a few months, which is 2 times more than I've been in a bus in like 10 years! Pre-race at the start location was pretty relaxed. We had plenty of time to relax, hydrate, use the port-a-potty's and then get to the start line. There were about 300 runners, so nothing to crazy and large, but enough to make it fun!

Relaxing Pre-Race. . . .wish we had our sunglasses!

The race started promptly at 6 pm which was good because the trail has no lighting and gets very dark once the sun is down completely. The raced ended up being a nice course and despite a smaller race of only about 300 participants, there seemed to be quite a few spectators, which always motivates me to run fast. I saw the same faces over & over as it was an easy route for spectators to stop, watch and move on to the next stop. It was nice to see so many people supporting their friends or family running this 1/2. This would have been a great race to have some fans at because I ran really hard and well, but it didn't work out. I had high hopes of running a sub 2 hour race. I put that out there by making a bet with Steve and of course chatting with Angie about that. Steve and I made the bet that if I ran this race in under 2 hours, we could go to a movie of my choice. If it took me longer, it was his pick. Since we've known each other for 11+ years and we've been to a total of 1 movie together, there was NO way I was going to lose this bet. Angie and I both agreed that we wanted a fun and relaxed race because we are just coming off an 18 miler last weekend and we have a 20 miler this coming weekend. We both ended up running hard and having great races! We both had PR's! My goal was to finish in under 2 hrs (my PR for a half was 2:07 prior to this race). I ended up running a 1:53:50, which was so exciting to me! Apparently I still have that little bug in my ear from our full marathon. Angie told me that I start my runs strong, pick my pace and stick with it. I paid attention to that comment and I see my pace is fairly consistent. I'm not sure how I do that. I did slow down a touch, but never went slower than a 9:59 mile (yes, I watched my Garmin religiously throughout the race).
I can't tell you how many times I hear her voice tell me that while I'm out running. Besides the fact that she researches and develops our training plans, she is always encouraging and gives me the confidence that I can keep pushing myself. I'm a pretty lucky girl to have such a strong friendship with Angie and the BRB (best running buddy) ever! :)

Usually I'm in bed at this hour. . . . but we were both happy to be celebrating PR's!



I had to totally push it to get that pace for miles 8 & 9, but so worth it!  Thrilled with these splits and a 13+  minute PR on my 1/2 Marathon!



The overall course was a decline but it did NOT feel like that!  See the hill before mile 9?  Yeah, a LOT worse than it looks.

On some other exciting news, I think our household is now diaper free! How exciting is that? Isn't this kid just the cutest thing? A sleeping child is the most precious sight! Maybe now that he's a "big boy" we should get rid of his crib-converted to daybed and get him a real bed . . . . . one more thing on the list of things to get done!

No more Diapers! ;)  Guess I can buy more running shoes!

What is your largest PR gap? Mine is 65 minutes (from my first marathon to my second). Although it is unlikely I'll ever have a 65 minute PR again in my life for anything, I'm excited to be working towards running faster more comfortably! Happy Running! ~Brooke~