time = 2:24:53
pace = 11:03
placed 170 in my age group (40-44) out of 230
placed 1572 in women out of 2102
placed 2904 overall out of 3581
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| ready to run! |
this time around was very different than my first time running this race. last year this was my very first 1/2 marathon and i was terrified! this year, i decided to use this as a training run and pace my very good friend kellie. as we all know i've been battling some stupid issue with my left leg, and haven't really been able to get in all the long runs i've been needing to for training. so to run this at full speed and try to race it maybe wouldn't have been in my best interest physically after having just done the ragnar relay.
my friend krista is home from colorado for the summer visiting her parents and she decided to run the 10K so we drove together. i slept pretty poorly and was up at 4am. even so i felt pretty good. the weather was perfect. low 50's and almost full sun. couldn't ask for better weather actually. quite chilly to start but once the body gets moving it is all good in the proverbial hood. this year the race was beginning in a new location because there is construction being done on the hoan bridge.
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| hoan bridge - milwaukee, wi |
last year the race began in front of the art museum, went south over the hoan bridge, turned around at the end and came back north over the bridge again. it is truly the best part of the race and the whole reason i ran it in the first place. this bridge is iconic to milwaukee, and in fact, my father and grandfather had a hand in building this great structure so i feel some emotional attachment to it. it feels like home to me. getting the privilege of running over it was meaningful in a way i cannot accurately describe, and emotional in a way that almost feels silly upon first thought. i feel bonded to my city. it is a part of me and the joy of running over it as the city expands and contracts before my eyes is a journey i plan to take every year as long as the bridge is involved. it truly is the best part of the run. this course over all is really spectacular. the race directors did a fantastic job changing the course this year. it was really seamless and smooth. i love everything about this race. kellie and i started out really strong and stayed that way for the majority of the race. i think she started to lose some steam near mile 7 and in hindsight i think it may have been fueling. i'm going to have to ask her about that. i feel like she was really really strong up until then and then it started to fall apart. we did some walking so she could catch her breath but ultimately i think fatigue was just taking over.
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| splits |
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| splits |
the volunteers for this race are second to none. really great! always cheering and smiling. i always thank the volunteers. if it weren't for them these races couldn't happen. so make sure you thank your volunteers at the next race you run. krista was a trooper and was waiting for us at the finish since she had run the 10K and (obviously) that wasn't going to take as long as the 1/2. we went to check out the after party and use a REAL bathroom. all in all i have to say this was such a fun time. i think kellie had fun but maybe the jury is still out on that... i enjoy running with her and i'm really glad i got to experience this race with her. running it with her was a totally different experience than when i ran it last year at my fastest race pace. i'm not sure which i enjoyed more... i think i liked them both equally but for very different reasons. i will always recommend this race to everyone as it is well put together, organized, fun, and has such great support all around. you really get to see a beautiful portion of milwaukee when you run it. until next year...
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| right before this picture was taken i asked krista if the photographer was taking pictures of people waiting in line for the port-o-potties. he was. |
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| me & krista - pre-race chill & banana |
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| me & kellie @ mile 6ish still all smiles |
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| F my face! |
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| krista, me, kellie - happy finishers! |
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| krista, me, kellie - happy finishers! |
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| krista |
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| kellie |
6 comments:
I didn't realize construction was the cause for the new courses until late yesterday when I read The Active Pursuit's recap of the race. Nowhere do I remember reading that was the reason prior to the race, and since I don't pay attention to any TV or radio news beyond ESPN, I didn't absorb it from there, either.
Sounds like being a pacer helped make it a good race for you! Didn't sound like you struggled too much with your leg or anything, which is good. Having a real pacer sometime would be cool, I think... it's not the same just trying to keep up w/ random people, as you don't quite know what they're doing.
i'm just assuming that's why they changed the course. i don't think that it was said anywhere either. as for pacing... i usually stay with the pacers for my goal time which is really helpful when trying to PR for a race. last year when i ran the brewer's mini i stayed with the 1:45 pacers as long as i could and that was really helpful in getting through some tough times.
i appreciated all of you, even when i was angry or grumpy or crying or almost quitting. i would have run a very very different race if it weren't for your encouragement and zeal. you were invaluable and i love you love you for it.
i think fueling was a smaller factor, but i think the bigger factor was that i wasn't conditioned as well as i should have been. not getting in my long runs for my body and mind to both feel prepared for that distance was a mistake for me. it was a learning experience, though, so now i know better what to change or improve for my next half.
i'm happy to hear that! i was worried that my pushing was too much. i didn't even consider the training factor because i thought you were running enough but maybe not. we'll have to work on that for the next one so you feel ready. ;)
Awesome race, Nikki! I think it's wonderful that you helped pace your friend and sounds like you got a nice training run in for yourself at the same time!
thanks sun! it was so much fun. rock 'n sole is really one of the best races i've ever run... i love it.
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