2 Half Marathons = 1 Full Marathon Runner?
By admin
Yesterday was the Charleston Marathon/Half! Just to get us started today…
Isn’t doing 2 half marathons equivalent to doing one full marathon? No? Oh...
Just kidding. I have no intentions of running a marathon and I am quite content with a 13.1 sticker on my car (if I were to put one on my car). Did you know that there is a statistic that shows that people with more stickers on their car have more road rage?
But that’s a topic for another day.
Let’s talk the Charleston Half Marathon!?
Yesterday I stopped by the expo to pick up my bib and t-shirt. I got there about 10 minutes early, there were very few people and even though I was early, they let me go ahead and pick up my things and browse around. Sweet!
It was fast, easy and painless… well almost. The expo was at a high school and they decided to test the fire alarms right as the expo was kicking off. For the entire time I was there, I had hear the fire alarm blaring. But that’s just one small hiccup and I wouldn’t even call it a hiccup considering that it had nothing to do with the race.
Race Day
I knew it was going to be a cool morning so I woke up early to prepare myself.
After my peanut butter toast breakfast, I layered on my clothes and laid out my gear.
This included: vegan gummy sharks for race fuel, $ 2 gloves and a $ 6 sweatshirt I picked up at Target yesterday for throw away clothes (best decision ever), my compression socks, and of course my GPS.
Then I headed out for the race.
The Charleston Marathon was a much larger race than I anticipated! Apparently, they had record sign-ups this year. That’s awesome but of course it also made for some pre race anxiety!
Jeanette and I found each other and hung out inside until it was time to line up at the start.
We hit up the bathrooms, where I learned that I am NOT a dirty girl. I felt even cleaner once I got out of there.
Runners Take Your Mark
There weren’t corrals, but I definitely recommend it since the race numbers are growing. I had the goal of trying to get around a 1.50 time, so I hang out with the 1.45 pacers. Of course they were out of my site within the first 2 miles. 
Since Jeanette had a different goal, this was the first half marathon where I wasn’t side by side with someone I knew (Sarah ran with me last time). I didn’t feel alone though. I instantly found a group that seemed to be going about the pace I wanted to go and made it my goal to stick with them.
After a few more miles, I found a woman runner and we paced each other… taking turns leading by a few steps. We both had earphones so there was no chit chat, just a clear understanding that we were in this together. At the finishline, I was so upset we didn’t get time to take a picture together. But if you’re reading this… Thanks!
The half marathon course was surprisingly great. I was weary about it from what i had heard from people but it was mostly flat (except for 2 big hills) and the layout of water/gatorade/gel stations was perfect.
During the race here are some things I did differently than the last run:
- Drank some water at EVERY station (which were all 2 miles apart). I knew hydrating more often would help.
- Fueling. Last time, I ate a grand total of 5 jelly beans. This time I made it a point to eat all of my race fuel during the run to see if it would help.
- Throw away clothes. Because it was 39 degrees when the race started, I knew layers were important. Last time I did the same and hated it once I warmed up because I tied my jacket around my waist. From your recommendations, I bought cheap clothes (gloves and sweat shirt) that I could toss to the side when it got hot. That way I wouldn’t have to hold on to them the entire race. This was the best decision ever!
These 3 changes must have been what I needed because I crossed the finish line with a new Personal Record! 1.50.23. I’ll take it!
Who’s Kindal?
Unlike Jeanette…
I didn’t see Dan while I was coming to the finish.
It wasn’t until I rounded the corner that I heard Ashton yell out to me which by that time with the finish in site, I didn’t look at all… I just tried to sprint to the finish.
Having both Dan and Ashton there made the race complete. I’ve done several races by myself where no one was waiting for me. But knowing they would be there kept me running hard along the route.
So thanks guys! Also a shot out to a fellow local blogger, Erica. We met around mile 10, chatted for a second and then separated to finish off strong. Erica, Congrats on your first half marathon!
Last shout out, I promise. This was Jeanette’s first half since having her baby and wow, I am so proud of her!
Overall the race was a great experience. Sure there were some potholes along the way and I do agree with a few of my friends that Charleston has much more scenic routes than what we did, but it was well organized, a great group of people and a fun run. I would definitely do this race again!
I did learn two valuable lessons this time around… I have way too much purple in my life. Purple shoes, socks, gloves, and shirt. At least I was color coordinated. I also learned that I love races that are both halfs and fulls. I was really motivated by the idea that a lot of people around me were running twice as far, so I owed it to them and to me to not pansy out on the half.
If you’re curious, here are my splits:
I seriously gave my all for this run which may be the reason that I wanted to do absolutely nothing yesterday!
Now, I can’t wait for next weekend when Ashton and I take on the Mt In The Middle!
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