Emerald City

This Labor Weekend I officially kicked off the start of my Fall 2011 racing season. First up was the Emerald City Half Marathon!

The race took place in Dublin, OH (think Dublin ... Ireland ... Emerald Isle ... Emerald City ... etc - not too far of a stretch!) I picked up my race packet earlier last week. I was SO excited to find a really cool race day tee shirt included in our swag bag. It is a women's fitted tee (major plus because many races simply feature a uni-sex shirt - reads: a men's shirt - boo) and this one was in an amazing bright lime green color. SCORE! Random note to any novices: NEVER wear the shirt you got for a race to the actual race. The coolest style is to wear the shirt from the exact same race ... but last year's version. If you didn't run the previous year's race simply wear some of the other shirts you wore while training. DO NOT wear the current year's shirt - it screams
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM DOING!"

cool cool swag

Pre-race started off a little bit rough for me. For some reason ... (cough cough : hangover) I slept the entire day before the race and thus my evening sleep schedule was thrown off a little bit. "Hello Midnight!" Add in there the late night phone call from a sobbing best friend I needed to console - and I was a little bit tired come 5AM on race day. And I think my grogginess contributed to the pickle I found myself in upon arriving at the race site. Running clothes: check. Race bib and timing chip: check. Hat to deal with the rain: check. iPod: check. iPod armband and headphones: check ... err ... SHOOT! So I did remember to charge my iPod. And even loaded an entire new running playlist. I brought the darned thing with me but had no way to listen to it! I think that with my previous race days screw ups with this thing it must be God's way of telling me that I am not meant to race with tunes. (My fighting argument back: but I PR when I have my music!) So I was a little bit tiffed to have to race in silence ... yet again.

on the kitchen counter : right where I had forgotten it

An additional factor adding to my tiredness was the weather. It had lightninged and thunder stormed all night and was still raining on race morning. Once I reached the race site I made a quick bathroom break and headed towards the starting line. The race organizers announced that they were very closely monitoring the weather to determine whether or not the start of the race would need to be delayed. Luckily the biggest cell of bad weather just missed us and we were able to start off promptly at 7AM.

The route was a simple out and back and included both half and quarter marathon distances. The race map took us out a series of country roads and into a park. For over half of the race we were running on paved trails through fields that took us in and out of the woods. It was a truly beautiful morning - the rain stopped exactly as we began running - and a cool breeze rolled in. It was certainly lovely weather for running compared to the previous few days 100 degrees temperatures. I could definitely tell the reason the race is called the Emerald City Half Marathon - because we were surrounded by beautiful greenery as far as the eye could see! It was a very relaxed and calm run. The pack certainly thinned out after the first few miles and I ran in solitude for the majority of the race.

I firmly decided that I definitely enjoy smaller races compared to the bigger event productions. Smaller fields of runners lead to a more genuine and homey feel - everyone is so sincere and welcoming. There is less anxiety and it generally leads to a calmer race day experience. The one factor I do have to give to the larger races is that the stress and excitement and crowd energy generally contribute to my speed and help me to race faster.

I started off strong and was improving my time mile by mile. PR thoughts swam in my head. And then I started to slow down. I was listening to my body and taking it at a slow pace. I did not try to push through the pain or totally wind myself too badly. I walked. A LOT. And I was quite content to do so.

I took it slow and crossed the Finish Line with a decent but not fantastic time. The race day medal was HUGE and made for a really cool souvenir.

The race's after-party also featured some scrumptious treats. I have been absolutely famished over the past few days so I definitely needed to refuel.

asiago cheese bagel = heaven. love.

This race was a great way to jump start my Fall racing series. It was a good gauge to benchmark where I am currently at in my training and to point me in the right direction to perform really well in my (many) upcoming events over the next few months. I certainly know that I need to continue to improve my speed, endurance, musculature, flexibility and stamina. I have re-dedicated myself to my running and I am committed to training hard.

As I was driving away from the race I followed a car out of the parking lot. The make and model to be exact? A Chevy Malibu. I swear it's a sign. Off to Cali in just a few shorts months! (But so many miles to accomplish in between!)

see you in November

Closing note: although I was without my music, there is one song I have recently heard a lot on the radio. It was one of the last songs I listened to as I was driving to the race on Sunday and it stuck in my head as I was running. In fact it helped to get me through a lot of miles. Sort of a morose message but I like it all the same. I am not dying young - I am living.
If I Die Young - The Band Perry

[134 : 13.1 : 13.1 : 13.1 : 37.85]