The Cleveland Rite Aid Half
Marathon kicked my butt. Prior to that, I was having a great weekend courtesy
of the Cleveland Rite Aid Marathon.
I attended the reception on
Friday night with my son, J1, as my date. We arrived a little late as we both
had other engagements prior to this. When we arrived, we were able to hear some
of the speakers and chat with a few of the other bloggers (Joe, Brian and
Stephanie). We were also able to eat and J1 seemed pretty pleased with the
selection!! We had a great time and he was a great date.
On Saturday, I went to the Expo
alone. I was able to leisurely peruse any table that interested me without any
one complaining that we were taking too long. It was awesome. I bought cute compression
socks from runningskirts.com, a snazzy 13.1 tee, Jelly Belly sport beans and
some Nuun sport drink tablets. I also visited a table for the Detroit Free
Press Marathon and I’m almost convinced that I should run it!!!
So…the race… I was very worried
about my tummy issues this race. When I ran my long training runs, I had
serious stomach issues. My stomach was very sad for almost 2 days after the 10
mile run. My time was great and on pace for the race but my stomach was
troubled. I talked to the dietician at my job who suggested that I try the BRAT
(banana, rice, applesauce and toast) diet for a couple days before the race. I
decided that maybe Saturday was enough time for the change. I was pretty sure
that this was gonna work well. While at the expo, I purchased Nuun and was
convinced that race day would be a great day to try something other than water
in my CamelBak. I have NEVER had anything other than water during a race or a run.
For some reason, this sounded like a good plan to me. I prepared the night
before. Everything was laid out and I pre-made my banana and rice milk smoothie
and popped it in the fridge. In the morning, I jumped up, got dressed (in a super
cute running skirt and matching socks!), blended my smoothie and was on my way.
I was feeling very confident. I started my run with my cousin, J.
We ran our
first 3 miles under race pace. I was feeling great. I was feeling great until
about mile 2.5, that is. I saw someone run into what looked like a hotel and I
joked “I wonder would they let me use their restroom?”(I wasn’t joking) At mile
three, I stopped at the porta-potty and my downfall began. I have NEVER used a
porta potty during a race. NEVER! My first
poo-stop turned mile 4 into a 16 minute mile. The next stop registered an 18
minute mile. (The lines were long and the issues were troubling).
Miles 6,7,and
8 were under race pace but then mile 9 happened. My stomach was gurgling like a
tiny geyser. I made my last stop (during the race). As I sat in that tiny
little stink pot, I realized that I would not be making my goal. At all… Mile 9
was a whooping 21:38!!! I told my cousin J that he could leave me, but he stuck
around for all 4 potty stops. (I stopped once and didn’t go because I thought
that I could make it without going). After the mile 9 debacle, I tried to jog a
little but my stomach was not having it. I walked and ran the last 4 miles.
Cousin J finished his first half marathon in 3.06. He left me at mile 12. I
finished in 3:10. I was super excited to see my own cheerleader J2 at the
finish line.
The race atmosphere was great. There
were so many people all along the course and great music scattered throughout
the route. I passed a church with some young ladies on the porch singing a song
from my running playlist, Israel
Houghton’s “Te Amo” which I assume means that we are all good at picking great
running songs.
I am not happy at all with this
time. I would calculate that I spent about 25 minutes in line for the porta
potty or inside the porta potty. I actually want to scream!!! I, of course,
cannot take this defeat. I have to redeem myself. I have to get a better time
than my first half (2:49). I have to run another half!!!And sooner rather than
later…
The highlight to the weekend for
me was my little cousin Victoria Bankhead finishing her first marathon. She is
a rockstar and an excellent example of hard work paying off!!! Congrats
Vickie!!
Are you looking to run a race this summer that benefits those in need? The Running For Hope 5K on June 28th at 9am is the perfect opportunity. The race is located at the Kopf Family Reservation in Avon Lake, Ohio. The race course is scenic and flat and could potentially afford some speedy runner a PR. Comment below or on Facebook for a chance to win a free entry. The deadline to enter is June 9, 2014. In the event that you do not win the free entry, please consider registering to run this race for only $20. All proceeds go to charity. If you register early enough, you will walk away with a snazzy tee and there will be food and refreshments after the race. If you happen to be super fast, you could win the top prize of a $100 gift card to Red the Steakhouse/Moxie!!
