Accidentally Setting a Personal Record

This picture was taken at about mile 12 of my recent half marathon in Port Angeles, Washington. Angie is turning me into a lean mean running machine.

I was planning on just taking it easy and running alongside my Dad (2:18:01) the whole way. But suddenly I felt a competitive streak and decided to push hard, throttle on, and surge ahead. My Dad said, “Go for it”. Or maybe he said, “Run Forest!” I can’t remember.

I felt like a gazelle. The weather was hospitable. The scenery was spectacular. I wanted to RUN FAST!!! But I could hear Angie’s voice in my head telling me to save some gas in the tank for my later miles. She was right.

The last three miles were the most difficult. My legs were getting mutinous. My feet were feeling hyper-sensitive. Even my mind was fatigued. I longed for the finish line.

This one mantra kept echoing in my head . . . “Go Big or Go Home”. I don’t know where this saying came from but for some reason my subconscious mind stored it away for later. I decided I would run my hardest and cross the finish line without one ounce of gusto left to give. My goal was to finish in under two hours.

Luckily I brought 13 krakens and one tenth of a kraken (I call him “kraken Lite”). Kraken Lite came in handy at the very end. When I got close enough, I could see the big digital time clock about to tick past the 2 hour mark! I had to sprint to make it. My official time was 1:59:22.

Take-Aways From My Second Half Marathon

The Passing Game
This might not work for everyone but I had a fun time doing it.
I started in the 10:00 minute mile corral with my Dad and I technically should have been in the 9:00 corral. After the first mile when everyone began to spread out I played a passing game. If I saw a pack of runners up ahead I tried to catch them and pass them. If someone passed me I would pass them back. This little game gave me a psychological boost.

“It’s rude to count people as you pass them. Out loud.” –Adidas ad

Hold Your Wee Wee
If I would have stopped at one of those strategically placed porta-potties I would have missed my time goal! Unless, of course, if I peed in less than 37 seconds -but why take the chance? “I am the master of my bladder! I am the captain of my fate!”

Racing on Vacation
This was my second race while vacationing in the Pacific Northwest. Racing on vacation makes me feel like I accomplished something in the midst of all the loafing around and eating fattening food.

Post Run Milkshake
This was actually my Dad’s idea. After the race we stopped at a hamburger drive-thru called McFrugals in Port Angeles, WA. I ordered a medium size huckleberry milkshake which looked more like a large. If I ever had a guilt free milkshake this was the one! Amazingly I wasn’t very sore after my race. I went on a rather long bike ride two days later. I guess Angie’s training advice is finally sinking in.

You May Surprise Yourself
If you feel the urge to “Go Big” then go for it. Be smart and be bold. Listen to your body. You may be surprised at what your legs can do when race day comes.

In our next podcast episode we will give you a complete race recap.

Keep running and living the good life!

Carpe Diem!