Tom King 1/2 Marathon Report

I am not sure if you know this yet or not, but, I RAN MY 1ST 1/2 MARATHON YESTERDAY! I know it will not be that big of a deal to some of you. But to me, I am very happy. This is not that bad for a guy who started running in April of 2008. Now if I can just get healthy again like last summer....

Now on with the race report. I drank a few Endurance Fuel mixs Friday night to make sure I was primed for the run. I got in bed around 9-9:30pm and slept pretty well. I got up at 5am to start getting ready to go. I wanted to make sure I gave myself plenty of time to get ready. This included my usual morning bathroom business. I figured my day would be bad when I burnt my toast I was going to eat for breakfast. I just gave up on that idea and turned to the ole stand-by, Special K bars. I ate 2 Strawberry ones and drank an orange AMP (sorry, but I have to have caffeine in the morning). I got out the door about 5:30am. I stepped out of the house, and sure enough, it was raining. Not a hard rain, not sprinkles, but just enough. I have ran in the rain before, so I was not that concerned about it. I was just worried about staying warm. I made it to the stadium at 6:30am (plenty of time for an 8:30am start). I made my way into pick up my shirt and packet. After that, I walked around a bit and looked for a girl I went to school with. Later I found out she had woke up, seen it was raining, and went back to bed. She didn't want to run again in the rain, so she said she "pulled a Jay." I watched the start of the 5k race and then headed back to my truck to pin on my bib and get dressed for the race. I drank some more Endurance Fuel and headed out to start warming up. I stretched out for a good 30 minutes or so. With about 10 minutes to the 1/2 start, I ran into Amy and Vandy-Montana. I finally got to chat it up with them for a bit before I had to make another bathroom run. When I came out, everyone was making their way to the start. I found a spot about 3/4 of the way back in the pack. I was feeling alittle nervous since I have never ran a 1/2 marathon race before. I have done the mileage before, so I knew I could do it, but I have never raced the mileage. I was also kinda worried about how my legs would do. They felt great after the week of rest, but I was still worried I would get a few miles into the race and they would die on me. Before I knew it, the gun sounded and everyone started moving. It took a full minute or so before I crossed the mat to start my timing. I punched my Garmin and started out. The start was very congested and it was hard to find a good stride. I weaved in and out of people and finally things cleared up a bit. At about .5 miles in, I checked my Garmin and I was running an 8 min/mile pace!!!! Even though it felt good to be running again, I knew I had to slow down to be able to finish. My first 2 miles were quicker than I had planned, but boy did it feel good to be running. The 1st water stop was a rowdy one. It was my favorite one. The rain was not bad and I never really got too hot or too cold. The only thing I didn't like about it was the puddles. They were not that bad until later on in the race. It seemed like we were in Shelby Park in no time. I was really unsure of where exactly we were running too, so I just followed everyone else. I thought we might be going around the lake again like the CMM, but we stayed straight and headed out of the park on the greenway. This is the part of the course that sucked. There was nothing to look at. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to get going to fast. One bridge we went over felt like it was going to fall apart. It was bouncing really bad with everyone running on it. We passed a few water stops here and there, but I kept running. I had a 20oz Endurance Fuel I was carrying with me, so I just took a couple of sips everytime I went through a water stop. About 5 miles or so into it, I hear some cheering and yelling. I look ahead and see the leaders barreling down on us. THEY WERE FLYING!!! I could not get over how fast these guys were actually moving. It was 2 guys stuck together, one or two more just behind them a bit, and then a bigger pack. Man, were they moving. It was not long after that I seen Vandy-Montana coming. He was moving on good too and looked strong. We exchanged words on the fly. I tried to look for Amy too, but missed her somewhere in the mix. About 45 minutes into my run, I ate my 1st pack of Jelly Belly's. I like them and all, but I think I will have to swap to GU. I just about choked to death trying to swallow one. I thought I was actually going to have to stop and hack it up. Anyway, I hit the turn around and checked my Garmin. I currently was on pace to break 2 hours!!!!! I was really happy, but I was starting to feel the effects of taking the week off of running. My breathing was slightly labored and faster than it needed to be. I took a few deep breaths and fell in behind a guy running a 9:20-9:30 pace. I was thinking of the guy as my running partner Rich. I was just trying to stay focused and on pace. When we turned off coming back and made the loop (or whatever you call it), I ended up having to slow to a fast walk for a minute or so to catch my breath. I checked my watch and I was still on pace to finish in 2 hours, but I had to stay on a 9:30 pace or below to make it. At this point is when the rain started to suck. The puddles on this part of the greenway were covering the whole track. Some of them were ankle deep!!! I had kept my feet fairly dry until now. I ended up finding the ankle deep puddle and SPLASH!!!!!! Both shoes were soaked. I ended up fast walking while I ate my 2nd pack of Jelly Belly's just to keep from choking. I picked up the pace a bit and tried to make up for some lost time. This was a mistake. I should have not been racing the time of 2 hours. I ended up starting to get a side ache and had to walk to get it to stop. At 2 miles out, I knew I was not going to make it in under 2 hrs. I think I had to do the last 2 miles in like an 8 min/mile pace to even come close. I just tried to settle into a good pace that was as quick as possible, but not too fast. I ended up passing a few people on the last 1/2 mile or so. I came down the slope into the stadium thinking I was ready for this to be over. My knee was starting to flare up and I knew I would pay for running when I got done. I ended up getting passed coming around the end zone by a girl, BUT she was wearing a UK hat, so I let her go. We chatted for a few seconds about UK before she left me in her dust. I crossed the finish line at 2 hrs and 4 minutes. NOT TO BAD FOR MY 1ST 1/2 MARATHON. The finish was VERY uneventful though. The Titans cheerleaders were out numbered by kids 3 to 1. I walked through the kids to get my medal from a pretty cheerleader. I deserved it after running 13.23 miles (anyone else get a different mileage than 13.1). After the cheerleader tent, I knelt for a quick prayer and then started up the ramps out of the stadium. MAN, DID MY KNEE START HURTING ON THE WAY UP!!!!! I started limping after the 1st incline, but struck up a conversation with a woman who was a 1/2 marathon newbie too. We both were extremely happy!!! I grabbed some water and a few bananas and walked around some. I thought I might find Amy and Vandy-Montana to see how they did and chat for a few minutes. I didn't find them, but the food sure looked good. I was not up for breakfast though and decided to head home. I called my wife and let her know I was done on the way home. She was proud of me. When I got home, I could barely walk. My right IT band was so tight I could not hardly bend my knee. I ended up taking a 20 minute ice bath and then a shower. Then a nice nap...hehehe. So all in all, it was a good race and I am happy I finished. I tried to wear my medal to church, but my wife said I couldn't....dang it!!! Now to hang it and my medal on my wall in the office at work with my other race bibs. Here are my splits....

Mile 1 - 8:29
Mile 2 - 8:52
Mile 3 - 9:03
Mile 4 - 9:15
Mile 5 - 9:15
Mile 6 - 9:17
Mile 7 - 9:30
Mile 8 - 9:23
Mile 9 - 9:36
Mile 10 - 10:17 (fast walked to eat Jelly Belly's)
Mile 11 - 1o:11 (fast walked to get rid of side ache)
Mile 12 - 9:45
Mile 13 - 9:52 (fast walked due to trying to kick it in the last mile...not a good idea)
0.23 - 1:57

My pace was 9:27 min/mile. This is where I would like to be for my marathon.