Date/Time: April 24, 2016
Size: 2112
Weather: Low 40s, cloudy
Course: Road race with rolling hills throughout, larger hills from miles 8-10
Time: 1:58:48
Rank: Overall: 785/2112; Age Group (20-24F): 45/146
My second half-marathon is in the books. It was a big moment for me - not just because I wanted that undisputed sub-2, but because tomorrow, I find out whether I got into grad school. I was apprehensive about how my mood from my race would affect my attitude going into D-day tomorrow.
Luckily, I'm in good spirits. Why? On with the race recap!
I apologize in advance - I've lived in Rochester on-and-off for well over 10 years and I still don't know the neighborhoods. So while I was familiar with the course, please excuse me if I still sound like I don't know what I'm talking about.
We started downtown, and I seeded myself right by the 2-hour pacers, hoping that I would pull ahead and never see them again. The first mile ran by the Susan B. Anthony house, where a group of spectators in historic costumes were cheering us on. I was delighted by their quirkiness and it gave me just a little extra boost early in the race.
The morning was a little colder than I had anticipated. I actually had to improvise my outfit for the day by throwing my race shirt on to cover up the Wineglass logos on the only long-sleeve tech shirt I owned, instead of wearing a singlet like I had planned. Luckily, after the first few miles, I didn't feel cold anymore and I knew that weather would not be a factor.
Around mile 3, I felt good enough to pull ahead of the pacers and run my own race. I really enjoyed the variety of neighborhoods the course had to offer, from the urban business districts to charming residential streets. I've been training downtown for the past few weeks, and I've gained a new appreciation of Rochester that I never had in the 10+ years I've been living here.
Miles 3-8 were relatively uneventful. I had run these streets many times before. I felt good and I was making paces in the mid 8s. If I kept it up, I would easily make a sub-2....
And then came Mt. Hope cemetery. I walked up the cobblestone hill into the cemetery (what a trip hazard in the middle of a race), and then started running once I got to the top. The course looped for almost two miles over the rolling hills of the cemetery. Yes, I knew the hills were coming, yes, I had trained on much steeper hills for months prior, and yes, I had the homefield advantage, but I was nervous I was still going to burn out. I began to struggle. I was sure this was where I was going to lose that sub-2.
It was then that I realized how much of running is mental. For much of this race, I was running neck and neck with a woman dressed in red. She wore a reflective vest with words emblazoned across the back - "Deaf/Blind" and was tethered to another woman wearing a vest that read "Guide". I really focused on her as we ran through the cemetery. I noticed that while all the runner, myself included, tended to slow on the uphills, the woman in red did not. She ran just like she would have on flat road, dragging her guide behind her. She couldn't see the hills and so she probably didn't intimidate herself like the rest of us sighted and hearing runners. I understand that disability can severely reduce a person's quality of life, but it can also be thought of as just another way of being. This was so true in this case - this woman's "disability" was likely an advantage in that moment. Not only did she give me something to think about, she also made a GREAT pacer.
Mile 10 brought some relief as I rounded the downhill out of the cemetery. I was really tiring at this point, but I just kept thinking to myself, "Just a 5k left". In fact, I can't remember thinking about anything else. I passed the lady in red and some point and then just kept counting down the miles and minutes.
The faster I run, the sooner I can stop...
Something weird happens to time every time I see the finish chute. I want to get there so bad but I just can't make my legs go. I saw that 1:59:XX but I just couldn't kick it. Time crawled by.
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| This was the best picture. I look like I'm dying. Cemeteries will do that to you. |
I heard the announcer shout my name and I crossed the finish line at 1:59:42. Chip time was 1:58:48. Undisputed sub-2. On a much harder course to boot.
I met up with my dad afterwards and ate a stale raisin bagel, courtesy of Wegmans. I ran into the lady in red on my way to the bathroom. I wanted to thank her for her unbeknownst pacing, but at risk of sounding stalker-ish, I congratulated her on a great race instead.
I must say that my recovery has been so different this time as opposed to Wineglass. It has only been a few hours and physically, I'm feeling great. The soreness is almost gone and I don't think stairs will be an issue tomorrow. But I'm also not getting that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. Sure, I'm proud that I ran the best race I could muster. But maybe it's being overshadowed by my anticipation for tomorrow.
Tomorrow, every single graduate school I applied to will call me. Tomorrow will decide the rest of my life. I hope today will be a good omen for what is to come.*
*Update: The next day did not go well as I was waitlisted to every single school. After three days of negotiation, I was accepted into a graduate program.
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