Amish Half Marathon Race Report

Well, it finally came! My long awaited race day was today. I know you're all dying to know all of the details, so here goes!

It was dark and about 35 degrees outside when I left the house this morning. The race was scheduled to start at 8am, and I got to the starting area at about 7:30. I basically used the bathroom and stood around freezing and waiting. It seemed like everyone around me had come with a friend, making me really want a running buddy! At 7:50 they announced that we were 10 minutes away from the start and that the runners should make their way to the starting line. We got in a big 1,000 runner crowd, ready to go. They then announced that due to traffic coming in, we need to delay the start for a few more minutes -- some of the runners were stuck in their cars! It ended up to be about 20 more minutes, so I basically spent 45 minutes standing around freezing, and started the race with numb toes.

Once we got going, I kept hearing this little voice in my head saying, "Pace yourself." Everything I have read or been told about races has told me, "Don't go out too fast." When doing long runs in my training, I made sure to take the tempo a little slower than with a fast run, just to make sure I had the endurance to get through the miles. I was nervous about starting too fast, and then getting tired and burning out before the finish. I started the race at a comfortable tempo, not worrying about passing people just yet.

During the race, they have rest stops in case runners need to use the bathroom. In this particularly quaint race, the rest stops were actually the outhouses for the one room Amish school houses we were running past. When I got to mile 3, there was a rest stop and a sign that said "next stop 5 miles". I kinda had to go, but figured I'd just keep running and stop later. I was still feeling good. That may have been a mistake, though, because ALL I could think about for the next 50 minutes was that I really had to go!

When I got to the next stop, at mile 8, there was a line at the outhouses. I figured that would take me 3 or more minutes, and I didn't want that added to my total time. I stopped to grab a quick Gatorade and a few bites of trail mix and willed myself to forget about it. That actually worked, I got back into running mode and kept on going. At this point, I knew that I was a little bit behind the pace I wanted to keep, so I made a mental note to start pushing it a little bit.

Let me stop to say that my original goal in training to run a half marathon was to be able to run the whole thing without having to stop and walk. After my training, having improved my speed on my shorter runs, I determined that I should be able to complete it in 2 hours and 10 minutes, or less if I pushed it.

I continued running, still feeling good. Just hanging out and enjoying the run. It was a brisk, bright sunny day in Lancaster County. Started to get tired legs around mile 10, but it was easy to keep going knowing that the end was in sight -- only a 5K to go.

Another side note: one of the coolest things about this race was that we were traveling through Amish country. While it was a closed course, and there were few spectators throughout, many Amish families came out of their homes to cheer on the runners. It was adorable to see little children, dressed in their conservative clothing, with very serious faces, watching us. The water stations were also Amish run, and there were probably 10 Amish people at each one holding out cups and yelling "water!" and "powerade!" very excitedly.

I was very excited to see the mile 12 marker, and really picked up my pace for the last mile. I made it to the finish, heard the announcer call my name and town (although he mispronounced Ephrata), got my medal, and found my cheering section (Erik, Mark, Alex, and Thomas). They had a great tent set up with food for the runners -- apples, bananas, yogurt, bagels with peanut butter, and pizza). They had a live band playing music. I needed to stretch but didn't really get to do much, because sitting down on a cold, muddy field wasn't appealing. I was plenty warm while running but quickly became cold once I was standing around.

And that's it!

I got home, took a LONG, HOT shower, had lunch, took a blissful nap, and then headed out to Barnes and Noble with Erik and the boys, where I enjoyed a nice, big latte. Right now I am feeling great -- sore, but in a good way. In a way that reminds me of all I did today. :)

I have to say that if there is anything I regret about this race, it's that I didn't push myself harder. I was so nervous about getting tired and not being able to finish, or having to walk, so I think I ran too conservatively. I almost want a redo because I KNOW I could have done much better!

BUT . . . that's not to say I'm not proud of myself. I picked a goal, had a plan, and accomplished it. By myself. I ran over 200 miles in preparation for this race. And not only was I able to run the 13.1 miles without ever feeling like I needed to stop and walk, but I could have run another mile or two if I had to. So to me, that is a HUGE accomplishment. And you know what? That to me is a great time for a first half marathon, and will give me a lot of room to improve for next time.

That's right, I said next time. If you thought that you would finally be done listening to me talk about running, you're wrong! I've written enough today, but soon I will do a post about my upcoming goals.

Final stats:

Chip time: 2:17:47
Overall place: 750/994
Division (females 30-34): 68/92
Out of all females: 371/556

And that's the race report from Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly