Gulf Coast Half Marathon

Good Morning, Pensacola!

This race was going to be unpredictable from the beginning. I had fought "issues" off and on since the marathon and in the last couple of weeks I felt like it was all under control though it was a little late to be getting in the mileage I usually do preparing for a long race. Still, thinking it had not been long since my biggie I thought as long as I got in 10 or 11 miles I would be okay. Two weeks ago I nailed 10 miles easy and felt great! Eleven miles were planned for the following week but it didn't work out to get those in. Got 7 in and hoped that would be enough. My recent physical "attack" had even subsided and I was running without my compression wrap comfortably with no pain or soreness during or after my run, even on hills.

Feeling a little unsure of it all, I was quite apprehensive going into this race. Mentally, I was NOT there. In order to do the Gulf Coast Half Marathon you needed to sign up pretty early as they had a limit and it filled quickly. If I had been able to sign up a little later, I may have waited on this for a few reasons: my mileage was not where I wanted it to be, I wanted to work on some speedwork for this race and wasn't able to do so, and I had no confidence in even making it 13 miles. In the last days approaching the race, I reluctantly talked myself into enjoying it instead of trying to "race" it (a disappointing outlook from the beginning). My running buddies understand the difference in running and racing and know what I'm talking about.

Being in Gulf Shores and the race in Pensacola and starting at 7:00 a.m. meant we needed to leave BY 5:00 at the latest. That meant, getting up BY 4:00. So with the alarm set and snuggling into bed around 9:00, I was ready for a good night's rest looking forward to a good run the next morning. NOT!!!!!!!! For some reason, and I still don't know what it is, I could not sleep. This is very rare for me. I never have trouble sleeping. At 2:00 I was still wide eyed and bushy tailed. I'd tried everything to try to get to sleep. Have you ever had re-runs of doing things trying to go to sleep IN THE SAME NIGHT?? I haven't. That was really weird...AND it made me kinda mad cause I could not sleep. I finally dozed off only to wake up just before 4:00. And that was a good thing...the alarm did NOT go off!!

When I got up and going, irritated that I didn't get a wink's rest, my eyes caught the thermometer and it read 98% humidity!! Oh, my, now I'm just gonna die today. When we got to the race, the skies were overcast and foggy. It had been this way for 3 days with only a little sun peaking out here and there. I was hoping this would be the case today. As we were lining up I heard my name called and it was my friend Gary from Laurel. It was good to see a familiar face. He was so encouraging for me and before I knew it I was ready to race.

And, off we go. Check out that fog!

I started off feeling good and as with all races, I felt strong and excited. Okay, so now I'm wanting to race. I usually have a pace I try to maintain for a half and feeling good I thought I'd refuse my predetermined idea of "running" it and go for my pace. As I watched it in the first couple of miles, I realized I was headed for a pretty strong race. So, I re-thought about my strategy. Oh, yeah, I do a LOT of thinking even while I'm racing. I talk to myself all the time...no comments here!! I began watching my pace for a different reason. Deciding to run at a comfortable pace instead of a "race pace", I monitored my pace to be sure I wasn't going too fast so I could get through the 13 miles fairly easy. The thoughts of making it that far left when the gun went off, ha! I'm just loving racing!!

The course was beautiful! I mean gorgeous. Beach was visible throughout the entire race. Either it was on the gulf side or on the bay side. With such a view, it made the humidity tolerable. Don't get me wrong, the sweat showed up at the start. I could actually breathe okay as long as the sun was not out. Thankfully, I wasn't affected by the humidity except for the sweating. Dehydration was constantly on my mind. Unlike other races I'd run, water stops were a regular. Rarely do I get more than a few sips of water in a half but today I made it a point to stop regularly to hydrate before I felt like I needed it, which is a late sign. As a matter of fact, several ambulances were assisting runners throughout the course. It was tough for them. This made me MORE aware of the importance of drinking water and Gatorade.

Going on 10 miles I was still feeling really good. I tried to absorb as much as I could about the race: the views, the friendly faces throughout the course, the overcast skies, beach smells and what my body was telling me about my pace. Then mile 11 approached. The race began to change...my left knee started hurting pretty bad. It was the same one that gave me trouble 2 months ago in the marathon. I got a couple of indications something was happening in the 9th mile which made me more cautious. But #11 got my attention. All I could think about was there are only 2 more miles and I'm sure I can make it...make it meaning running. My pace slowed down and disappointment got closer. Keeping a slower pace I thought would be the key...UNTIL mile 12 came up. It was then that I felt an extreme, excruciating pain shoot through that knee all the way up my body!! The pain was so hard it literally knocked me back. A lady running right behind me actually caught me as I started to fall. I had no idea she was there but was very thankful that she was close to me. After she straightened me back up, there was no guessing but that I had to walk. So I thought if I could walk a little and run a little I could make it in. After all, I was right at the end, right? NOT!!! Every step I tried to make running stopped me dead in my tracks. No jogging or even trotting could I do. Now, my goal was to finish...I wanted my medal! Reluctantly, I accepted my fate. It was coming down to JUST finishing. As I neared the corner before the Finish Line, I mustered up everything I had and ran it in. I hope I never have to walk a race in and this one was no exception. I knew if I could do it in the marathon, I could do it now. I wanted to run the last couple in soooo bad, but it just didn't happen. All my hopes were dashed! I ran in saddened by the way I had to finish. So many negative things were there for a not-so-good race but all of those were not my problem. It was something totally unexpected.

Coming in to the finish.

After getting my medal and bottles of water, I immediately went to the truck and got my compression wrap. I'm so glad I brought it. I could hardly walk!! After it was wrapped, it helped so much. Kent had no idea there had been a problem because he was at the Finish Line and couldn't see me walking. He took a few pictures and I am so glad. At least, they weren't close ups so you could see the pain in my face cuz I was in some kinda pain.

Our bibs had our name on it. The chip was on the back of it. Cool looking medal. Here's one side of it.

Here's the other side.

We went on to the post-race activities and enjoyed food on a beautiful day. As we were getting ready to leave (my knee was beginning to pound), the announcements for awards were at my age group so we began to listen. With the 1500 registered runners (this was the cutoff) I thought it would give me a good idea what I would need to run in order to place for next year. The third place was slower than me and it got my attention. The next name I heard was mine!! I definitely couldn't believe it was possible with the knee problem I was experiencing at the end. This award was so earned and I was very excited going up getting it.


I had to put a paper towel inside so you could read it.

All in all I'm glad for these things:
1. My ability to run in difficult weather conditions
2. Changing my attitude to a positive one "before" the race began
3. Making hydration a key element to a successful race
4. Listening to my body (no matter what it says)
5. Re-focusing my goal "during" a race
6. Keeping a somewhat positive attitude even at the end
7. Perservance, steadfastness and a little hard-headedness thrown in for good measure
8. Thankful for running, no matter what stones it throws at me
9. Good friends that encourage me!!!

ASI Photos took pictures throughout the race and I'm sure I will have a couple to share from them but they are not ready yet. Thanks for visiting with me today and for ALL the encouragement you give me and other runners!