Great Half!

The Pensacola Half was this weekend and I was hesistant/anxious for this race. I was really looking forward to a nice flat, long run but was slowly losing confidence in my "best". I continue to have a nagging left hip thing going on and 13 miles is nothing to snivvle at...it demands respect every time you do it. I like that part of distance running.

We decided to stay the night since the race began at 7:30 as we're not fans of driving a long way before racing. Not wanting to spend a lot of $$ for just a place to lay your head is just exactly what we got! A place to lay our heads. Okay, I'll spare you the details except for this. The door would close BUT there was a 1.5 inch space between the door and the door frame! It was going to be pretty cold and here we are in a room where we can watch a movie sitting on the other side of the door! Really...just look for yourself...here's a large towel stuffed in the door...EASILY! As a matter of fact, we had to open the door and close it on the towel to keep it in place!


Later, we went to Sidelines Restaurant to eat. Kent got a great Bacon Cheeseburger with fries and I got the Linguine with Maranara Sauce topped with two grilled chicken breasts and broccoli for the side. It was fantastic...soooo good. I will get that again. Of course, I couldn't eat it all; there was more than enough so I gave some to Kent.

After a poor night's rest from the old, creaky, lumpy bed and the band blasting outside our door, morning came early for us. Thankfully, the temps didn't drop as much as they had predicted. It was 40 and was suppose to be in the mid 30's. We stayed nice and warm, just no good rest. Now here I am going on hardly any sleep and fixing to run a half marathon.

I had about decided my "good" half marathon racing days had come and gone...that is, as well as I could do since I started my running career over age 50! Okay, I never said I was smart. Every half I ran last year was pitiful with the first one done while I was still suffering from the knee injury from the marathon and the second, months later, from cramps in BOTH feet! Both times I was crippled the last couple of miles of the race and had to walk some before crossing the line; something I'd never planned to do. From the very first half I'd trained to completely run them only.

Trying for a PR in each half I ran and not accomplishing it, it was decided to focus more on the details of finishing stronger this time around and not walking again. That part was kinda like a Failure Fairy whispering in my ears. With that being said, I had been training differently in my long runs. I could see that it was paying off at the Kaiser Half in November until I got cramps...totally not expecting THAT! I tend to cramp more in the winter but not when it's warm and it was warm that day. I was more mad than anything else. Until that point, my running had been strong and my pace much better. I was on my way to better times until I had to start walking.

But this time, I was ready for the cramps! I grabbed my bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar and stuffed it in the back pocket of my "big girl" pants ready to take 'em on. The ACV always make them disappear and I was gonna win this battle if it occurred again!

When we drove into the parking lot, the sun was beginning to rise. It was gorgeous!! I had Kent stop the truck so I could get a picture. And who do you think is the next person we see? A good friend and great race director, Leonard V. of the Gulf Coast Running Club. Glad we saw him because our paths didn't cross again. He had stiff competition this race but still won his age group. Congrats, LV!


I LOVE the course in this race. It is almost idential to the Gulf Coast Half Marathon done in April. Being very flat, it's a great one to shoot for faster times. Though I kept the cramps at bay, I began to run out of steam about the 11th mile. For two miles, seems I just plodded along. But in the last mile, my second wind kicked in and I was able to finish ahead of many that had been ahead of me for a while. I love to pass "anyone" just before going through the Finish Line. It just gives me that big ole push I need for my last "high" of the race. I finished strong and happy. I wore a long bodice running bra, a short sleeve shirt and a long sleeve shirt. Yeah, it was kinda chilly that morning. I took the long sleeve off the last 3 miles or so. My black shirt reads "In my dreams, I'm a Kenyan" and I love that saying cause only in my dreams would I be at that level. I thought about the saying a lot when it was visible for others to see and it help motivate me to run a little harder. Need to remember this...


As it turned out, I had MUCH MORE to be happy about than I realized when I crossed the line. We had timing chips but this recording was not available. I didn't start as close to the starting line as I usually do because of having the chip. Thankfully, my Garmin records everything! With that being said the stats showed the course to be 13.21 miles instead of the "certified" length of 13.1 which means my time was pretty good. My pace was my best for a half yet!! Yay! Their posted time was clock time and not by the chip that we wore. Mine's regulated with what the chip should have been. We passed over a couple of "chip mats" on the course. I don't care!! I believe my Garmin is closer to the correct reading. Regardless, going by my pace I still got a PR. I was really tired afterward...but happy!

My finishing medal...I love it!

The awards ceremony for the 5k was started when I came in. These ceremonies were staggered and that was good allowing each race to be announced quickly.

Kent got 3rd place in his age group...yay, Honey!! It's a cool dog tag and chain. The artwork is vibrant and beachy. I missed getting his picture as I wasn't with him when they were announced.

Receiving my award.

And, I got 3rd in my age group. Here's a close up view of it.

This has boosted my morale and I'm excited about doing the 15k in a couple of weeks. It will definitely be a tough and challenging race but I can hardly wait to run looking at the beautiful waters again! Until then...

Run 4 It