#chicago half

[kristakritter]

insta: @kristakritter

[skinnyredefined]

My First Half!

Since everyone is getting in the spirit of Marathon weekend here in New York City I thought it makes me want to try to do it next year, but I think running the five borough half marathons is a more realistic goal.  

At the beginning of May I was flipping through my Runners World and came across an article of the ‘Best Half Marathons’ this year.  I had always had the itch to run farther, faster and more often but without a solid goal didn’t really have a direction.  My constant goal is just to be able to keep up with my dad, who is almost sixty and can still kick my ass.  Maybe running a half marathon was just the goal I needed to take my running up a notch.  As the article noted “The half marathon may be the perfect destination race. Running 13.1 miles is a travel-worthy goal that earns you a medal to wear proudly. But it doesn't wreck you like a marathon can, so you'll have energy to enjoy your post race brunch and a little sightseeing.” Sounds perfect, right?

When I got to the Chicago Half a light bulb went off.  The race was great for first time half marathoners with a completely flat course and at the end of the summer season with a more manageable temperature.  I had never been to Chicago and a friend of mine from college who lives there was overdue for a visit.  My friend has always been more active and a better runner than me, so I knew she would jump at the suggestion of running the half in her city.  So that weekend we made a plan and decided to run the Chicago Half.

After finding the perfect (free) training plan I decided that I didn’t have to start training until mid June since the plan was only 12 weeks long and I was in decent shape anyway.   Then I got 8 weeks away from my half and hadn’t started training.  I might not consider myself a runner, but I was still in pretty good shape, so I’d be fine, right?  When I talked about my first half with other runners everyone had the same “you’ll be fine” mentality.  With that attitude I didn’t really feel the need to get out and run the short distances that the first few weeks of the plan had lined up.  I was swimming, soulcycling and walking the four miles home from work every other day so I wasn’t completely sedentary.  I put in a few long runs during NYC’s Summer Streets, so I’d be fine.

Too bad the first thought that popped into my head during the race was “I wish I had trained more.”

Two weeks before my race I had taken some time off from work to spend a week in Maine with my family.  It was the prefect place to train where I could get plenty of sleep, eat right and get a few long runs in.   I knew that I was upping my mileage more than 10% each week, breaking a cardinal rule of training, but I kept thinking that I was in good shape.  I thought I would be fine.  That was my first mistake. 

My second mistake was running on the road and the sand.  I know that running in the sand is a great way to injure a tendon but since the tides on Goose Rocks Beach are so extreme there is lots of damp packed sand that is not very different from running on gravel or dirt.  Even so, a few days into my beach runs my left ankle (a weakness and continued sore spot of mine) started to bother me.  I just ran with my ankle support and kept mixing it up on the beach/pavement runs. 

My third large mistake was not training with any fuel on my long runs.  That week was the first time I had run 10 miles and it was a great run, but I didn’t bring anything with me.  No water, no snack, no food – nothing.  I remember walking on the beach after my run and feeling so nauseous I thought I was going to be sick.  Somehow I didn’t get the hint.  I didn’t think running with a banana or a few berries was necessary.  I hate running with a fanny pack, I can never distribute the weight correctly so it bangs against my back.

That week I was also so sore I could barely move.  I took my rest days as prescribed, warmed up before each run and stretched afterwards but I was still in pain.  It did not help that I didn’t have my trusty ‘foam roller’ (which is a PVC pipe) with me.  The benefits of foam rolling are amazing the fact that this little thing can break up scar tissue in your muscles by working out knots kept my muscles loose on my days off from running makes it invaluable.  That week I would have definitely benefitted from some foam rolling.

The weekend before my race, which also happened to be Labor Day weekend and my birthday weekend, I spent in Virginia with the boyfriend.  It was great to have someone to train with for those few runs, but he was injured and wasn’t able to go on the 13 miler I had planned.  I was training by myself for all of the other runs; this one would be fine.  Too bad that we got a late start that day.  I didn’t get out to my run until the afternoon and it was 90 degrees under a blaring sun.  This time I knew I needed to bring a water bottle with me but it was gone after the first few miles.  I made it about halfway through my run before I started to get dizzy and see spots.  I walked another half mile until there was some shade that I could rest under and sat there for a long time.  I had made it less than 7 miles, so much for getting thirteen in before race day.  Oh well.  I would still be fine, right?

Now three days away from race day and my friends and I were celebrating my birthday at one of my favorite bars in soho, which is famous for the strong frozen margaritas they serve in mason jars.  I do not think I bought myself a single drink that night, every time I turned around I was handed a mason jar.  I do not drink often and usually have a 3 drink absolute max, but it was my birthday!  We were celebrating and I didn’t have to fly to Chicago until noon the next day.  Good thing that my flight wasn’t until noon because I was so sick that if it were any earlier I would have missed it.  I’ll spare you the details but I was able to hold it together on the plane just when I landed, it was not pretty.  I took a cab to my friend’s apartment where we mostly hung out for the rest of the day while I pounded coconut waters and tried to keep something in my stomach. 

We were now two days away from the race.  I was just starting to feel normal but was still dehydrated and I’m sure I was low on electrolytes.  We biked around Chicago and I was starting to see how some people could tolerate living anywhere other than NYC.  It was very bike friendly and even though I was on a Divy Bike that weighed 100lbs, I was able to navigate the roads next to cars without feeling like I was going to die.  My friend lived just a few blocks away from the beach, which she was able to run for training.  The water was clean and you were able to just jump in!  We picked up our numbers, some more coconut water and retreated back to her apartment for a good night sleep before the race.

The morning of the race, we were prepared, and even through I did not have my normal morning smoothie, I had as much fruit as I could stomach and another coconut water.  We took an Uber to the start line and they were already closing Lake Shore Drive.  I was shaking and couldn’t tell if it was out of excitement or nervousness.  We checked our bags, made one last bathroom stop and lined up to start.  My friend and I were starting together, but I knew she would take off in front of me shortly after. 

The first few miles of the race was on cool shaded roads though Jackson Park and spectators were on either side cheering us on.  I was still in disbelief that I was actually doing this it was an amazing feeling.  There were people all around me, but I had plenty of space to myself so if I tripped over my own feet it didn’t feel like I would be trampled.  We passed the first water station and I accidently grabbed Gatorade instead of water.  I’m not a fan of any sports drinks but I managed to take a sip and then tossed the rest on the side.  Then we made it onto Lake Shore Drive.  It was surreal running on the highway without any cars and the spectator’s posters made me run with a smile on my face. 

I decided to run with my Nike Plus App that day so I could pace myself.  I had a habit of starting out too strong on my long runs and not being able to push through the finish.  I didn’t have any expectations for my time that day but hoped to finish in under two hours.  The little voice in my ear buds told me that I was keeping 10-minute miles for the first five miles and I was feeling good so I picked up the pace.  I already had to pee and still had at least another hour to go.  I told myself the faster that I finished the faster I would be able to go to the bathroom.  I didn’t plan to pick up my pace until mile eight or so, but I told myself that if I kept my strides short and breathing in and out of my nose that I would be fine.

It was about this time that I wished that I had trained more.  It started to get hot and I was dripping in sweat.  There was no shade and the pavement was heating up under the morning sun.  It was the first week of September so summer temperatures were expected.  The heat was the last of my worries though, I had done most of my runs during hot parts of the day so that in hopes that I could soak in some Vitamin D and get as tan as possible.  Then when I hit my halfway point we started seeing the top runners already on their way back to the finish on the other side of the highway.  I thought it was really cool to see that and as the runners passed us we started cheering and clapping. 

I didn’t start feeling drained until mile 10 or 11.  I tried to shut off my brain and tell myself to keep going.  It didn’t help that my Nike Plus app didn’t match up with the mile markers and told me that I was running faster than I was and had covered more distance than I actually had.  I really had to use the bathroom but I didn’t want to stop because I knew it would be that much harder to start up again.  Finally, feeling sunburned and exhausted Nike Plus told me that I had finished 13.1 miles at 1:54:53 time so I decided I needed to walk.  There were people passing out around me and the winners who had already finished and turned around to cheer were helping medics deal with people on the pavement.  I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out, but at that point it was a legitimate concern.

After walking a half-mile I decided that I needed to run across that finish line and started trotting along.  There were people all around pushing past me, many of the same people who I had passed earlier at mile nine or ten.  There were so many people cheering us on through the finish that I pushed myself down the last straightaway and finally across the finish line and was handed a banana, a water bottle and a metal.  I had a hard time catching my breath and felt like I was going to be sick but I needed to go to the bathroom so badly that’s all I could think about.  I got lost and ended up being turned away from the VIP bathrooms before finding the bathrooms available for the plebs. 

Then I was able to finish my water bottle and banana without needing to pee my pants.  I walked around the grounds like a zombie looking for my friend and for any other water.  All I found was a slice of pizza and plenty of beer.  Confused I ate my pizza in the shade and then continued the quest for more water.  I found some available foam rollers instead and half-heartedly rolled out my weak muscles before I was able to find my friend. We picked up our things and I had my 2nd coconut water of the day.  She had not been keeping up with her iron supplement and felt like she could have done better and as we talked I tried not to pass out.  Even though I felt like I was going to die, it was still an amazing experience and I can’t wait to do it again.

My recorded time ended up being 2:11:50, which could be worse for my first half.  Next time I’ll be sure to actually follow my training plan so can finish under two hours.  Until then, I’ll just try to keep up with my dad.