Sunday, March 25, 2012

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon plus 9 miles!

I used friday and saturday as rest days since I was running 22 miles today.  My peroneal tendons are still a little unhappy but getting better.  I have access to a physical therapist at the high school where I coach so she has been wrapping/taping my ankles for me!



The tape adds extra support especially for when I am doing drills on the fields with the team.  Unfortunately we do not have turf fields but good ol' regular grass with lots of divots.

On Saturday we played the #1 team in the state and totally had our rears kicked!  On top of the loss the school is a 2 hour bus ride away and it RAINED!!!  So needless to say I did not get a run in today but definitely could have used one.  Saturday was also my BFF's birthday so we rushed out after I got home from the game to meet them for her dinner and cupcakes!



I went to bed fairly early ( 9:45pm ) and really got a good night of sleep before the half marathon.  I was using this race as a training run for Boston so I wasn't my crazy race day self!  Angel and Dawn picked me up at 7:45 and we got to the race close to 8:40 a.m.  Luckily we were able to hang out in the YMCA and use their facilities prior to the start!



Thank you YMCA!!!!

The weather was a little rainy and about 48* - 50*.  The start of the race was at 9:30 a.m. and started right on time.  There weren't any specific corrals and close to 1600 runners total.  We were able to get pretty close to the front and really never felt crowded or unorganized!  I started off running with Angel and Dawn... our first mile was downhill at a 7:08 pace.  My hubby and boys were driving by right as we started and I could hear them beeping and cheering for us...LOVED that!  The next few miles were sub 7 pace and I felt great.  Around mile 3 I noticed that Angel was not near me...We started to reach some hills at this point in the course and then ran along the riverfront which was pretty flat.  A man in front of me totally wiped out and fell but was so graceful and bounced right back up!! I would still be laying on the ground if I fell!

Miles 4-9 flew by...This is a very hilly course and l have to say I loved it!  I was surprised by all the spectator support and I was able to see my hubby and boys 4-5 times throughout the run.





Just a little excited!

At mile 9.5 I was able to see my runner girl Donna who was out volunteering at the race!!  Thank You Reds!!

Miles 10-11 were pretty much all uphill but I was still feeling pretty good.  Then we started with the downhill...I am not the biggest fan of downhill running!  I guess all my hill training is paying off because I felt strong and my quads still had more to give.

The last .25 - .50 was pretty much straight uphill!  I have lived in Delaware my whole life and had no idea we had so many awesome inclines/hills!!





After finishing and getting my hugs and kisses from the boys I ran back down the hill and found Dawn!!  She was charging up the hill and looking so strong!  She PR'd on the course and was a total rock star!



Go Dawn!!

I met up with Angel and we charged up the killer hill together!  Angel also PR'd on the course and killed it even though she was having some knee issues and pain!



Go Angel and your HOT pink socks!!



I love running and racing with runner girls!

This event also had some pretty good post race treats...soft pretzels, h2o, Gatorade, chocolate coconut milk, bagels, fruit, cliff bars, dole pineapple treats, pizza and more!!

After I changed and refueled I headed back out to finish up my 22 miles.  So overall this was my mileage for today.. 13.1 in 1:38,  1 mile back to meet girls 7 mins, 9 miles in 1:10 for a grand total of 23 miles in 2:55.  

This was exactly what I needed before Boston!  I just hope and pray my peroneal tendons stay happy between now and April 16!

How was your weekend? Any races?

Happy Running!

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