Super (Bowl) Sunday

1st Woman, 4th Overall 1:18.52 

Super Sunday
I barely slept the night before; too much nervous excitement.
Even on the line I could barely listen to the National Anthem (which was beautifully sung) as I waited to hit start on my Garmin.
I had said over and over that the first half of the race should feel easy if I go out correctly, at a reasonable pace (6:00-6:10 mile pace).
Still the fear of the unknown was present in my nervous excitement.
The siren played and we were off.
I felt great!
Was this happening?
Smooth and relaxed I passed each mile mark.
Even surprising myself running 5:55 for Mile 5 while eating my Tri-berry Gu.
Fueling, although gross while eating it, was an excellent idea.
I felt a burst of energy Mile 7 running my fastest mile of 5:45 right at the turn-around.
And then reality hit me.
Although I went through 6.55 Miles at 38:47 (1:17.35 pace) and was still feeling great, there was a significant head wind on the way back.
I charged on maintaining my effort and still feeling smooth and strong.
The cheers of the other participants on their way out carried me as I pushed into the wind.
At Mile 10 I distinctly remember thanking God as I realized 'I'm actually doing this."
By "this" I meant feeling great while running 6:00 minute pace for a half marathon.
I was going to run my goal and qualify for the US Half Marathon Championships (being held June 22nd).
Mile 11 was hard. It was the last mile straight into the wind.
I just kept pushing and decided to not even look at my last two mile splits as I closed in on FSU's Stadium.
As I rounded the track to the finish line I finally could see the clock.
With 100m to go I started sprinting. All I could do was pump my arms while staring at the clock. Realizing with each step that I was going to reach my goal and break 1:19.
Racing my first half marathon was an amazing experience.
Getting reinforcement that my training is heading in the right direction was the best part of the race.
I'm hoping to get in another training race this month before heading to Jacksonville on March 9th for the USA Running Circuit 15k Road Championships at The Gate River Run.

Below is the information from my Garmin. (Split 15 was because I hit the split button after I crossed the line and then had to hit the stop button. Not the sharpest after racing over an hour...)

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Calories Summary 1:18:57.9 1:18:32.0 13.29 302 305 5:57 5:55 3:48 1,287 1 5:53.1 5:53 1.00 25 23 5:53 5:53 5:04 95 2 5:45.8 5:42 1.00 10 15 5:46 5:42 4:41 98 3 5:53.7 5:54 1.00 12 0 5:54 5:54 4:24 97 4 5:52.6 5:51 1.00 38 53 5:53 5:51 4:51 96 5 5:55.6 5:54 1.00 33 44 5:56 5:54 5:06 97 6 5:53.7 5:53 1.00 29 0 5:54 5:53 4:59 97 7 5:45.3 5:46 1.00 16 31 5:45 5:46 5:09 98 8 5:59.0 6:00 1.00 15 11 5:59 6:00 4:22 97 9 6:00.2 5:53 1.00 27 0 6:00 5:53 5:12 97 10 6:05.6 5:59 1.00 34 55 6:06 5:59 4:24 97 11 6:10.0 6:11 1.00 21 35 6:10 6:11 4:44 97 12 6:04.2 5:58 1.00 20 18 6:04 5:58 4:55 98 13 6:06.0 6:06 1.00 21 19 6:06 6:06 5:11 96 14 1:31.6 1:32 0.28 0 0 5:23 5:24 3:48 26 15 :01.6 :00 0.00 0 0 12:41 -- 4:23 1

Tallahassee Marathon

The other amazing part of my Super Sunday was cheering on my boyfriend, Ryan Barrow, the last 5 miles of his 1st Marathon (I hopped on my bike after I finished and found him with about 5.5 miles to go). He had a rough last few miles after being on 2:36 pace through 20 miles. Finishing 8th Overall & winning his age group in 2:47.52.