Run the Line is probably my favorite half marathon. First, this race is sentimental because it’s run in both Texarkana, Arkansas and Texas and I have family there. The race starts and finishes in the downtown area and both times I have run this race I imagine my Uncle Harvey many years ago conducting business there.

Then there is the course, if you’re not careful it will sucker you into going out too fast as the early miles are flat. Mid way through there’s rolling hills. Finally, the last mile and a half  is mostly downhill.  It’s a  scenic course that includes downtown, 2 parks, and some beautiful neighbor hoods. The crowd support and volunteers are great.

Even though it’s not a huge race, it has a wave start which I appreciate because both times I have run it, I haven’t been in half marathon shape. Lining up in the second wave ensured that I didn’t go out too fast. Post race is complete with finisher medals, mylar blankets and a wonderful spread of hot food under a tent with heaters.

With only 7 weeks of training under my belt following a 38 day layoff from running, I took a very conservative approach to this race. While my training has been consistent, my long runs were 9, 8 and 10 miles with only the 8 miler being one I felt good about. My goal was to run a 2:05 and to negative split the race. I ran this race with coaching client, Kristen, and designed a race plan that would start us out a minute slower than we would finish. Here is the race plan:

• Mile 1             10 min
• Mile 2             9:50
• Mile 3             9:45
• Mile 4             9:40
• Mile 5             9:30
• Mile 6             9:30
• Mile 7             9:30
• Mile 8             9:30
• Mile 9             9:15
• Mile 10           9:15
• Mile 11           9:10
• Mile 12           9:00
• Mile 13           8:55
• Final 0.1          1:00
• Total time       2:03:50

I intentionally built in a cushion in case I struggled in the last three miles. As long as I ran a 10 min pace, I could still hit a 2:05.

Since Kristen and I were starting out slow and had picked up our race packets the night before, we saw no need to get to the race early and warm up and we literally arrived 15 minutes before the start which was enough time to park and do some dynamic stretches. We lined up with the 2:15 pace group (there was not a 2:05 or 2:10 option) and after the gun went off we really worked at hold the pace down to 10 minutes. The 2:15 pace group leader had an obnoxious voice and was hooping and hollering so we did our best to put some distance between her and us without going too fast!

The weather was in the high 40s and a little windy. I opted for capris, a long sleeve shirts over a tank top, and since I had left my Spi belt at home I wore a vest with pockets. Fortunately it stayed overcast, but I was way over dressed! With all the treadmill running I’ve done lately, this seems to be an issue for me!

Kristen and I nailed our splits until Mile 10. After the race we discovered we both thought we were in Mile 11 and it mentally did a number on us when we saw the Mile 10 sign.  It was shortly after this point as we began to ascend a short hill that my hips let me know they were done. I told Kristen to go on and walked part of the the hill. I tried hard to push the pace on the downhill but my legs wouldn’t turnover. I remembered the cushion, but when I checked my watch my paces were closer to 11 than to 10. I was getting hungry and really didn’t want to take a third Honey Stinger gel, so I made a pact with myself to not walk, keep the pace under 11, and get to the finish line.

In the final two miles not only were my hips hurting, but my left ankle felt like it had no flexibility and needed an adjustment. I’m sure the downhill running wasn’t helping. I  wanted to finish strong but I was in so much pain. When I got to the finish line, I broke down and cried causing me to almost have an asthma attack. Kristen and my friend Pam were waiting for me and showered me with hugs and concern. When Pam asked me what hurt I told her my pride!! My time was 2:09:35.

I’m a firm believer in learning from what went wrong and celebrating the good. The lesson: I need more long runs. However, there is so much to celebrate! Kristen got to experience negative splits and finished strong in 2:06:51! We rocked the first 9 miles and the 10^th was still respectable even though we both hoped it was mile 11! I was not sore the next day which let me know the emphasis I’ve put on strength training the past three months has paid off! And I had a fun trip and enjoyed dinner with friends and my cousin.