Baltimore Half-Marathon

The nerves were all for nothing; however, I would bet they gave me my initial kick to start the Baltimore half this past weekend. A beautiful day for a run - overcast, mid-60s and spitting rain that lasted throughout the race. The marathoners started the first half of their race early. The half-marathon was scheduled to start at the marathon halfway point, allowing both groups of racers to finish together. Containing my nerves was quite the task before the race. When I woke up it was more or less controllable. It's when I walked downstairs to get breakfast (half a bagel with light butter) and to gather my things to leave it started to sink in. Then when we got to the race - I felt like the nerves were protruding from my skin. I asked Chris to hug me many times because it almost felt like he was holding them in! That relaxed me. Finally Marley, Ashley and I headed for the start line with about 10 minutes to go and our boyfriends all left to head for their first stop to cheer us on.

Race organizers shared some announcements over the loudspeaker and then someone sang the National Anthem. Before I knew it the gun sounded to signify the start of my very first half-marathon. My watch was ready to go and the crowd slowly jogged to the start banner. I reached the strip that activated the electronic timing chip that was attached to my shoe, which means GAME ON! Here comes the adrenaline rush ... it strung through my entire body like a lightening bolt, struck my legs and I took off. During the first mile I looked down at my watch once and noticed I was running at a 8:28 pace. Quickly I decided that going to be the last time I saw those numbers, and the last time I saw anything higher than eight. I thought my speedy start was going to make me pay later but luckily that wasn't the case.

Little did I know Baltimore has some pretty unforgiving hills. From miles three through 10 the racers experienced some gradual and steep hills. They all lasted between half a mile and one mile long. Training in Raleigh had thoroughly prepared me to face them though so they didn't slow up my pace too much, if at all. We weaved in and out of the ghetto of Baltimore. The marathoners started their race around the Inner Harbor and through Federal Hill - a much nicer part of the city - and then when they met up with us, we were the fortunate ones to get to see the less fortunate areas. Boarded up doors, shattered windows, detached siding ... quite the scene. But despite my surroundings I still enjoyed the run and all it had to offer very much. The support was great - running thin in some areas but flooding with enthusiasm in others. Something to expect from most any race I would assume.

I believe it was mile seven where we ran a one-mile loop around a beautiful lake outlined by a fence. I had two of my GU Chomps here. Two others I had right before the start, too - in hopes eating something would calm my nerves. There were groups of people on the side of the streets handing out peanut M&Ms, gummy bears, chips, bananas, among other things. I helped myself to some M&Ms. They are a weakness when I'm not running and apparently I can't turn them down when I'm in motion either. Bad idea. I took a handful and since they immediately started melting in my hand I popped them all into my mouth. Well when you have a mouthful of food it's hard to breath, and it's also hard to chew. About 20 minutes later I wanted to throw up chocolate. I don't hold a grudge against the M&Ms though - they are forgiven. :-) Halloween is right around the corner afterall!

I wore my water belt so to hold all my crap. I had chapstick, a few pieces of gum, GU Chomps, chafing cream that didn't get used, my phone and my disposable camera. I took pictures during the race - I forgot how bad the quality is with those cameras. I'll post them in addition to my other pictures taken with my digital camera. I like to keep my phone because after the race it's pure chaos and it's helpful to be able to call whoever you're with and find a meeting place. Also, I save draft text messages with various mileage numbers. This time I saved, 5, 8, 10 and 12. When I hit those marks I send the saved text to Chris so he knows where I am and where to find me. After the boys saw us in between mile one and two, they headed for the finish line. It helps him to know where I am so he isn't searching around aimlessly for one person out of 20,000 runners. Anyway - I didn't use the water bottles on the belt so to lighten to load and I knew I had multiple water stations to take advantage of along the course. The chaffing cream was not used but let me tell you - there have been more long runs where I wished I had some so it's worth being prepared!

The last few miles were great. Hundreds of people gathered on the outskirts of the course to cheer us on to the end. This really helps motivate a strong finish. We entered Camden Yards at mile 12 or a little after and ran on the brick path in the concourse of the baseball field. Then I heard a familiar shout - Chris and the boys were cheering and waving! He snapped a picture of me and then I crossed the finish line. What a feeling! I posted my results on the left side bar but to reiterate - I finished in 1:41:41 averaging a 7:46 pace. This was much better than I anticipated. To my surprise (again) I finished 8th in my division! :-) Now I'm more motivated than ever to kick some full marathon butt! It's going to be ruthless and exhausting but I know it's going to be well worth the work put in.


A spectator was holding a sign that caught my attention about halfway through the race ... "Pain is temporary but pride is forever." I really liked this and I kept thinking about it for the duration of the half. It'll be stored in the back of my mind whenever I need it to get me through any grueling runs.

Another thing that kept me going was having points in my mind to look forward to. As I mentioned before - I set text messages to send to Chris notifying him of my progress. So miles 5, 8, 10 and 12 were something to look forward to. I also was excited to see mile 6.55 ... halfway there! Then at mile 10 I knew after looking at the elevation map that most of the last three miles of the race was downhill, which gave me a little more of a boost. It helps me mentally to set little goals to reach the big one. If you break down the major goal into parts it doesn't make it seem as difficult to achieve anymore.

This was a great race and I recommend it to anyone. Baltimore was a wonderful host and Under Armour was a tremendous sponsor - mainly because of the awesome bag and shirt we got from participating. :-)

The day wasn't all good for everyone. A 23-year-old male marathoner collapsed and died at mile 25, just shy of the finish. They still don't know why. It's saddening to think about such a young life lost at a great event. My thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.

Please check out the results image, my photos and the updated training schedule for this week. I'll be in touch with my continued marathon training. One goal down - one to go! This weekend will be my longest long run before the race - 22 miles. AND I have to knock it out while visiting my alma mater - Indiana University. What a great way to get reacquainted with the school again.

Thanks for the support! :-) Happy running!!