My BIG lesson from this race is that time doesn't really tell the whole story.
A few things about the race organization before I begin my truly fascinating race report. Austin is touted as the "Greenest Race" in the country. I'm not sure if the lights around the capitol (32 years old & a journalism major and I still have to look up the difference between capitol and capital) building were powered by wind energy or if several runners decided to save on water consumption by not showering two weeks prior (I kid, I kid - I always smell terrible) or what exactly makes this race so green, but I was thankful for the absence of paper-junk in the race goodie bag.
This year we received a cool little messenger bag, a Livestrong bracelet, a granola bar and a Spibelt! Yup, a Spibelt! I was most excited about the Spibelt - my mom and I have been meaning to try one (they're around $20). Thankfully we DID NOT receive all those crappy paper advertisements (other races - take note) in our goodie bags - all that paper trash stuff is like receiving Kleenex as a kid for Halloween - bleh.
So this year, they really got their act together for the packet pick up. There was NO LINE and it was just as speedy as Houston. I didn't stick around to look at the expo because Buttin and Cub were driving around, waiting for me.
Sadly this year, they seemed to have messed up the finish line situation even worse than last year (I didn't run last year, but I watch my mom and there was HUGE bottleneck at the finish line where they were handing out medals and stuff). My mom didn't even pick up her finisher shirt because the lines were so unmanageable. Side note: What does it matter if you get your finisher shirt at the expo? Does it really matter if you finish? You paid your $95 (in some cases more) - who cares?
OK, onto the race report.
The night before was uneventful. My mom and dad arrived at our house around 3:30. After Cub went to bed, we all ate some BBQ and my mom and I prepared for the race. Normally, we would NEVER try a new piece of gear for race day, but the Spibelt was just so cool and convenient that we couldn't NOT wear it. We also tested it out a little by prancing around my bedroom making sure that none of our belongings jiggled (too bad I can't say the same about my butt - do they make a butt Spibelt?).
I was in bed and asleep by 9:15.
I woke up at 5:00 to pump and get ready. My dad stayed at home with Cub (who was supposed to be asleep but instead decided to wake up and play with Dadoo), while Buttin drove my mom and I down to the race.
It was easy getting downtown and we made it to the start line (well, to our pace group - about 11 min/mile) with about 20 minutes to spare. We walked around the capitol a little because the wind made it a little chilly. See, it's pretty windy (look at my hair, look at my hair!)
I couldn't really hear the "opening ceremonies", but I know the mayor was there and I heard a little of the National Anthem and then the horn went off. The start line was kind of a cluster. The race organizers actually came back to our section (the slow poke one) and told us to come around the side of the capitol, because they were going to let us enter the race on the other side. Here's a view from the back (kind of) of the pack.
OK, so I was a little nervous before this race because of the horrible feelings during and after my last race (Houston). I'm sure most runners can understand this feeling and I remember it from my swimming days. I thought - What if I feel that way again? What if I'm never run a good race again?
The weather conditions were pretty much the same (low 70s, humid and cloudy) as Houston, minus the rain. I learned a lot from Houston and I wasn't going to make the same mistakes again. I was determined to have a better race.
My mom and I had a race plan. Start out slow . . .and then slow down. We also planned to stop and drink water and Gatorade at EVERY stop (even the first one), even if we weren't thirsty. We also planned to eat a little something at mile 3, 6, and 10.
Thankfully, my Garmin worked (I had to do a hard reset because the battery wasn't holding a charge) and I was able to see my split times.
12:50 - Mile 1 - Pretty uneventful, but it's just so crowded that it was difficult to run very quickly (yeah, I'll blame it on the crowd). There was a HUGE bottleneck at the start and they actually let us kind of cut in line.
12:16 - Mile 2 - My mom and I just kind of take it all in - no iPods. I'm struck by how pretty downtown Austin has become.
12:01 - Mile 3 - We eat a Gu Chomp. It tastes good, but it kind of gets stuck in my teeth. Oh well, there's something left in case I need a snack at mile 4.
12:52 - Mile 4 - Can you say - uphill?
12:34 - Mile 5 - I think we're still going uphill. Around this point we meet a very nice older man (probably in his 70s) who gives us our race strategy of "start out slow - and slow down". He said that 40 years ago his best time was in the 1:40s.
12:20 - Mile 6 - We're starting downhill, although it doesn't feel as satisfying as the uphills felt horrifying. We eat another Gu Chomp although I still think there's some left in my teeth from mile 3.
12:25 - Mile 7 - Momsy and I take a picture. Sorry I cut off the side of your face Momsy.
11:48 - Mile 8 - I leave (kind of ) Momsy. Although (unbeknownst to me) she uses me as a little pace bunny and keeps up with me (sometimes only a couple feet behind me) for the next couple of miles.
11:44 - Mile 9 - I'm guessing there's a downhill in here.
11:48 - Mile 10 - I'm feeling really good and I'm at the point in the race were I say "only a 5K left" and I know I can push it. Momsy told me she let me go around this point.
12:02 - Mile 11 - I think this is the very, very horrible hill up Enfield. I must have been leaning WAY forward (at least at a 45 degree angle) to make it up this hill.
11:21 - Mile 12 - More hills, but I jog (slowly) up every single one.
10:46 - Mile 13 - Still hills (but at least I think we go down some too), but I'm feeling really good so I just push myself to the finish line.
1:56 - Last .22 (roughly an 8:56 pace) - I actually had something left in the tank for a sprint (by my standards) to the finish.
Total : 2:38:48
I negative split that sucker BIG TIME (I think it was kind of the opposite in Houston). Dear runner friends who are fast - I know you must be thinking - well, of course she negative split that race, she started out slower than non-speed walker - but for me, it's an accomplishment.
I felt GREAT during this race, not speedy, but good. I was, however, a little disappointed with my time (2:38: 47) because it wasn't better than my Houston time (2:36:43) and I felt so crummy during the Houston race (and actually walked a considerable amount).
My BEST time is still from Austin in 2009 - 2:23:44.
Honestly, I think that PR will stand for a while. My next race is Zooma on April 16th and it's in the hills of Bastrop (you know when the race is described as "scenic rolling hills" - it's trouble) When my mom and I finish we will be Half-Fanatics (albeit at the lowest qualifying level).
A few things about the race organization before I begin my truly fascinating race report. Austin is touted as the "Greenest Race" in the country. I'm not sure if the lights around the capitol (32 years old & a journalism major and I still have to look up the difference between capitol and capital) building were powered by wind energy or if several runners decided to save on water consumption by not showering two weeks prior (I kid, I kid - I always smell terrible) or what exactly makes this race so green, but I was thankful for the absence of paper-junk in the race goodie bag.
This year we received a cool little messenger bag, a Livestrong bracelet, a granola bar and a Spibelt! Yup, a Spibelt! I was most excited about the Spibelt - my mom and I have been meaning to try one (they're around $20). Thankfully we DID NOT receive all those crappy paper advertisements (other races - take note) in our goodie bags - all that paper trash stuff is like receiving Kleenex as a kid for Halloween - bleh.
So this year, they really got their act together for the packet pick up. There was NO LINE and it was just as speedy as Houston. I didn't stick around to look at the expo because Buttin and Cub were driving around, waiting for me.
Sadly this year, they seemed to have messed up the finish line situation even worse than last year (I didn't run last year, but I watch my mom and there was HUGE bottleneck at the finish line where they were handing out medals and stuff). My mom didn't even pick up her finisher shirt because the lines were so unmanageable. Side note: What does it matter if you get your finisher shirt at the expo? Does it really matter if you finish? You paid your $95 (in some cases more) - who cares?
OK, onto the race report.
The night before was uneventful. My mom and dad arrived at our house around 3:30. After Cub went to bed, we all ate some BBQ and my mom and I prepared for the race. Normally, we would NEVER try a new piece of gear for race day, but the Spibelt was just so cool and convenient that we couldn't NOT wear it. We also tested it out a little by prancing around my bedroom making sure that none of our belongings jiggled (too bad I can't say the same about my butt - do they make a butt Spibelt?).
I was in bed and asleep by 9:15.
I woke up at 5:00 to pump and get ready. My dad stayed at home with Cub (who was supposed to be asleep but instead decided to wake up and play with Dadoo), while Buttin drove my mom and I down to the race.
It was easy getting downtown and we made it to the start line (well, to our pace group - about 11 min/mile) with about 20 minutes to spare. We walked around the capitol a little because the wind made it a little chilly. See, it's pretty windy (look at my hair, look at my hair!)
I couldn't really hear the "opening ceremonies", but I know the mayor was there and I heard a little of the National Anthem and then the horn went off. The start line was kind of a cluster. The race organizers actually came back to our section (the slow poke one) and told us to come around the side of the capitol, because they were going to let us enter the race on the other side. Here's a view from the back (kind of) of the pack. 
OK, so I was a little nervous before this race because of the horrible feelings during and after my last race (Houston). I'm sure most runners can understand this feeling and I remember it from my swimming days. I thought - What if I feel that way again? What if I'm never run a good race again?The weather conditions were pretty much the same (low 70s, humid and cloudy) as Houston, minus the rain. I learned a lot from Houston and I wasn't going to make the same mistakes again. I was determined to have a better race.
My mom and I had a race plan. Start out slow . . .and then slow down. We also planned to stop and drink water and Gatorade at EVERY stop (even the first one), even if we weren't thirsty. We also planned to eat a little something at mile 3, 6, and 10.
Thankfully, my Garmin worked (I had to do a hard reset because the battery wasn't holding a charge) and I was able to see my split times.
12:50 - Mile 1 - Pretty uneventful, but it's just so crowded that it was difficult to run very quickly (yeah, I'll blame it on the crowd). There was a HUGE bottleneck at the start and they actually let us kind of cut in line.
12:16 - Mile 2 - My mom and I just kind of take it all in - no iPods. I'm struck by how pretty downtown Austin has become.
12:01 - Mile 3 - We eat a Gu Chomp. It tastes good, but it kind of gets stuck in my teeth. Oh well, there's something left in case I need a snack at mile 4.
12:52 - Mile 4 - Can you say - uphill?
12:34 - Mile 5 - I think we're still going uphill. Around this point we meet a very nice older man (probably in his 70s) who gives us our race strategy of "start out slow - and slow down". He said that 40 years ago his best time was in the 1:40s.
12:20 - Mile 6 - We're starting downhill, although it doesn't feel as satisfying as the uphills felt horrifying. We eat another Gu Chomp although I still think there's some left in my teeth from mile 3.
12:25 - Mile 7 - Momsy and I take a picture. Sorry I cut off the side of your face Momsy.
11:48 - Mile 8 - I leave (kind of ) Momsy. Although (unbeknownst to me) she uses me as a little pace bunny and keeps up with me (sometimes only a couple feet behind me) for the next couple of miles.
11:44 - Mile 9 - I'm guessing there's a downhill in here.
11:48 - Mile 10 - I'm feeling really good and I'm at the point in the race were I say "only a 5K left" and I know I can push it. Momsy told me she let me go around this point.
12:02 - Mile 11 - I think this is the very, very horrible hill up Enfield. I must have been leaning WAY forward (at least at a 45 degree angle) to make it up this hill.
11:21 - Mile 12 - More hills, but I jog (slowly) up every single one.
10:46 - Mile 13 - Still hills (but at least I think we go down some too), but I'm feeling really good so I just push myself to the finish line.
1:56 - Last .22 (roughly an 8:56 pace) - I actually had something left in the tank for a sprint (by my standards) to the finish.
Total : 2:38:48
I negative split that sucker BIG TIME (I think it was kind of the opposite in Houston). Dear runner friends who are fast - I know you must be thinking - well, of course she negative split that race, she started out slower than non-speed walker - but for me, it's an accomplishment.
I felt GREAT during this race, not speedy, but good. I was, however, a little disappointed with my time (2:38: 47) because it wasn't better than my Houston time (2:36:43) and I felt so crummy during the Houston race (and actually walked a considerable amount).
My BEST time is still from Austin in 2009 - 2:23:44.
Honestly, I think that PR will stand for a while. My next race is Zooma on April 16th and it's in the hills of Bastrop (you know when the race is described as "scenic rolling hills" - it's trouble) When my mom and I finish we will be Half-Fanatics (albeit at the lowest qualifying level).
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