Yesterday I ran my fifth half marathon! It’s always an incredible feeling to cross the finish line of any race, but yesterday’s race was extra special because I set a personal record!
My alarm went off at 6:15 a.m. and I had a minor freak out when I realized I forgot to pack the the small bag I assembled on Friday with my race-day breakfast! Fortunately I was able to buy a blueberry bliss energy bar at the hotel coffee shop.
I ate the bar and drank a hot cup of coffee and a bottle of water. The race didn’t start until 8 a.m., so I felt like I had enough time to digest everything and avoid cramping before it was go-time. Hooray for a late race start!
Before heading out, I filled up a wrist wallet Gu Ghomps and Clif Shot Bloks, my fuel of choice for the race.
Once I was dressed and ready, I headed down to the hotel lobby and met up with Caitlin, Mary and Rachel to catch the 7 a.m. shuttle to the start line.
The shuttles left at 7 a.m. as promised and we had no issues finding a seat. I’ve never used a shuttle to get to the start of a race before so I was a little nervous about it since I’ve heard some horror stories surrounding shuttles at other races. I am happy to report that there were no issues and we arrived at the start with plenty of time to use check our bags at the gear check station and use the bathroom.
Remember the fears I expressed a week or so ago about running in the heat? Thankfully that was not an issue at all! Temperatures stayed in the 50s which made the wait for the race start awfully cold, but I warmed up once we started running.
A few weeks ago, once I found out my sister would no longer be running with me due to a foot injury, I felt like I needed a new race-day goal since I was no longer focusing on our fun sister run. Sometimes I feel like I’m jinxing myself if I say my goals aloud, so I didn’t tell anyone about my goal until this week, though a few of you guessed it based on the pace of some of my training runs! I was hoping to PR, which meant I needed to beat my previous PR of 1:58:49 from the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon.
Here’s the thing: I thought I was going to die when I PRed in Savannah. Ryan really pushed me and paced me during the whole race and I while I finished feeling ecstatic that I broke two hours, my body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I was totally spent.
We didn’t train at a specific pace during our training runs for that race, so I made it a point to focus on my pace a bit during my training over the past few weeks. I wasn’t running crazy-fast or anything, but I was more aware of my pace than I have ever been in the past.
My strategy going into today’s race was to try to be consistent and maintain nine-minute miles throughout the race. The first mile of the race took us though an adorable historic district before we ran through Fort Clinch State Park for around 4.5 miles. There were some very slight hills in the beginning of the course, but once we entered the park, the race was flat as a pancake. The trees of the state park provided shading and protected us from the intense wind.
I spaced out my fuel quite a bit and took a few Gu Chomps or Clif Shot Bloks at miles 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10.
For the first half of the race I struggled a bit with self doubt, wondering whether or not I would be able to keep up my current pace. I tried to get into the zone by focusing on my half marathon playlist and I kept my eye on the two-hour pace group.
And then I hit mile seven. Right when I saw that mile marker, I mentally flipped a switch and said I would finish in under two hours and I would PR. (I actually visualized a light switch in my mind, which was kind of weird. I’m not sure where that came from, but it worked, so I went with it.)
The last four miles were basically a straight shot to the finish line which was great because it was flat, but also kind of daunting since you could easily see just how far you still had to run since there were no curves in the road. I focused on my breathing and kept a steady pace.
The big killer of the course occurred during the final third of a mile. Runners finished the race on the sand which was really challenging.
Let’s just say there was absolutely no sprinting through the finish line at this race!
I knew a PR was within my reach and mentally committed to achieving it at mile 7. The mental shift that occurred then was HUGE for me. I started believing in myself and in my training. I repeated my one-word mantra. Both of my feet started cramping up at mile 11, but I ran through it. I hit the sand and tried to keep my pace up and though my run through the finish wasn’t a victorious sprint, I felt incredibly proud the minute I crossed the finish line.
My final results:
1:57:03
Apparently I ran a very consistent race, huh? I was surprised to see my average pace was the exact same for the first half of the race as it was for the second half of the race. I’ll take it!
I happily claimed my necklace at the finish (the race passed out necklaces in lieu of medals) and headed over to the post-race party with Caitlin. (<—She’s a new mom and ran an incredible race. I was so psyched for her!)
Check out the par-tay!
They had a live band, post-race yoga and massages, free wine, hot coffee, snacks and more.
I had a great time hanging with the other blogger ambassadors and chatting about our race experiences.
I loved meeting Renée and Lorriane!
Mary is a speedster and got second place in her age group! That cute tumbler was her award instead of a plaque which I thought was great and way more useful.
The group:
Renée, Presley, Mary, Caitlin, me, Amanda, Jane, Rachel and Lorriane (Unpictured: Michelle and her beautiful baby bump!)
And Tricia and Brooke, two of the wonderful women from ZOOMA:
Yesterday was definitely day to remember!
Hooray for a new PR!
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Congrats on your new PR! That’s awesome. And I love those necklaces! They’re so cute and definitely wearable! I love that idea. I can’t believe the last 1/3 mile was on the sand, though. How difficult!
way to go, julie! it looks like you had so much fun, and i’m glad the weather was good for race day! i’d love to participate in a half that had yoga and massages at the end — heaven! have a happy sunday 🙂
congrats on the PR! especially with the sandy finish line! awesome awesome job
congrats on your PR! that looks like a fun race! love the prizes (necklaces and tumblers). you can tell women organized that race.
Julie, congrats on your new record! That looks like a lot of fun! Jeez, the party with the yoga and wine and everything almost seems reason enough to start training for a half marathon 😉
i thought so, too! easily the best post-race party i’ve seen!
Congrats on your PR!
Congratulations!!! And wow, that really was a consistent race haha. The whole event looks so cool and kind of up-scale. Like a fancy girls weekend with a 13.1 thrown in the middle, looks awesome!
Congratulations on your new PR Julie! I’ve just started training and sub 2 hours seems a long way off! You should be so proud! 🙂
Wooo hoo – way to go, Julie…very inspirational :)!
Congratulations! I love those necklaces they passed out! So cute! 😀
Congratulations, Julie – very inspiring!
Love your jacket too:)
This post just got me super excited with my upcoming race. So glad you did good!
Hey! can you tell me where you bought your wrist wallet? (or does anyone know)? I like that it has a zipper and is super cute!
it’s from tjmaxx!
Congrats on your PR! That should make you feel all giddy for at least a couple weeks. 🙂 The race looks beautiful! I might have to run that one next year.
Awesome!! You should be so proud. Congrats!!
Congrats on the PR! The race looked like fun. I wanted to do it, but it was just bad timing. Stinks since it was on my turf! Hope they come back again!
Congrats on the PR! You rocked that race!
Congratulations! How exciting to set your PR all by yourself! Must have been super difficult without Ryan or your sister, so you should feel even more proud! Hope you get some good rest!
Amazing job!!! P.S. I love your sparkly sweaty band!! You are totally inspiring me to do a 13.1! I have never even ran a 5k but run an average of 4-5 miles 5 days a week. What is your advice on where to start with race prep and training?
Congrats & thanks, Pris
congrats!! Great job lady! Mantras for the win.
CONGRATS!! I would be feeling really dang proud right now. I am hoping to do the Zooma Half in Annapolis in June
Congratulations! You make me feel ready to start training for my third half-marathon. I just need to find a race first. I hit a PR last time but my recovery hurt so much because I had to back off from my training a couple weeks before :(. I am wanted to actually finish a training schedule for the next run.
congrats!! love the necklace and what it symbolizes!!
Way to go Julie!!! You should definitely be proud- especially since your pace was the same for both halves! I feel like that never happens 🙂
Congrats on a great run and PR!!
Congrats!! I liked your standings as well. You did well in your age group. Love the necklace instead of a medal that you won’t use. You were lucky the weather was a bit cooler. Have a great remainder of the weekend.
CONGRATS ON YOUR PR THATS A GREAT FEELING!
Congrats!!!!!! That’s awesome 🙂
Yayyyyy Congrats!!!! I knew you would do it 🙂 What an awesome race!!!!
Congratulations, Julie! Awesome job!
GREAT JOB! You look phenomonal , I love the story you tell, it is like being there.
I definitely want to start training for a half marathon! maybe start with 5 and 10k’s first! congrats on your new PR. i love your blog you are such an inspiration and have helped me stay on track! BTW just took my first BodyPump class this morning and I LOVE it! Thank you!
CONGRATS!! You have inspired me to register for the ZOOMA 10K in Annapolis in June! I am not sure I can do a half marathon by then but 10K I can do 🙂
Woohooo! PRs are such a great feeling. That sounds like such a great race too – yoga, massages, WINE haha. I would love to run one of those one day! 😀
Congrats on the PR! Sounds like such a fun race.
Congrats Julie – Interesting seeing everyone in 50 degree weather wearing long sleeves and pants in Indiana we would probably be in shorts – I ran in 32 weather yesterday with a slight headwind on the way back…ending a half on the beach would be tough on the legs!!
haha! i was freeeeeezing before we started running. i’m a big baby in cold weather now. 🙂
Congrats on your PR!! That must be such a great feeling! What brand are your pants and jacket? They look so cute, and obviously practical and comfortable enough to run a half marathon!
Looks like such a fun race! CONGRATS on your time!! So awesome 🙂
Congrats, Julie, you killed it! It looks like you had such a great time, and really enjoyed this race! We never doubted you once, congrats again!
Awesome job!!! That race looks so nice- I love the necklaces instead of a medal 🙂
congrats on your PR that is awesome!! I too think I will jinx things if I say them out loud so I usually keep them to myself until after. ZOOMA races seem like they are a blast, I love that they give out necklaces at the end of the race.
That sounds like an awesome race! I like that they gave you necklaces and practical prizes. Fun stuff!
Congrats! PRs are always exciting 😀
Sounds like a fabulous race. A ZOOMA race will be on my list for next year.
…it’s “ecstatic”, not “extatic”! Great job on your PR.
Congrats Julie, it is always an amazing feeling to PR.
Great job! Congrats on your PR
Great job! That final run on the sand would be tough! This makes me want to run another race right NOW.
THIS IS SO MOTIVATING! I am running the Gasparilla 5k and then in April I will train for my 1st half! Where is the wrist wallet from? It is perfect fuel!
my mom got it for me for christmas from tjmaxx. i saw some for sale at target today, though!
Great job Julie! That’s so awesome! I’ve heard Amelia Island is beautiful, and it looks like that race was really fun! I love the necklace too 🙂
Way to go!!! Congrats on the PR!!
I am contemplating doing a half. I’m pretty slow and my longest run has been a 7 miler, but I’d like to give it a try. I love your wrist wallet, it’s so cute and doesn’t look bulky at all. Can I ask where you got it?
if you can do 7 miles you can totally do a half! i honsetly think anyone can run a half (assuming they’re not injured) if they take the time to train and build up to it! and my wristlet is from tjmaxx. my mom got it for me for christmas, but i also saw some for sale at target today.
Thanks for the encoraging words 🙂 And I will definitely check out Target. Love any excuse to shop there!!
Yay for you! Your hard work paid off!
I’m scheduled to run the Zooma Texas race (March) which is apparently very hilly. It was to be my first half (previously only run 5ks), but since my training is going so well and my long runs are up to 11 miles already, I added a Livestrong/Austin half marathon in February. I think I’m crazy, but I’m going to do it!
good luck to you!!! you will be amazing!