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I am so happy to sit down and type out this race recap, and tell you about one of the best days of my life! Just so you know the set up: I trained for this race with Team in Training, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of my grandma (she died in October of 2011, just days before my very first race). The night before the half marathon, after Melissa, Meg, Caitlin, and I all hung out and had dinner, we had a little dance party! It definitely got us all pumped up. Instead of doing a typical race recap, I’m going to do my recap in letter form (“to my grandma”), since I can’t pick up the phone and tell her all about the race! At the end I’ll give you all the extra good details, so make sure to read to the bottom!
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Dear Grandma,
I can’t wait to tell you all about the half marathon I ran this weekend in your memory. As you know, I wasn’t feeling very confident about the race because the weather was supposed to be bad (up to 20 mph winds and COLD), I had a migraine the day before, and I hadn’t run more than 2 miles at a time for 5-6 weeks because I got shin splints. I tried to do what I could with resting, icing, compression, and keeping up cardio with biking and elliptical, but I was nervous. Race morning I woke up and did my standard routine: blast music to pump me up, eat a protein bar, 10 ounces of OJ, and a banana, and got ready. I also wrote a few messages on my feet to push me forward. I also had my grandma’s initials on my hand.
Running to beat POTS and running for my Grandma
When I got down to downtown Indy and got out of the car, I immediately freaked out a bit because of the weather. The wind was piercing and I was shivering- YIKES! Caitlin, Meg, Melissa, and I, along with Melissa’s husband and in-laws (her father-in-law also ran his first half marathon and ran a REALLY solid race!!) waited in the Convention Center and warmed up in there.
Melissa, Caitlin, and Me. Yes, our bibs are all signed by Jeff Galloway.
Melissa was a little nervous about the race (it was her first full marathon), and we all turned our focus to trying to keep her calm. This was actually helpful to me, as I didn’t have a chance to stress much for myself.
We got out to the corrals about 10 minutes before the race started, and took a few last pictures before Melissa, Caitlin, and I hit the corrals.
It was chilly! This was the race start temp:
We crossed the starting line 5 minutes and 35 seconds after the race clock started, so it was nice and fast. We were SO happy to be moving, as it was really chilly out. I wore my running jacket underneath my jersey, as I wanted to be visible to the Team in Training coaches! The first few miles were sort of rough. It was chilly and we were trying to get our bodies moving in a bitter cold that I haven’t felt since February (I think?). It was cold! Philip had bought hand warmers for all of us, and these were amazing throughout the race! I definitely want to keep these in mind for future years, as I ended up keeping in my gloves until mile 11.
Right around (or right before) mile 3 we hit Monument Circle, and I decided that I had to get rid of my jacket. I ripped off my jersey and unzipped my jacket so that Meg could rip it off me. It all happened so smoothly and quickly, and I was off again!
Right around mile 4 Caitlin and I decided to pull ahead of Melissa. Since she was running the full, she needed to pace slower than I did, so we gave her a hug, told her to believe in her training and have fun, and we were off! We had run the first few miles a little slower than I normally would, mostly due to the cold and stiffness because of that. I immediately started running anywhere from a 9:30-10:00 pace during the run segments and picked it up during the run portions too. I had no idea what my body was going to do since it hadn’t really run in 5-6 weeks, so I hoped for the best!
I took my first shot bloks (margarita flavored for the extra sodium!) around mile 4.5, and they went down easily; I normally don’t have a problem with fueling on the course. Somewhere right around the 6 mile mark I got this weird pain on the outside of my knee that I think was just associated with some ITBS stuff. I looked down and actually yelled at my knee “You need to knock it off. Get your act together!”, and didn’t have a problem really with it again.
My previous PR (which was set on this course in 2012) was 2:31:48, and I had no plans of trying to set a PR. Because of that, and because I was planning to run this race for you, grandma, I decided to just run based on how I felt. I looked at the pace on my garmin, but didn’t try to force anything at all. And you know what, I kept feeling better and better!
Somewhere around mile 7 I took 2-3 cran razz shot bloks, and right before that I had taken a salt tablet (a new thing that I did on race day, and this turned out really well!). I was rotating between water and gatorade at aid stations, and I was feeling good!). I got really chatty at this point, and started telling Caitlin all about you and what you meant to me!
Caitlin was really fun to run with! She is a speedy runner ( and just finished the Chicago Marathon a few weeks ago), so her goal was to just hang out with me and try to motivate me towards the finish. It was great to get to know her a bit better along the way. She has the greatest personality, and while it’s fun to have that in my every-day-life, it was especially great to have that on the race course.
Somewhere between 8.5 and 9, my first team in training coach ran up and jumped onto the course with me! He ran next to us for 5-6 minutes, and it was great and extra motivating to have him there. I noticed that I picked up the pace a little more, and was still feeling good. He was a great encouragement, and said all the right things before turning back around to catch the next team in training member. I picked it up from that point on in the race.
At mile 10, the next team in training coach jumped in, and I again said that I was feeling pretty good, but had no idea why since I hadn’t been training well, even though I was in the best shape I’d ever been in right before I got shin splints at the end of September. He encouraged me to cut back on the run:walk method near the finish and try to push it as I got in! I ate my final shot bloks (again, the margarita flavor shot bloks for the extra sodium) for the race, and I was off.
I was a little nervous about the race as I hit mile 11, since it was in this mile last year that I watched my half marathon PR slip away as a massive bout of cramps hit. That was disappointing, but Saturday I was still feeling great. I actually told Caitlin that I wished that I could slow down, just to make the entire thing last longer! Obviously I didn’t, but it really goes to show much I was really enjoying the moment.
Caitlin says that she realized for the first time that I had a good shot at a PR right around mile 9 when I kicked things up a notch, and she started to mention this somewhere right before mile 12. I stopped her and told her I didn’t want her to say it, because I didn’t want to jinx it! Somewhere part way through 11 the chatty part of me shut down, and I became really focused. I realized that I did have a shot at ending the race strong, although I still didn’t think that I was going to PR. I focused on my breathing and form, and kept talking to you in my head. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been able to zero in and focus on the finish the way that I did today, but it was cool to experience.
Somewhere around mile 12.5 I realized that a PR was going to be possible as long as I held it together. I was running faster than I ever had in a race, and my body was feeling great. I was having a hard time feeling like I was getting enough air, mostly due to POTS and the beta blocker that I’m on. I started to feel a little dizzy around 12.75, and reached out to grab Caitlin’s arm. She steadied me, reminded me to keep breathing deeply, and after walking for about 30 seconds, I was off again.
I started to hear the screams of the crowd at the finish line, and kicked it up again. After almost two years of struggling with cramps while racing, my body felt full of energy, and I felt fantastic. I took the moment in, and starting getting chocked up. I started thinking of you, grandma, and how much I wished that you could be at that finish line to cheer me on. I crossed the finish line at 2:30:19, and immediately buried my head in my hands to cry for a few seconds- it was so emotional!
This nice guy helped usher me along as I had to cry a little bit…
I worked so hard all summer and September with this moment in mind, and I really thought I lost it when I got shin splints and I couldn’t run! I hoped that, with a little extra inspiration since I was running for you, that I would do ok, but this was unbelievable!
One of the greatest things I learned in life from you, Grandma, was the ability to persevere with a smile on my face. I did that through training, and I did that on Saturday. I smiled, and had the time of my life. I miss getting to spend time with you and do things with you here on earth, but for two and a half hours on Saturday, I finally felt that we got to do something together again. It was nice to have you close to me.
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Immediately after finishing I gave Caitlin the biggest hug, and kept saying “OH MY GOSH, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?” We grabbed our food, took a few pictures, and met up with Philip, his dad, and Meg. We sat inside the convention center eating and stretching before we had to head back outside to start waiting for Melissa.
Cait and I at the finish- this girl got me through!
I was so happy to see Meg at the finish!!
While in the convention center, I opened up my RunKeeper to check out my splits, and I was so happy to see that I negative split the race! Here’s how they looked:
I’ve truly never been able to hold a pace like that the final few miles of a race! VO2 Max sprints for the win!! Thanks to my baby brother for that!!!
If you ever need inspiration in life, watch the finish line of a race! I couldn’t help but crying seeing so many people celebrate! And then we saw Melissa turn the corner for that final 0.1, and all started screaming for her!
She had an awesome first marathon, and I was so happy to be part of it, from all the early Saturday morning runs to race week traditions to race day itself! I couldn’t wait to give her a hug and tell her that I got a PR, since that was the last thing she yelled to me as I ran away (“GO GET THAT PR!”). I ran to her and threw my arms around her, told her congratulations and that I was so proud, and then told her I PR’d. And there we stood, between the finish line and the State Capitol building, sobbing. We’ve both worked so hard for this moment since July, and to have done it and done it well was SUCH a relief!
This has been, by far, the most “successful” half marathon I’ve had. Not only did I FINALLY break my half marathon PR after 2 years of working towards it, but I had a great time with friends, and I was also able to raise $650 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
This whole Friday/Saturday race weekend was truly one of the best moments of my life, and one that I definitely won’t be forgetting. I’m so thankful to Melissa for the countless hours out on the street training, and the encouragement she gave me while injured. She believed that I had this PR in me, even when I didn’t. I’m so thankful to Caitlin who came out to run with me- I’m not sure I would’ve gotten that PR without her there pushing and encouraging me. I’m thankful to Philip and Meg who stood outside in the freezing cold weather (after waking up at 4:30) to cheer us on and hold our stuff for us! Race spectators truly make the race experience fantastic, and I’m thankful for them. I’m thankful to each and every person who donated towards my fundraising goal with Team in Training. The experience fundraising has been absolutely fantastic, and I can’t wait to run with Team in Training again. I’m thankful for my family and the encouragement and training advise they give. And, as I say every race, I’m thankful for my body. With POTS, I shouldn’t be able to do what I am doing, and I’m so very aware of this. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to build up the strength and endurance (with a WHOLE LOT of my own stubbornness thrown in) that I’ve needed to be able to run the half marathon distance. I’m thankful I can run.
So now I’ve cried a few times typing up this recap, and I’m just so happy that I can run, and that I set a PR today! Off to enjoy the post-race high!! (and yes- I was definitely happy that I chose Smokin’ Hot as my nail polish of choice for this race 😀 ).
*Feel free to check out my Monumental Recap in 2012 and Monumental Recap in 2013!
Congratulations, Caroline. What a beautiful tribute to your Grandma – I loved that you wrote messages on the bottom of your feet. It was really inspiring reading this and I got choked up as your crossed the finish line. The picture of your emotional finish is priceless. You did not let anything (POTS, the weather, etc.) get in your way of crossing the finish line and doing so with a PR. You have got to feel SO PROUD of yourself. I couldn’t be more excited and inspired by you. That is awesome that your friends were there to race and celebrate with you.
Thanks so much Kristen for your continued support and encouragement! I am SO unbelievably proud of myself, especially because I had almost everything stacked against me going in to race day! I had an amazing race and entered a totally different zone those last miles than I’ve ever entered into before during a race; it was pretty cool!
I’m so, so incredibly proud of you and all of your hard work. You continue to be an inspiration to me every single day, and this race is just another example of that! We all knew you had it in you, and I’m just a proud bestie over here!!! Love you and congratulations again!
THANK YOU, and thanks for pushing me even when I didn’t think I had it in me 🙂
Congrats — what an amazing accomplishment! And even more awesome to do it in honor of your Grandma. Love the idea of writing words on your feet!
Thank you! I’m still in shock that I actually PR’d this thing! 🙂
Congratulations on your amazing race! PRs are so exciting especially if you’ve worked so long and so hard for them like you did. I know how much bad weather sucks for a distance race so way to go for powering through and getting a PR despite all that was stacked against you!
Thanks so much Emilie!
CONGRATS! What an awesome recap 🙂 I can’t believe it was that cold, real feel 22 is no joke! Great job & so nice that you could PR in honor of your grandma. Congrats again!!!!
Thanks so much Amber! Being able to PR at the race I was running in memory of my grandma definitely made it extra special.
I’ve never commented on your posts before, but I’ve been reading your blog for several months now. I just wanted to say that I’m so proud/happy for your half marathon PR. You always having such a wonderfully positive attitude and sunny disposition, even in face of an illness that makes your daily life more difficult.
I admire you as a person and an athlete. I started running about a year ago and just recently finished my first half marathon. I’m addicted!
I was cheering silently at my work desk when I read your recap of the race because I knew how nervous you were. I knew you could do it! Congrats, Caroline!
Hi Rachel! Thanks so much for your sweet comments and cheers while reading my recap! I’m so glad you finally commented! I love getting to know my readers 🙂 Congrats on finishing your first half marathon! Do you have plans for a 2nd?
Happy Thursday!
I am definitely planning on running another half soon, and plan to do my first full next spring – the Colfax Marathon, which runs through Denver, where I live. I’m very nervous/excited for the 26.2!
I have a few fun “holiday” themed races coming up in the next few weeks. What about you?
That sounds like a great plan! I have a few holiday races likely coming up to. I’ve run a turkey trot and jingle bell jog the last 3 years, and have a great time!
[…] The Carmel Marathon Weekend will always hold a very special place in my heart. It was my first half marathon, making it my first distance race, since before Carmel I had only done one 5k. This is also the race where I met my forever-running-bud-turned-forever-friend Car. Car and I met in the first mile of the race and stuck together until we crossed the finish line. Despite our 2.5 hours of talking, we never got around to talking about our mutual love of reality TV (it’s especially funny to me now because I spent a lot of that race house shopping… which we actually just did!). In my recap, I praise Car for answering my silly running questions (that hasn’t stopped, she still answers them) and say we’ll get a PR next time… who knew that “next time” actually meant that we’d spend the entire summer training together, experience one of our worst race experiences ever together, and that I would have the honor of running my first full marathon on the same day she finally defeated her half PR! […]