Chapter 2 page 148 - F4F update 1 "before the start"

Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon - aka my FIRST half marathon . . . and not my last (though I'm never going to be addicted to this distance, ha!)

Thanks Holly@Rustbeltrunner for noticing something I had forgotten to mention in my timing post. I did, indeed, CRUSH no, I think it was more like OBLITERATE, my previous training times. Here's how it goes:

1st 13 mile training run (8/23/10):
Actual running/walking time = 3 hours 30 minutes
Time spent stopping for water, stretching, resting = about 20 minutes
Total time spent from start to finish = 3 hours 55 minutes

2nd 13 mile training run (9/10/10):
Actual running/walking time = 3 hours 22 minutes
Time spent stopping for water, stretching, resting = about 15 minutes
Total time spent from start to finish = 3 hours 37 minutes

First half marathon (9/25/10):
Actual running/walking time = 3 hours 2 minutes 48 seconds
Time spent stopping for water, stretching, resting = ZERO!!!!
Total time spent from start to finish = 3:02:48

That's more than 30 minutes faster!!!!!!

Event Details:
Let's start with my training partners and their ability to tell time (nothing but love "L" & "C"). On Friday afternoon, "C" and I picked up packets for ourselves, her kids, and "L". We established a primary meeting location for Saturday morning as well as a primary and secondary after-the-finish meeting locations. We then established a fall back plan (that's the army coming out - must have been seeing all the Guard yesterday) just in case something happened and we failed to meet at the primary location. "L" arrives at our departure site 15 minutes late, but no worries - I know this about her and had planned accordingly. "C" texts me and says she'll be 5 minutes late - again, no problem. We had built in a buffer of 10 minutes. After 15 minutes and The 3 Musketeers hadn't yet met up at the initial meeting place (and I really had to go to the restroom), I went to the restroom while "L" continued to wait for "C". When I returned, still no sign of "C" so I grabbed "L" and said no problem, we have a plan B - we'll go there (meet at the corral - remember, I've never done one of these before - no idea what a corral even looks like, but had a general idea of where it was located). Just as we started to walk to the corral - up runs "C" (her husband was running late, they had to go potty, lost her daughter's boyfriend somewhere in the line, etc etc etc - drama!). We all end up meeting at the corral together - smile for some pre-race photos and then "L" and I wish "C" luck as she heads off to get her PR!

That's all before the start. So glad that "C" is rather type A and was patient and willing to create plans and back up plans! Turns out - we needed all the plans :)

Next post - "During the race"