Official Contest Results & Full Tear Drop Half Marathon Race Recap

Hello there my friends!  I am back from a relaxing week in paradise, so I look forward to catching up with my favorite Steemit folks and getting back into my usual routine.  I got my quick race update out before we left--thank you all for the wonderful comments of support!  It really was one of those wonderful runs where everything just comes together.  I am happy to have a bit more time to share some more about the experience now!

First thing first: official contest results!  Thanks again to everyone who played along and put in a guess or just support as I went into my race.  My final chip time was actually a few seconds faster than my GPS for a final result of 1:50:53.  I am still in a little bit of shock that I was able to sneak in under the 1:51 mark.  The tentative results that I shared in my last post did hold up, so way to go on picking the closest times!  I have transferred the winning prizes to each of your accounts. :)

1. @maruharacca was closest and only off by 1:16!  Congrats on the top prize Maru!
2. @marenontherun had the next closest at 3:57 over.  Initially I thought her guess might actually be the closest to my actual time, but I'm happy I surpassed it.  Congrats on still getting a piece of the winnings!
3. @anthrovegan got in a guess just a few seconds over the number two spot to grab the 3rd prize.  Coincidence that 2 out of the top 3 understand how powerful a plant-based nutrition plan can be?  Perhaps not.  Congrats on 3rd prize!

I enjoyed doing this little contest, so I'm sure at some point I'll do something similar again to give some of you other folks another chance.  Thanks for playing!

Though I really was not sure what to expect as far as my final race time, I know I prepared in the best way I could.  My training really fell into place, and I know doing the half back in March played a big role in knowing what to adjust going in to this one.  I did the work that I felt I needed to do to go into race day strong but well-rested and healthy.

A big part of my preparation is always nutrition.  Since we were staying with @dksart's parents the night before the race, I made sure to prep my dinner for the night before as well as for the next morning.  I adore his wonderful mother who always wants to make sure we are well-fed, but I do not want to risk eating anything out of the norm before a race--especially a half marathon.  I think she still asked me about 10 times once we got there if I wanted anything else!  I can only hope I did not hurt her feelings too badly by refusing.

For the evening before I had the last of my lentil and beet Buddha bowl from the week which was loaded with alkalizing leafy greens and my yummy tahini dressing for a little healthy fat and flavor.  I also had some dates with almond butter for right before bed to make sure I had enough calories in for the day.  I definitely did not want to go into the race depleted of energy, but as usual also did not want to be bloated or feel heavy.  For race morning I started out with a banana and oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and matcha powder.  The matcha has a little bit of caffeine, while the rest of the meal supplied a solid dose of energizing carbs with a small amount of fat and protein to hold me over.  I hate exercising hungry!  ;)  I brought the beet juice with me to drink on the bus ride up the mountain to not only help hydrate me even more, but also to give me a little boost to my cardiovascular system from the concentrated nutrients.  The final piece of my racing fuel is always my bag of dates for the actual run.  I popped one of those right before the gun went off, then a few more at about miles 6 and 9 to keep my blood sugar up.  I had no stomach issues whatsoever and kept my energy throughout the race, so my choices paid off in that respect.

The race scenery itself is quite stunning.  I did not bring my phone with me up the mountain, and @dksart had to wait at the bottom so he didn't get caught stuck at the top so I did not get any pictures of the view up there.  I did find a pic from when he and I stopped at one of the lookouts back in 2013 to give you a little idea of how nice it was.  Much of the race you are enveloped by trees, but every now and then they open up for a great view of the valley below.  I am a bit spoiled now in that I do prefer running with a view. ;)

The weather was also great.  We had to wait outside at the top of the mountain until the race started, so I was quite chilly at first.  However, it was perfect for the actual run.  I think it was in the mid 40's (Fahrenheit) at the race start and it gradually warmed up as the sun came up.  I was quite comfortable in my shorts and long-sleeved top.  As you other runners know, it is a true blessing when Mother Nature cooperates on race day.

I heard a few good last-minute reminders right before the gun went off.  The race director reminded us that the first four or so miles were rolling hills, so he cautioned not going out too fast.  I also listened to two veterans of the race (ladies who had done the race all four years so far) talk about not making the mistake of trying to break too much on the downhill portion.  I had looked at the elevation map prior to the race, but I really had no clue how the course would actually look or feel once on it.  Those few little tips were good to make sure I was a little strategic in my approach.

I did try to hold back just a bit in the initial mile, even though it was mostly downhill or flat because I knew I would have to make it back up for the small loop at the top.  There were only about 200 runners competing in the half, so I think that actually helped in that even from the beginning I was able to find my own pocket and not get caught up in anyone else's pace.  The turnaround was right before 2 miles, then it was back to loop at the start.  There were only 2 main hills going back, so knowing the rest of the race was predominantly downhill I decided to attack them fairly aggressively.  In Atlanta it is impossible not to train hills, so I had faith my body would have no problem making it up, especially fresh in the first stages of the race.

My legs actually felt fantastic, even on the longer ascent.  I was surprised to see that my second and third miles were faster than the first.  After about mile five, it was pretty much straight downhill with just a few flat spots here and there, so I was able to chip away at my mile times until I got into the double digits.  Much of the race I really was by myself.  I could always see a few people ahead, but it was kind of nice to just settle in and listen to my body.  I am so glad I don't run with music anymore.  It can be nice at times when you feel like you need a distraction from some pain, but I think my running has improved immensely once I started dialing in more even when in pain.  I like my Garmin for some feedback, but for the most part I run the bulk of the time by feel.

Though I had tried to do some downhill training to work on keeping my pace, I had no idea how that long of a descent would feel.  Yes, without a doubt, the grade did have a positive impact on my overall time, but make no mistake it was HARD!!  I don't think I have ever hit below an 8-minute mile at that point in a run ever.  Just to keep my leg turnover that fast was a challenge.  My average cadence was 187 steps-per-minute.  Aerobically the downhill is definitely advantageous as I felt like my heart rate (average was 164 bpm) stayed within my threshold, but my legs definitely started to scream at about mile 10.

Actually, I think my feet started to feel it even more so than the rest of my lower body.  Keeping that pace made my feet feel like they were on fire.  Those last few downhill miles were quite challenging, and I did have to back off the pace just a little bit so I didn't bonk on the final mile leading to the finish.  There was one more pretty solid but short hill right before the home stretch, but mile 13 still came in under a 9-minute mile despite my legs screaming.  When I saw the clock ticking down at the end I found that last little burst to make it in before the next minute struck!  And I still managed to have a smile on my face. ;)  Until I crossed the finish line, then I almost cried.  The lady who handed me my medal got concerned and asked if I needed a medic.  Haha!

Having @dksart, his mom and his cousin (who ran the 5k and placed first in her age group!) made the finish even sweeter.  The ladies were right at the finish cheering me on as I crossed the line.  And to top it off they had veggie dogs at the finish!  Not quite as healthy as my pre-race routine, but any time race organizers have enough care to supply vegan options (other than a banana) I am happy to partake.  If nothing else I want to make sure they know it was appreciated and worth it to have the option available.  We also had a nice lunch prepared by his mom before we came back home, so I think she was happy to finally get some more food in me. ;)

While the race went better than I could have hoped, I was more sore than I have ever been from running for a few days following!  I expected more soreness than usual, and I would imagine sitting on a plane for a 3-hour flight the day after the race may have had a negative impact.  I was a bit surprised though with how hard going down a flight of stairs was until about Tuesday.  Totally worth it, though. ;) We went to the gym a few days for some quick, total body workouts so that finally helped get my body back to normal.  Our resort for vacation was also huge!  Though I took the whole week off from running, we walked a ton while we were away.  It did feel fantastic to lace up my sneakers for the first time this morning again for my first post-race run.

I hope you all enjoyed a little deeper look into my racing experience.  It is so much fun to share with everyone on here!  Get ready for lots of vacation pics, too, because our scenery there was too beautiful not to share, as well. ;)  Have a great week and happy running!