Race Report: Cox Rhode Race 1/2 Marathon

This was my 15th 1/2 marathon, and I think I've finally figured out how to actually run a race of this length.  Yeah, I guess I'm a bit slow (runningwise and mentally).  This was (sorry to shout) THE BEST RACE EVER!  I slowed myself down, took nutrition and water regularly, and got a PR with little-to-no pain!

Honestly, around Mile 11 I couldn't help thinking, this race is going really fast, but I don't want to stop running, I feel fantastic!  Words cannot express how totally jacked I am about this race.  Running has been so hard the past year, and I haven't felt like I've made any progress.  Every time I run a race, I've just been dreading it, then I phone it in and I'm mad at myself afterward.  It hasn't been fun, it has felt like work.  This race, I didn't get hung up on things, I actually got a decent night's sleep, probably because I told myself not to get so worked up, and I just showed up to do my best.

Horrifying, but tastey

I've been trying, in regular life, to just stop overthinking things and making myself crazy, and maybe that works for running too.

To prepare for this race I:

• Never ran more than six miles in a training run
• Didn't really run much at all--only 14 miles for the whole month of May
•  Had a blue icee and a few beers the night before

What worked in this race:

• The weather.  There was no wind, and it was high humidity.  The humidity was a bit gross, but the light rain overnight and mid race sprinkles tempered all the allergens in the air, and my breathing was easy.
• The damp in the air also kept things cool.  Yes, I was soaked by the end, but every now and then there was a light breeze which kept everything comfortable.
• I brought three shotbloks, and took them at miles 4, 6.5 and 9 along with a small amount of water.  Since it was so humid, I didn't really need to drink much, which gave my stomach a break.
• Beer and a light dinner the night before.  I've really noticed that when I have a couple beers but don't eat much after 6pm, my run is almost always awesome the next day. Food upsets my stomach, but beer calms it down, and I guess it's carb loading?  I'm sure my tummy is just a weird one.

I kept thinking about the run that I went on with friends a couple months ago.  We ran slower than I think I ever have, and I felt great afterward.  Running to meet them in the park, I was pushing the pace and really wondering if I'd have the energy to actually run once I met them, but then we started moving so slowly, it was just easy.  I tried to remember that feeling and replicate it in the race.  I wanted to be at a pace where I actually felt like I could just run forever instead of willing the whole thing to be over--and I did it.

Never before have I not walked a in a 1/2 marathon--sad, but true.  This time, I walked while eating shotbloks and drinking water, just to keep my tummy happier, but that's it!

Splits from this race, which are far, far more consistent than my splits from the Ocean's Run in March:

So, I've got a new plan, a new 1/2 marathon PR and I'm no longer dreading my 1/2 marathon in July!  Well, a little bit because it's July and it's a hilly course, but I can totally handle it!