(Photo courtesy of Kate)
(Photo
Going into the Half Maraton this year, I had optimism of finishing it strong. Unfortunately it didn’t play out as I had hoped…
After the issues in the last couple Arammco Halfs, I had learned a little about how and where to push. I had also learned how key bringing my own nutrition was (instead of solely relying on on-course stuff).
After a cold wait, we (Doug, Kate, and I) were finally ready to go. Sadly, I had to relinquish the toasty foil blanket before crossing the start line. But it did warm up as the sun came up, so that all worked out!
One of the challenges for me is the start and roughly the first half mile. This is because of my vision and the fact that it’s still dark when we’re starting. There are lights around the start corrals and start line, but not much after. So I always have to rely even more on my guides that I’m not tripping on something in the dark.
By about mile 1, the sun was up and things got easier from that perspective. As usual, I passed the first aide station. This is simply because I’m in a groove and it’s usually too early (maybe 1.25?) for me to need it. I do end up hitting every other aide station.
Doug and Kate helped to manage the pace and timing for nutrition. While I felt mild tightness at times between the start and roughly mile 10 (shortly after the museum roundabout), I still felt really good overall. Given that, I was confident that I’d have a strong overall race and hit my estimated goal (25 minutes faster than 2024).
However, at mile 10, all those mild aches caught up to me at once. I don’t remember all of the details between when we hit mile 10 and made the turn at mile 12. But I do remember both Kate and Doug helping to support me through a choppy run/walk, stopping multiple times for extra hydration and nutrition, and the magical donut somewhere in mile 11.
After making the turn, things did get a little better. While it still wasn’t back to the run or pace I had been able to do the first 10 miles, it was far better than miles 11 and 12. The stop at the Catapult tent at roughly 12.5 miles helped with that final last push. 🙂
After finishing (time was on par with 2024), the three of us went through the post-race “maze” to get everything.
As Doug and I were headed out, I was stopped two different times by “fans”. Initially, I thought these people were part of the large Catapult group. But both said that they had been following me throughout the race. 🙂
Thank you to Doug and Kate for all of their help and support throughout the race. And thanks to Catapult for all of their help and support throughout the weekend.
