I recently raced the Phoenix Women’s Half Marathon – key word being raced. I wasn’t really planning on racing this one. The whole weekend was a big Oiselle team meetup and since I have my goal race in March, I was just planning on running easy and using the race as a long run. The week of the race, I started to think that maybe I would use the race as a tempo run and shoot for my goal pace for the first 6-8 miles and then make a game time decision on whether to go for it or not. I decided I would do just that, especially after my Oiselle teammates Cathy and Tara and I all decided to run together.
Race morning dawned chilly in Phoenix. I was actually wishing I’d had my gloves before the race started. I did however have my new lux arm warmers and they were perfect with my singlet and shorts. Here’s how the race went down.
Miles 1-3 (9:01/8:40/8:42)
I started off with a TON (like over 40, I believe) of my teammates as the half kicked off right at 8am. My plan was to run with Cathy and Tara as I mentioned and we got off the start line together. The race took us alongside a canal but also through numerous little underpasses where we had a downhill and then an uphill. They weren’t steep but there was a ton of them and since the course was an out and back, they got old kind of quick! By mile three, I was mostly running with another teammate from OK, my friend Becky. We chatted and high fived and cheered other teammates and runners along the way.
Miles 4-6 (8:25/8:23/8:36)
These miles were pretty uninteresting, but they flew by and were my fastest miles of the day. I was feeling really very strong and having fun running and chatting. I took my first Huma gel during mile 5 and then grabbed some water at the next water stop. I also saw my friend (and teammate) Trax kicking butt – she won the race in 1:27 and change!
Miles 7-10 (8:32/8:36/8:37/8:41)
I find that in a half marathon, miles 8-11 are always the hardest for me and this race was no exception. By mile 8, I was basically alone and I was in the pain cave. My legs were burning, my throat was burning (the dry Phoenix air) and I wished desperately for chapstick. I hated not having anyone to run with but I’d pulled ahead of my friends ever so slightly and while I thought hard about just pulling over to the side of the road to wait for them (race delirium knows no bounds with me), I kept going mostly because I hate quitting and also I just wanted to be done.
Miles 11-13.1 (8:44/8:40/8:41)
By this point, I realized I could have a pretty big PR at this point and I convinced myself to just do my best to hold on the best I could. Right after mile 10, we passed by the start line, where lots of teammates were cheering and that pumped me up a bit. But then after that point, I was again solo and I’ll be honest, it sucked. I did see Steph Bruce cooling down and she cheered me on, which I very much appreciated. I just kept telling myself that I could do anything for two miles – that it was less than 20 minutes. That eventually worked and then, before I knew it, I was coming in for the finish. I crossed to tons of cheers and kudos from teammates and immediately beelined for the Gatorade for my dry throat.
The race was fun because of my teammates but it was not what I would call flat and those little underpass hills were tough. I also found the back half of the race challenging – I struggle sometimes when I’m planning to run with people and then find myself alone and that was a mental challenge for this one. But in the end, I managed to pull out a pretty significant PR.
Official time: 1:52:42 – this was a PR of 4 minutes and 2 seconds. I still can’t believe it!
For the first time EVER, I placed in my age group! I ended up 2nd in my age group, which has never happened to me before and honestly, probably won’t happen again unless I seek out another small race. There were 46 people in my age group and I was 2nd – AND my good friend Colleen was 1st! For perspective – Colleen ran about 5 minutes faster than I did – our age group was just pretty small. I was the 36th woman overall, out of 313 that finished. I will take that!
I am spending this week recovering from the race (my quads were shredded from racing + the VERY challenging hike we did the next day) and then I’ll jump back in to training for my goal race in March. Although I now have to reevaluate my goals since I was shooting for a 1:53 in March and just ran faster than that. More on that once I figure it out. 🙂
Have you ever raced in the desert?
Bravo!!! Well done my friend. Gahh… can’t wait to see what March brings – flat course, right?
Yes! Flat with one significant hill – I can handle that, I think 🙂
EEEPS! New goal for the win!! I’m so stinking proud of you for taking a chance out there and KILLING this race; it was definitely a more challenging course than I’d expected (not only because of the ups and downs, but just a weird situation all around) and you stuck with your plan. It was so, SO great to run with you and spend time with you in Phoenix; I can hardly wait to see what’s next for you, my friend!
Tara – I was so happy to run with you! I am so happy we finally met – can not wait to see you again, friend!
Congrats on your HUGE PR!!! Recover like a champ and more good things will come for sure!!
Wendy recently posted…Los Angeles Marathon Training Recap, Week 5
Thanks Wendy! I’m hoping for more good things this year 🙂
Wow! What a race! Congrats!! You are speedy.
I did a 10 miler in Palm Dessert, CA and yes it was DRY!!!!!!!!!!
Darlene recently posted…TOLT: Shoes, Deferrals, Long Runs, Work Travel, Cold Weather, etc.
SO DRY! The air hurt my throat, lol 🙂
I’m so glad you snagged a PR here in the desert! Congrats, my friend!!!!
Thank you – the lack of humidity was good to me 🙂
Congrats on that freaking awesome PR! You’re amazing, sisterhero! So happy we got to meet! 🙂
SOOO glad to meet you, friend! Can’t wait to hang again – camp?!?!?!?
I’m working on it!! Would be a blast to hang out again!
Congratulations!! So happy for you – plus an AG victory! So exciting. Can’t wait to see how you do in March!
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…January Monthly Goal Recap and February Running Goals
Yeah – I still have to set a goal for the March race 🙂
Sooooo speedy girl!! If your goal race is flat, I say go for sub 1:50!
Hahaha, I probably won’t go that big…yet 🙂
WOW congrats on a great race!!!
Thank you!
Congratulations, lady!
Thank you so much, Hyedi! 🙂
Congrats on another PR! You have been killing it – so happy for you!
Thanks – it was a good way to start the year!
That’s so great! It’s always amazing when you beat your own boundaries you set for yourself. Congrats on ur PR and on placing 2nd in your AG. Training for my first HM now and loved reading your recap.
Good luck on your first half!
Duuuuude SO PUMPED for you and the effort you executed out there!!! Mental GAINS, you know what I’m sayin’???
thanks friend. i’m excited for you and all the awesomeness coming up!
Congrats on your huge PR and our 2nd place AG finish! Woot woo!!!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Avoid Derailment – Listen To Your Body
Thanks Debbie! It was hard but I was excited for the PR!
You NAILED it Courtney!!! Bravo and then some!! So happy for you!!!! Congrats all over the place! You are only beginning to know what you can do. 😀
Thanks Nancy! I am looking forward to continuing to grow as a runner!
Congrats on that PR and AG! I smiled when you said miles 8-11 are the toughest for you–I’d have to agree. It’s a mind game, isn’t it?
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…The Group Run: It Was Time
Well done!! I have been following you since last year and I absolutely love your posts because you are so “real”! You have also inspired me to start my own running and blogging journey! Thank you all the way from Gaborone, Botswana x
Thank you so much for the kind words! And thanks for reading from across the world – I love it!
Way to kill it!
Alaina @ The Simple Peach recently posted…February Goals
Thanks!
So amazing – a PR and placing in your age group! Can’t wait to see what your half in March is like! Well done!!!
Thanks Liz – hoping for a good race in March!
Congrats on your PR! I’m looking forward to reading about your next big race. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I’m hoping for a good race in March on an easier course 🙂
Huge kudos and congratulations, friend! You have been rocking it hard for so long with your training, and you deserve this PR because you earned it the hard way–lots of hard work and dedication! I’m sure this one is especially sweet given all the hills and having to run part of it alone. Congrats!