O.C. Half Marathon Report..

Pre-Race:

Allison and her new boyfriend came over to our home away from home for dinner. H made his usual pasta with spaghetti sauce with my one token piece of chicken. We ate around 5:30 to give our tummies time to digest all before the AM. I was in bed by 9:00 CA time, which is 10:00 NM time so all was well. H & I both woke up at 4:00 AM. I took a warm bath-perhaps my new pre-race strategy to warm my muscles up. It seemed to help me wake up my legs. I had felt like crap the night before, sore throat, feeling like I was coming down with something..In the AM was all gone and I was ready to run! Bagel with PB, half bagel with cream cheese, one WIRED drink and off we went!

We met Allison and Scott at the finish line, where we left one car and drove to the start line. As usual, my anal retentive self had us there 45 minutes before we ever had to be, which left us standing in porta potty lines and nervously jogging around trying to stay warm. It was perfect weather. 50 degrees, cloudy. The ocean air always agrees with my hair, skin and general breathing capabilities..SEA LEVEL IS AWESOME!! All that extra O2. More about that later..

Race:

With 8000 of our California friends, we started the race with our chips. It took H & I about 5 min to get to the start line-not too bad. This race allowed ipods-yes even officially! I was stoked about this. I run better with music..So on came my Ipod..H & I ran together for about 5 minutes and he drifted off in front of me. I planned to race: the 1st 5 miles kind of easy, the 2nd 5 miles picking it up and the last 5k as fast as I could run. It was a bit difficult to start out this way because it was downhill the first few miles..but I held back anyway. Of course had to go to the bathroom about mile 3. I asked some poor unsuspecting teenager who was guarding the alleyway from runners who were going to cut the course, if I could use the alley to do my thing. I think she was too afraid to say no. The second bathroom stop I made at a store where I was practically screaming at the person in the BR ahead of me this is a race-hurry up!  WTF is this lady doing in there? The porta potty lines were ridiculous. My last stop was in the bushes around mile 10-all in all lost about 5 minutes...Geez!!  It seems no matter what I eat, don't eat. It is always the same deal..I ran faster after each stop, willing myself to make up for lost time...

After 5 miles, I looked at my watch and damn, it said 55 minutes! I was stoked. So I picked it up and felt like a rock star. I was feeling the best I have ever felt, certainly in  a running race. I felt all O2 blasting my legs into gear. I thought of all the speed work I have done the last 5 months. It works-duh! At one point at a turning point, I saw H first, then Allison and Scott-all about 10 min ahead of me. That meant Allison was having a good race! I was so happy about this..I thought If I keep up this pace, I will have a PR-no doubt! The run was so beautiful-around a bay in the ocean. I could feel the ocean air just bathing my skin and lungs. It was so awesome..I took in a total of 4 Carbooms. The water stops were not quite every mile and I think I saw one water stop with Power Ade. Good thing I was not counting on that for nutrition! I was still passing people..alot. Then around mile 9 there was a small steep hill. I walked as fast as I could up the short hill. Mile 10-I started to feel my legs, a very slight cramp beginning in my left hamstring-Oh no!! I ran through it, took a Tylenol just in case...I don't remember ever pushing this hard in a half marathon before so the cramp thing was new. The last 5k took forever! My Garmin says we ran 13.4 and so does Allison's. So the course was long I think...We finally rounded the bend to get to the fairgrounds and it seemed like forever and bam! I was done! My leg by now was almost a full on cramp so I was so lucky it was over! Garmin said 2:17 but I knew the bathroom stops made it longer. I ran a half marathon in the late 90s or early 2000s in 2:19 although I cannot find the results anywhere on  line. So I think it was almost a PR for me at:
Bib: 7745
Name: Debi Wess
Gender: F
Age: 54
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Overall: 2491 out of 4554
Women: 1184 out of 2666
F 50-54: 52 out of 175
Age/Grade: 57.52% Place: 780
Finish: 2:20:24 Pace: 10:43

I found H quickly at the end. He rocked the race on a bum leg and finished in the top 20 of his AG. Allison completed her first running race in the top 3rd of her AG!! I was so proud of her!!!

Post Race:

We went to a great breakfast place, where I PIGGED out on pancakes and eggs. The afternoon was spent resting then we all had a huge pizza and chocolate cake at our place for the evening meal. I was wiped out! This AM, I dreamt I was at the doctor with a dramatic pain in my left leg. I woke up to a dramatic pain in my left leg and hip. When I stood to walk I realized,  My am I sore!! 

Thoughts: 

Speed work does what it is suppose to do..makes you faster..

There is hope for me getting faster,even at my age.

I wish I could run this fast at Buffalo Springs half Ironman in June..that is my goal..

It is the best feeling to see your kid go from non-athlete to athlete in 6 months!

I run faster with music..that is all there is to it..

I love my life! Soreness and all!