Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Yes, and there ain't no stoppin'

Saturday was the ever so famous Hospital Hill Half Marathon.  Yes, the one of infamy.  Oh you haven't heard of it?  Well it sucks and I love it, and as long as I can crawl I will be registered.

I need to recap this race for you, and I want to do it the best way possible.  The only way I can think of is to break it down mile by mile for you. So, as I sit here nakey at my desk since I just got home from the gym and refuse to shower, I will do just that.

Mile -1:  Gun time for this race is at 7:30, so I planned to get there at 6 am.  Learning from my mistakes from last year and at the KC Marathon, I knew to avoid the popular bottleneck highway exit and I knew to avoid trying to park in their lot.  I parked exactly where I did for the KC Marathon, walked a mile to the KC REGAP booth.  Everything was going according to plan.  I was nervous and excited.  I LOVE this race.  Only draw back: it was 85 degrees at 7am and you could cut the humidity with a knife.

Mile 1:  Gun time was really weird, they narrowed the corrals too much and all the runners couldn't fit next to their pace groups.  So I just kinda said "whatever" and mooshed in, even though I run better with a pace group and I so longed for a PR.  Less the never, I started.  The first half mile is a gradual incline, followed immediately by a nice downhill. At the end of the mile, was our first aid station sponsored by my good friends at KC Running Company.9:29

Mile 2:  This is the mile that starts the namesake of the road race.  You split up McGee and begin a climb that goes one for blocks.  There's a very steep blatant in your face hill at 2.2 and then once you get to the top, you don't recover because it's a gradual incline over the next mile.  I then realized I needed to pee and was feeling really crummy due to the heat-I srsly thought about taking the 5k turn off. 10:07

Mile 3:  Our next aid station was right around mile 3.3, and I had to use the porties and bad.  I jumped in and out. Finally, race organizers that understand the importance of porties and frequency.  I burst open my portie door and felt like a new woman, I gulped some hotorade and made up for some lost time...in a big way. 10:21.

Mile 4: A breeze.  I rocked out some Shakira, flattest mile of the course. 9:16

Mile 5:  The 10k turn around was right before the mile marker, and I slightly envied them because it was only getting hotter.  There's a monster mountain in this mile, you veer a little to the right and go up a hill that takes you right to Nelson Atkins Museum.  It was AMAZING that they put an aid station smack dab in the middle of this baby.  I walk through the stations, so it was nice to walk through sprinklers. 9:58

Mile 6:  Around this time I settled in with the 2:15 pace group, and knew I wasn't going to PR.  I GU'ed the first time, soaked up the sprinkler stations and anxiously awaited the 10k check in.  Until I saw a girl my age receiving CPR.  Seriously? AAAHHH.  She was bagged and everything, and it freaked me out.  She looked to be in better shape than me too, but just laid there limp. I really hope she's ok, so far I haven't heard anything. I stopped and walked for about two minutes after that.  11:23

Mile 7: Pretty quick mile, but started to experience GI upset.  Toddler sized hill up the back end.  10:45

Mile 8:  One of my favorite miles, it runs down Meyer Blvd, the street I grew up on.  I ran by my grade school and the house I lived in.  This mile always has a lot of spectators too, which is always nice.  Middle of the mile was a wonderful aid station double sprinklers that made me feel like a rockstar, and porties-thank god.  A longer wait at this one, but I was over caring about time.  I ambitiously jumped into a free john and made the HORRID mistake of looking into the well. WHY OF WHY DID I DO THIS?!?! Instant vom.  I meagerly exited, washed out my mouth with water and pushed on. 10:19

Mile 9:  Someone gave me some ice during this mile.  It rocked. 9:54

Mile 10:  Finally, mental relief.  For some reason at mile 10, I always go Ha, you only have a 5k left.  That unfortunately is still quite a bit of mileage.  After an aid station where I selfishly grabbed one too many hotorades, I started feeling that hot burpy feeling.  Ya know when you drink too fast while running?  Vomit count: 2.  12:35

Mile 11:  I resigned to walking a lot during this mile.  You know that feeling where you know you've pushed something just about as far as it could go?  Yeah, I was passed that point.  There's a long incline in this hill.  I call it the MANEATER.  It's kinda sad to watch people attempt to run this and at some point everyone of my skill level walks it.  It was the same last year.  Its at this point in the race where you are with the people you will finish with.  Everyone is doing that passing dance, when you push to run and pass someone and then have to walk, so the person you passed can pass you now because they pushed to run.  13:44

Mile 12:  Glory.  Starting this mile was slow,because I was walking.  I got momentum though.  Toward the end of this mile my high school cheer squad was on the course, I freaked out. STA!  CLASS OF 06!  I zoomed by cheering, and got a little misty.  11:55

Mile 13: Heaven.  After seeing the squad, there wasn't stopping me.  I said "FUDGE YOU HOSPITAL HILL" I am finishing strong.  There's this hill that's an ABSOLUTE joke during mile 13, you've read about it.  Unlike last year, I knew it was coming.  I am please to announce I ran the entire thing.  Once you get to the top of that thing the race is finished, it's the best down hill finish a runner could dream of.  Half a mile, entirely down hill.  9:34

Mile 13.1:  At this point, you can see the finish and it's down hill.  I was sprinting and as I was getting closer I saw the light.  My legs were bricks, I was running so heavy.  My form was awful, but I pushed so hard. I always want to cry at a finish line, that's what people do when they are proud.  I can never cry.  Not even tears of joy.  1:05


It felt like 94 degrees at the finish, but there were ice cold towels and some B.A. medals.

At the end of the day, I was about 20 minutes over my goal time-but that's what everyone says to expect from Hospital Hill.  I am very very satisfied with myself.  This was my first half marathon alone in over a year, and my first road race where I didn't have any spectators along the course.  These of course are not excuses, but more reasons for me to be happy.

I really really really love this race.  It's so miserable.  I can't wait until 2012.

6 comments:

Amanda said...

Congrats!! You are such an inspiration.

Anonymous said...

I agree, you are inspirational! Just reading your blog has me wanting to run a half marathon!

Unknown said...

Way to go lady. You always rock my socks off.

Michelle said...

Congrats! Those are some great race pictures of you!

ash & diz said...

I love this post! Way to go!! So proud of you!

Will you please take a vacation to Utah so we can run together and get fro-yo and maybe a margarita?? :)

Steph said...

Congrats!!