2016 SLO Half Marathon Recap

Sometimes it’s just not your day.  And that’s not always a bad thing.

Race day came early but I felt like I had slept ok.  Much better than last year at least, my Up band tells me I got around 5 hours of sleep.   Could have been worse.  I had no idea what I was going to wear until I put it on.  It was not one of the outfits I had tried on the day before.    😝

My mom was my driver once again (thanks mom!) so we headed out around 5:45.   She was able to drop me off at the same place as previous years, so I only had a short walk to the start line.   I ran into Heather along the way.   Perfect timing!  We headed straight to the porta potties.  Lines for days!  Seriously, for the second year in a row I started way behind all the pacers.  The race started right on time at 6:45.  I had no clue what I was going to run- I would have thrown a party for a sub 2:10 but also been happy with a 2:10-2:15.  While April was a very strong training month, I was tired.  Perhaps more than I thought.

Miles 1-3: 10:08, 10:07, 10:49

Not too bad.  Miles 1 and 2 were about what I was expecting  Mile 1 is downhill and 2 is uphill so keeping at that pace was where I wanted to be.  Heather and I were running together and it was cool getting to race together.  Mile 3 is where one of the longest climbs starts.   Last year I motored up it with no problems.  This year, it was kicking my ass.  It should not have felt that hard.

Miles 4-6: 11:06, 9:47, 10:48

And my first walking break.  I was already tired, I couldn’t seem to get into gear.  Strange thing- my toes went numb on both feet around mile 4.  Umm, what?   It leveled off a bit and we picked up the pace.  I don’t remember that mile feeling any different but it clocked in at the fastest.   We made it past where I fell last year and kept running.   Mile 6 was where we started uphill again.  This is not a course for the faint of heart.


Miles 7-9:  11:44, 10:47, 10:29

Hello, walking again.  This time longer.   I am so thankful for Heather sticking with me, I was realizing that this was not going to be my best showing.   We passed through the Cliff shot zone and I grabbed a citrus shot in hopes that it would help.  The turn around comes a little past the 7 mile mark, then we get some downhill to enjoy.    There was more walking in those miles as well.  Heather knows everyone, so we made some friends along the course.  😊


Miles 10-12: 11:19, 10:45, 11:19

With only 4 miles to go and it being mostly flat to downhill, I was optimistic that I could pick up the pace.  I say I because I was the one slowing us down.  I was dragging, couldn’t find another gear to get into and had to use my inhaler a few times.  It had turned out to be a very warm morning and was a little more humid than I would have liked but those things shouldn’t have effected me that much.   Mile 12 has a bridge that we have to switchback up then down and it kicks my butt every year.  This mile also had the last aid station.  It was manned by volunteers from one my work locations- and my boss’s boss- so I tried to at least smile at them when we past.  It may have looked more like a grimace.  😝


Mile 13:  10:43 -13.1 (8:31 pace to finish)-

Seriously, I was in a dark tunnel of misery here.  Not really sure why.  My calves were achy but nothing major, I was just beat and really needed to see that finish line.   Once again, Heather was awesome- I probably would have walked so much more without her keeping me going.  There is a tiny climb right at mile 13 that feels like a mountain and then it is all downhill to the finish.  That road seemed so long!!!   I spotted my mother along the side and tried to smile but again I think it was more of a grimace.  I dodged some people and crossed the finish line.


Finish- 2:21:55

We got our medals and headed for the water.  The expo area was kind of a hot mess when it came to recovery.   Water was the only thing that was easy to locate.   It took some effort to find the food and then more to find my mom.  Once I did, we took some pics before heading out.  I may have stuck around a little longer but that gel hadn’t settled well with my stomach so I was ready to get going.


Not the race I was hoping for but you can’t always get what you want.  However, the day was still good.  I got to run a course I love- hills and all- and it has pretty great spectators.   I got to run with a great friend and there is nothing bad about that.  🙂


 

 

32 thoughts on “2016 SLO Half Marathon Recap”

  1. CONGRATS on the half marathon! It sounds like it was a tough day and looking at the elevation, it looks like a super challenging course! You are awesome. Also, you look so pretty – those socks and that skirt, LOVE!!!!! Great job!!!

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  2. Great job! Even if it weren’t your ideal race you still ran well and had a friend to share it with. Sometimes those memories are better than a good clock time anyday!

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  5. See, now water was the one thing I could not find at the finish line and I was SOOO thirsty!! It seems like this is just a challenging course though and even with a lot of training it’s still going to be hard!

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  7. Way to go Fallon. You pushed through the pain and uncomfortable-ness. The course is VERY challenging! You should be very proud of yourself because I am very proud of you!

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  8. Good job pushing through a rough day! Focus on the good stuff – it is all that really matters! Beautiful day and running with a friend!

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  9. Great photos! Did your mom take those? That was one of my funniest races on the road in awhile! I love running with you! Too bad we couldn’t breathe there for the first few miles (dang lungs) but I had a blast! We did great!

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  10. You are so right – there is nothing ever bad about running with a friend. I’m so glad you had a buddy for a tough race. When it’s not going your way, it’s so nice to have company. On the other hand, congrats on finishing such a challenging course! You are always doing such hilly race and I admire you for taking on such a challenge – I tend to stray away from the hills whenever possible 😀

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    1. Yeah, I think if I had been myself, I would have a very different perspective on how that race went! I realized I changed my routes and don’t run as many hills as I used to… I need change them back- those hills hurt!!

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  12. Congrats Fallon! Serious kudos for sticking with it and pushing through despite some rough patches. I’m always grateful to have someone run with me during moments like that… even if I hate them a little at the moment for making me feel like I can’t walk 🙂 And at least you didn’t fall this year! 😉 For reals though, high fives!!

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  14. congrats on sticking through a half even when you weren’t feeling like it was your day! finishing is still such a huge accomplishment. i haven’t been to SLO but know a girl from that area who always raves about how gorgeous it is, and then on a plane last week i read an article about it in one of those in-flight magazines…and now i feel like i must see it. I LOVE CALIFORNIA.

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