Pocono Lake Region 13.1 Recap

I wanted to write this post as soon as I got home on Sunday, but I also wanted to let the experience sink in a little bit before I spilled my thoughts on the interwebs. Also, I was exhausted and didn't really want to do anything other than lay down and eat. :P

I suppose we should start from the beginning, huh? Joe and I set our alarms for 5am and 5:15am respectively and I ended up getting out of bed at 5:20am. I had oatmeal with peanut butter and chocolate chips for breakfast and was actually pretty calm. I made sure to pack my stuff the night before, so I double checked everything and got ready to go. We were in the car by 6am and made it to the finish line location to catch a bus to the start line at 6:30am.

The start line was at the Honesdale elementary school and they had the school open for us so we could use the bathrooms and wait inside in the warmth. It was about 45º out by the time we started running at 8am (exactly on time!), which I complained about but first but was really happy about once I got about a mile in.

The beginning of the course was shrouded with fog and made for some absolutely stunning foggy farm landscapes. The whole course was gorgeous to be honest and really made me appreciate the area that I live in even more. It was laid out and marked very well and the support was amazing. There were water/Gatorade stations every two miles and the volunteers were the best. Even people who lived along the route were out cheering the runners on. I saw two portapotties as well, I think at mile 4ish and again at 11.

How much prettier does it get really?

I know I did the training, but I was shocked at how easy the first 8ish miles went. The course was very hilly and I heard a lot of people saying how it was one of the hardest half courses they've run. I just kept taking it one hill at a time and running on feel. When I started to feel tired or out of breath, I slowed my pace until I was (relatively) comfortable again.

The last 3 miles were the best and the worst. I knew I only had a 5k left at that point and knew I was going to finish, but my legs had really started to ache. The final half mile was up a gradual incline that led to the Wallenpaupack high school parking lot and down onto the track. My IT band on my right leg was acting up and I was ready to be done, but I honestly expected to feel much worse. I guess all that training really did pay off? ;) 

The way they had the finish set up was so awesome. I've never really competed in anything in my life, so it was a great feeling to have the announcers call my name and see my family cheering me on as I ran to the finish line. Joe finished about half an hour behind me. He did walk/run intervals since he has been having knee issues and I'm so proud and happy for him that he finished.

I stopped my watch when it hit 13.1, which was a bit before the actual finish line. My official bib time was 2:21:07 and my watch time was 2:20:23. My goal was to finish in less than 2:30 so I'm extremely happy! I'd love to get down to around 2 hours, but I was pretty consistent for this race and I will definitely take that for now.

We spent the rest of the day icing, stretching, and eating. I had a bagel and banana after I finished, but my stomach would not settle down. I couldn't stand still for more than a minute or so before it started bothering me. Later on in the day it started to feel better, but I still got a nauseous feeling whenever I would stand up and move around after sitting for a while. I'm thinking this means that I didn't eat enough during the race and that I need to bring more gels with me next time.

Overall, I am so happy with my first half marathon experience. It was such a positive environment; everyone seemed so excited to be there and didn't hesitate to be encouraging to the runners. I don't have a single complaint about anything, the entire day went off without a hitch as far as I'm concerned. The course was challenging but I definitely think I will run this race again next year. Nothing beats the feeling that I have knowing that I accomplished such a seemingly impossible goal for myself.

I guess my next goal is to build something to hang this lovely piece of metal on?