Landsend Half-Marathon

September 12, 2010

One day after returning from a holiday in Hawaii, I was on the start-line for the Landsend Half-Marathon.  We'd come from a hot, sunny climate into cloudy, rainy weather.  It felt cold, and while it wasn't pouring rain, it was steady enough to get you wet pretty fast.  Standing on the start line,  I was feeling nervous, but at the same time calm - because I'd been telling myself all along that I was not going to 'push' it during this race.  This was intended just as a tune-up race before the marathon, and the plan had been just to run around marathon pace.  I'd planned to run ~30 km that day anyway, so it was a good 'excuse' to not worry if I didn't feel up to racing.  I saw a few of my running friends before the start of the race, and I'd explain 'Oh, I'm not really racing this one, just a tune-up before the marathon.'

Often, each of us has a list of excuses to bring up before races - as a means to take the pressure off and explain any less than desired performances.  That way, if you don't have a good race or were feeling off, you can pull out your list of reasons to explain.

On the day of the Landsend race, I needed my hat of excuses, as I'd just got back from Hawaii, was still sleep deprived, and really wasn't sure what kind of performance I would be capable of.

I lined up on the start line, and off I went.  Of course, I ended up pushing harder than I'd originally intended.  The first km went by in just over 4 minutes  -- 'Okay that's fast, I thought, that's closer to my 10km pace - slow down', I told myself - otherwise I knew I'd crash and burn.  I later learned that the first 4 kms are all short, so it wasn't quite as fast as I thought, but still faster than my usual half-marathon speed.  I consciously tried to slow down to a more manageable pace, and watched people pass me by.  It was tough, as I wanted to stay with them!

I soon got into a rhythm and the first 5 kms went by without much difficulty - then we hit the first hill.  I'd heard that this was a hilly race, but being prepared for it didn't make the hills any easier.  On the hills I really struggled.  I definitely was not feeling at my best - but the racer in me still wanted to push, and see how I could do.  The uphill was followed by a nice downhill, where I could just let my legs go - the turnover felt great.

As we approached the turnaround, I saw another hill up ahead.  'Almost half-way done' I told myself.  Just keep pushing.  This race was not about catching anyone, pushing for a PB or even aiming for a placing.  This race was just about finishing.  The middle part of the race felt very hilly.  There seemed to be no flat sections, it was either up or down.  A few people passed me on the uphill sections, as I really struggled to keep it together.  I hadn't hurt this badly in awhile (during a race).  Valerie Bell, a fellow runner (who came out to many PIH events) passed me, looking strong.  I knew she'd have a good race.  I watched her pass me by, trying to not fall too far behind, she had her race legs on, and kept inching away from me, while all I could do was watch.

During the race, my legs felt heavy and I totally thought I was going to come in around 1:40 -- I'd be happy if I could just get under 1:40.  I definitely felt slow during these middle sections.  Nonetheless, I kept pushing, and the kms slowly ticked by.  The hills faded away, and soon I was nearing the end of the race.  The course came back along itself and repeated the first 4.5 kms.  I was soo happy that it was nearly over.  A few final twists and turns, and I was on the last km -- YAY!  I tried to push it hard on this last km, but my legs were definitely fading.  One guy passed me in the last 200 or so meters, but I was able to hold off another one right behind me.  As I neared the clock I was surprised to see 1:33:--.  Seriously!  I couldn't believe it.  I was going to make it  under 1:35.  I was so ecstatic.  I crossed the finish line in 1:34:14 and had to take a few breaths before I could actually speak.  Shane greated me at the finish line, all changed from his 10km race, looking warm and cozy.  Whew, was I ever glad to have that over with.  My splits were: 4:06, 4:12, 4:19, 4:17, 4:40, 4:40, 4:06, 4:15, 4:49, 4:32, 4:19, 4:44, 4:48, 4:24, 4:49, 4:07, 4:12, 4:39, 4:40, 4:48, 4:46.

It wasn't my best race, but it also wasn't a disaster.  I ended up pushing more than I'd intended, but I'm glad I did.  I knew that I could have raced it faster, had I been feeling good - but given the conditions, I was pleased with my race.  It was a fast race overall though -- James Lander came out of nowhere and broke the course record, winning in a time of 1:08:13. The next racer was almost 8 minutes back.

After the race, I changed my shirt (which was sopping wet from the rain), and went out to run another 6 km or so, to get in my 30 km for the day.  Those 6 kms were very tough.  My legs had definitely taken a beating during the race, and were worn out.

The Landsend is one of my favorite races, particularly because they serve corn after the race.  Yummy -- it was fantastic to have the warm, sweet corn -wonderful, after a race in the cold, wet rain.