Testing my body on my 9th 1/2 marathon: Cedars of Lebanon

It was a test alright & for once it is positive. I'm not going to lie, RC & the Preds 5k did something to me mentally, not just physically. I NEEDED this 1/2 marathon today so very badly for my mental attitude.

The course:
I knew it wasn't flat & I knew it was not all asphalt. It's definitely rolling hills from the start to the finish. After the 1st hill at the .5 mark, I came out of my long sleeve tech shirt. I'm so used to taking clothes off while I run, I barely break stride or slow down for it anymore. :) I probably went out a little too fast because at mile 2, I was well under 18 mins. Two years ago, that would have meant I was out slow. Anyway, I ran according to how I was feeling & I was thanking God that I wore shorts instead of tights. I personally believe there were more than a few people overdressed. The course took us out of the park onto a main road going left then onto a side country road with a lot of really rough pavement. (reminded me of Happy Valley Rd on the Moon Pie course) That made my feet hurt a little. I tried to make sure I was on the smoothest part of that road. This road winded up, down, & around until about mile 8 where we took a left onto a gravel road. It was ok for a while but we were on it for 2+ miles, I think... GRAVEL + HILLS = SUPER SLOW RUNNING LISA. At one point, I nearly fell flat on my face but I caught my balance with my hands inches away from the gravel. (Pilates has made me a little bit stronger!) It was interesting to watch people in front of me jump from one side of the packed gravel (tire tracks) to the other to get around each other. The center of the road & the sides were big, heavy gravel. I was so glad to see the asphalt again that I wanted to kiss it. We hit the asphalt about mile 10 where we had caught up with the walkers, who started one hour early.

Tullahoma:
Some tinsy woman walking yelled at me, "R U from Tullahoma?" I managed a "yes" and she said, "I see you all the time & recognized you." I'm so bad with names & faces, plus if I had not been coming off 2 miles of hills & gravel I might have been friendlier but I took off like a rocket after that. I managed a surge for about a mile. I passed 2 women who incidentally were in my age bracket but I didn't know it. They passed me back when my quads started screaming around mile 12ish. It is because of them I did not get an age graded award. No biggie! I believe I was about 40 seconds or less behind one of them at the finish. (Again, it's all in who shows up, ya know...)

Finishing:
I was so glad to see the finish chute, but at the same time I was thinking, "You did it & you didn't leave all that much sinus drainage out there on the course." The 1st 4-5 miles was the worst of the drainage, but I backed off & seemed to do better. I did not have a coughing fit after I finished, & the feeling of getting sick to my stomach never came. My new PW & unofficial time is now about 2:08. There's no chip time for state park races & I never saw a list, but my Garmin read 2:08:11 by the time I exited the chute & headed towards the table for my little card.

Fall Creek Falls 15k:
2 weeks from today is the last state park race & even though it's hilly as hell the first 5 miles, I think I'll do it. I'll take the same approach I did today. Just finish! Incidentally, I did this race last year in just over 1:25, I think... I had a full blown sinus infection, was on high powered antibiotics, & ran in a fog. I ended up sleeping the rest of the day. So, I only remember the hills & throwing up at the end, sorry. :P

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone! :)