today's featured blogger is lynda from fitness mom wine country. she just finished her first half marathon, which took place in beautiful napa, california (as a former northern california resident, i'm jealous!). she's a fellow worrier, but luckily, everything turned out just fine for her race!
what was your first half marathon?
The Zooma Race Series in Napa, CA. I just completed this about 2 weeks ago and I
loved it. I live in Sonoma, CA {just
about 15 mins from Napa} so I am familiar with the location and route. Running in the wine country is amazing. I was an ambassador for the race and I so
enjoyed it. Zooma does an amazing event.
how long had you been running before you decided to tackle
the half marathon distance?
I had the half marathon on my dream “bucket” list. I had wanted to complete my first by the time
I turned 45. That did not happen, I was
always talking myself out of it and doubting my ability to complete one. I am always so inspired by fellow runners and
bloggers, I just kept reading from them and finally said this is it, it is time
to put on my big girl panties and get this done. I turn 47 next month, so I am pleased to have
this under my belt finally.
did you use a training plan to prepare for the race? if so,
which one? No not one in particular.
I just did a ton of research and kept reading about half marathon
training, fueling the body, recovery, etc.
I asked a gazillion questions on my facebook page and always loved
getting advice and tips from fellow runners. I did most of my training alone {I really love to run
alone}, but I do have a friend of mine who will go out with me and help me with
my technique, breathing, etc. I trained
for about 6 months and just listened to my body and what was working for me.
did you have any goals going in to the race? My main goal was to just finish. I was really concerned about that. I told my hubby that I needed to complete the
race before they send the street cleaner out.
I did not want to be the last. I
really did not have anything to go on as far as knowing how long it would take,
etc. I just tracked all my training runs
and logged them, I looked back through and found the average pace I was
keeping. I went off that and added a bit
more {as I knew I would get tired and slow down} and then sort of eyeballed a
time for me to complete. I did the race in 2 hours and 33 mins. My hubby figured about 3 hours, so I was
pretty pleased and surprised. I have my
first official time to go on for the next half marathon.
did you have any worries going in to the race? how did it
turn out?
I worry about everything.
I worried I was going to have to make a porta potty stop. That would have messed with my head and
time. My body would have been sweaty and
hot and trying to pull running pants back up when sweaty is not fun. I was worried that I had not hydrated
enough. I worried that my body {legs}
were going to give out on me after about mile 8 {that is the furthest I had
gotten in my training} so I assumed I would have been a hot mess after
that. I am pleased to say that all of my
worries were for nothing. None of those
things were ever any issues for me.
what kind of fueling strategy did you use during the race?
My fueling mostly came from Vega. I am a huge fan of their products and use
them all the time. Everything from the
pre workout energizer to the recovery. I
did pack some energy gels into my hip belt and used them along the way. I always run with my hand held bottle and
when I was out of water, I used the water stations to fill it back up. I hydrated along the entire course.
what was the highlight of the race for you?
Running with and meeting some fellow bloggers was so
cool. The most emotional and special
part of my race, was seeing my husband at a few places along the route and at
the turn around. He was able to drive
ahead and park and wait for me. I did
not have any family members out there {they all live in Sonoma} but no one
wanted to hang and watch. Having my
husband there was my moment, the moment when I felt his support and strength, I
could hear him talk to me. The moment
when I knew I could tackle this race and get it done. He was my rock.
how did you celebrate after finishing your first half
marathon? I came home and soaked in a tub with Epsom salts. I cozied up on the bed and my husband made me
a brunch and brought it to me. I just
spent the afternoon relaxing and napping.
I had a grin on my face for hours, because I still could not believe I
completed something I thought I would never do.
have you done/are you planning to do more half marathons? why or why not? YES, I am actually doing the Nike Women’s Half this October
in San Francisco. I am running with Team
in Training. This will be somewhat
difficult as there will be hills involved.
My training has started now and I will be totally focused on this until
October. After that, I look forward to
others. I am in love with running all
over again at this age.
what advice do you have for a runner going in to their first
half marathon?
Train, train, train.
Don’t just think “oh I have time” or “I will get to it later”. Training is key, even if we think we have
months. Don’t listen to your head, go
with your heart and do what your body wants.
Enjoy the moment and take it all in {kind of like a wedding}. Don’t set yourself up to worry about time in,
just finish the race at your pace. You
can go from that point on for the next one.
Have fun!
check out her half marathon race recap on her blog, and follow her along on twitter,facebook, and instagram! thanks again for contributing, lynda! -b
did you have any worries going in to the race? how did it
turn out?