On Sunday, I ran the second annual Rock Hall Half Marathon in Cleveland, Ohio. I spent most of Monday picking apart my race day performance and beating myself up over achieving my personal worst half marathon time to date. But the more I talked to other runners and heard other stories, the more I realized I shouldn’t worry that much about it.
It was a tough race in brutal conditions. There were a lot of people walking — much more than I have seen in any other race (except maybe the Cleveland Marathon in 2015). The temperature, while much cooler than it has been, was still high for a race and the humidity was up at 95%. And since this wasn’t my ‘A’ race, I had done zero race prep — no tempo runs, no track work, no nothin’ except for building my base for my upcoming marathon. Here’s how things went (grab a snack and some coffee, this is a long one):
Rock Hall Half Marathon Race Recap
Race morning arrived and I headed downtown. I met up with my friend Heather just before the start. We shot a quick selfie and proceeded to talk about our pre-race anxiety as we made our way to the starting line. Heather is much faster than I am but instead of shoving my way into the middle of the pack where I should have been, I walked right in the front with her. It was easier that way.
The gun went off. I kept my composure despite the fastest runners blowing past me. It was incredible to see them take off in what looked to me like a full-on sprint! They had to dodge me and I felt a little bad, but then I remembered all the races I had to dodge other people and I cared a little less.
Miles 1-3
It was hot and humid from the start. Within the first mile I was sweating bullets. I held onto a decent pace for the first 5K. Under normal weather circumstances, I would have been right on target for a solid race. I really had to pee but I had no plans to stop so I did what every runner does and ignored it.
Suddenly out of nowhere the 9:30 pacer blew past me. I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. Later, I would find out most of the pacers were running fast. I feel sorry for the people that were relying on them. It got into my head a little bit but not much since it was still the beginning of the race.
One of the scarier buildings in Cleveland. I don’t know why I took a picture of it but I couldn’t look away!
Miles 4-6
The next two miles were pretty good. I debated about ditching my shirt because I was sweating so much, but I worried a little bit about my bib not being picked up on the mats so I opted to keep it on. By this time I must have sweat all my pee out because I didn’t need to use the bathroom anymore. TMI?
I got a nice burst of energy at 4.5 miles — a burst of energy I could have used later in the race but that’s what happens when your music dictates your adrenaline level.
Miles 7-9
Just after mile 6 we entered the Cultural Gardens on MLK. It’s a beautiful area of the city and I just love running there. I was comfortably in a zone. I felt in control and happy. Plus the net downhill of the gardens was welcome and I was really dialed in to running the tangents smartly.
Mile 9 is when it all went to hell. In an unfortunate twist of events, the 9:55 pacer was directly behind me and started yelling really loud. I’m sure he was just cheering on the group he was running with but it was so distracting that it startled me and I could never quite regain my composure. I was really irritated because I finally felt at peace with the humidity and my pace, and then he destroyed my sense of calm. It also messed with me mentally because he was the 9:55 pacer and he was passing me. I couldn’t get past that because I was averaging a 9:30 pace the entire time he was in my sight. But again, the pacers were running fast — I just didn’t know it at the time.
Miles 10-13
At mile 10 my entire right leg started aching — everywhere from my hip to my toe. I finally had to pull over twice to stretch out the bottom of my foot. It was quite uncomfortable and I went from thinking, “only three miles left!” to “I still have three miles left?”
The last three miles of this race is kind of a mindfark. On the one hand, the view from the lake in the last three miles is quite beautiful. On the other hand, you can see the downtown skyline and it’s still fairly far off in the distance so you know you’ve got a ways to go before the finish line.
This was the first race I stopped at every single water stop. I didn’t carry water with me and with the amount of fluid I was losing, I knew I had to stop at each station. After the last aid station at mile 12, I had a hard time convincing myself to run again. I kept thinking, “I can’t possibly run another mile in this brutal humidity and with this achy leg.” But after I walked for a few seconds, I put my head back on, changed my music, turned it way up, and ran hard for the last mile.
In truth, I could have run harder for the last mile. But I received a text from my husband telling me where they were watching, and I knew I didn’t want to be pushing puke pace while my kids were cheering me on. I wanted to finish strong and happy, so I reeled it in. I high-fived my husband and kids as I entered the chute. What a great feeling. When I finished I was immediately greeted by my two friends and their kids, and then met up with my family.
Finish time: 2:11:21
Rock City 5K
And you may be wondering about my C25K clients that were training for the Rock City 5K… they did great. During our last training run they were speculating they would run a 12 minute mile or so. I told them they would run much faster come race day but I left it at that. Come to find out, one of my clients ran the 5K in 27:40 and placed second in her age group. And the other one smashed her goal and ran an average of 10:13 minute/miles. I’m so impressed and blown away by their performances and overall dedication to the C25K program. I hope they’re equally as proud and still riding that runner’s high!
Overall, it was another great Rock Hall race weekend. Next year I’ll be back with a vengeance. Can’t leave this personal worst hanging about for too long. But I’ve also got bigger fish to fry with the Marine Corps Marathon looming in the not-so-distant future.
Next time you’re in Cleveland, or if you’re local already and haven’t run the Rock Hall Half Marathon, I highly recommend it. The course is phenomenal. The views are beautiful. The aid stations and post-race party are exceptional. I better see you in 2017!
xo
TALK TO ME!
Did you pick apart your personal worst race performance?
What’s your favorite half marathon? Include the city! Hello, racecation!
Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs for Tuesdays on the Run, and HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin’ for the Weekly Wrap. Also linking up with Nicole, Annmarie, Angelena Marie, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.
37 Comments
I do not do well in the heat. That is evident by all my half marathon finish times in Florida. It really bothers me how much the heat slows me down, but it is what it is, right? In those conditions, finishing is winning!
I usually love running in the summer. But something about this humidity is really getting to me this time around. Blah!
Congrats! Pushing through in tough conditions is no joke so no picking it apart or guilt allowed! Love that tie dye tank. I only wish races would give out tanks instead of the short sleeves I rarely if ever wear.
I know, I stopped being hard on myself as soon as I realized everyone suffered!
I SO WISH THEY WOULD GIVE OUT TANKS!!! How do we make that happen? Petition? Haha.
Sunday was so hot! Your time is great for those conditions. I actually bonked so hard on my Sunday run I am taking this week off. The weather is real!
Oh my gosh! That’s crazy talk. This weather IS real. But I see low 70s in my near future — hopefully yours, too!
Congratulations! Way to finish strong. Those last three miles sounded brutal for you. I can’t imagine running a half in this heat. I would have stopped at every water station as well.
Thank you! It was a tough race. I was glad it was done. But it IS one of my all-time favorite courses so there’s that. 🙂
Told ya on Insta already I think, but you should definitely be proud of this finish even if it’s your worst. It was my worst time at this distance ever, too, thanks to the humidity and my knee giving out around mile 9-10 (coincidence that we both had our big problem in the same area?), AND the pacers for us back-of-packers were actually running way behind their times so the 2:25 girl I was eyeing down finished AFTER I crossed at 2:45, soooo…. But we all went out and gutted through the conditions! It’s runs like these that make us stronger, both as physical/mental individuals and as a greater community.
And in regards to people asking for more races to do tank tops – it’s a NIGHTMARE to order tanks for races, because getting the unisex ones just leads to women complaining about sizing issues and men not wanting tanks, so you have to do mens/womens which increases the price and complicates the order number predictions (especially for new races or races that are making big changes as they grow). It’s such a headache to try to coordinate tank top orders and the shirts cost more to boot, that most of us race managers just kinda skip over that option… Sorry guys! I’m a runner too and I would love more good performance tanks, but I also do NOT want to have to deal with all the crazy that comes with it on the back end!
Oh wow, so the pacers were all over the place! It was a tough day for a race all around!!
I don’t know if you noticed, but Greater Cleveland XC usually offers gender-specific sizing for their bigger races. It’s a nice bonus. 🙂
Yeah, XC is a competitor for my company but we keep an eye on what they do… We offer gender-specific sizing for longer distances too and it’s always a pain in the butt, but we try to keep everyone happy, especially when we’re putting together races that target more serious runners.
Of course I always brood on bad races. But they happen. They can’t all be good ones (I was just looking at my list of halfs and less than half of them, no pun intended, were actually not great race experiences).
Well, I did love running in Vegas. Montreal was fun too.
Redding Road Race (CT) is super well organized (but extremely hilly). Ditto Green Mountain Half (Grand Isle, VT).
Why can’t we just let it go?? But you’re right, they can’t all be good. We shall brush off the bad ones, Judy!
The fast pacers would’ve messed with me too. I don’t run with any pacers, but seeing pacers pass me makes me panic and think I’m running slower than I am. If I know times are going past me, I don’t mind, but surprises aren’t good.
See? And that’s totally how I feel, too. I don’t hang with pacers because I get in my own head too much. So when they’re passing me left and right I get all “what the…” It’s no good!
Its really not the temperature it IS that humidity. You just can’t breathe in it! I sure wish I didn’t know about it but I do!
It can mess so much with your paces and that in turn messes with your mind!
Move on it is what it is, it wasn’t just you and take comfort in finishing that is the real accomplishment right!?!
The humidity is a game changer, for sure. Heck, my dog won’t even run in it!
[…] had a disappointing race on Sunday. For the amount of effort I put forth, I was dissatisfied with my time. But time doesn’t […]
I always stew over bad races but we have to accept that every race is not a PR. I love RnR races they are a blast and great medals
I’ve sadly never run a RnR race. I’m hoping I can make PHX happen but we’ll see!!
Good job under ridiculous summer circumstances! I try to leave myself alone after bad runs and races–I beat myself up enough during my riding days and I don’t need to go back to doing that! That said, I’ve wished I’d done things differently at times…
This is surprisingly the first time I’ve really beat myself up after a race. And I shouldn’t have because I should have realized the conditions were going to slow me down. It was a rookie mistake but you know how it goes. Sometimes you can’t get past the numbers when you really ought to.
Congrats on your race. You still had a fantastic time considering you stopped a couple of times and the humidity and heat were so awful. I ran a race once when the pacers were way faster than they were supposed to be…it really threw me off! So I can totally relate. Philly has a lot of great races! I’m a big fan of the 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon and the Broad Street Run is a big hit around here.
Thank you so much! It was a tough one. One I won’t soon forget. The name 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut totally cracks me up every time I hear it. Haha.
[…] Also like pregnancy, running hard gives you (or maybe just me) really strange cravings. Take my recent half marathon, for example. I wasn’t all that hungry after the race until I came across a photo of […]
Ha! I pick apart my races whether they are good, bad, or otherwise. When you can’t locate the air because it’s been stolen by Mr. Dew Point, it’s hard to race. Cut yourself some slack. Oh, and my worse is much than your worse. I know you are so proud of your 5k group. My favorite half marathon has been REVEL Rockies in the canyons outside Denver Co. Downhill. Scenic. Breathtaking. Thanks for linking, Rachel.
Mr Dew Point is the worst!!
[…] week’s training wasn’t great. I was tired and sore from the Rock Hall half, running alone seemed extremely un-fun, and my first couple runs of the week were less than […]
Congrats on such an awesome accomplishment! I’ve run 7 halfs and they just never get old 🙂
Thank you! There’s always a new experience at every race. You’re right, they never get old!
Sounds like quite the journey! Congrats! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thanks, Abbey!
I don’t think I will ever even attempt to run another race in the heat! I just HATE the old H+H, especially the humidity part of it!
My favorite half marathon so far has been the Hampton’s Half-because……well, it’s in The Hamptons!! Actually, I loved it mainly because that was the first half that I did with my daughter!
Awww, that’s so awesome! My daughter is very young but she’s shown interest in running. I hope one day to run some races with her!
Sounds like a rough race, but you FINISHED! So be so proud of yourself for that!
Bummer that the pacers were running fast! I am sure they just all wanted to be at the finish line!
Cheers!
Thanks! It was tough but fun!!