Hobble Creek Half Marathon
- Distance: Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
- Place: 11th
- Time: 1:16.38
Pre-race Prep
I decided leading up to this race, based on my previous half marathon of 1:13:37 and my better condition this time around that I could handle a 5:30 pace. I did that for the first 10 miles. Read on to find out how I felt like I was going to die.
Race and Scare
The first 10 miles were pretty solid. I started feeling some strong negativity after that and focused on just running efficiently.
After mile 11, my breathing got out of control and I couldn’t really get it back. I started to feel a real lack of oxygen flow and started to black out. I kept bringing my focus back, but man it was a real struggle. At times I was even swerving and could barely go straight, let alone see straight. I walk / jogged the last two miles. I felt so defeated, but wanted to finish.
At the end, I was so out of it that I missed the last turn to go to the finish and ran almost an extra quarter mile. So grateful for Kyle making a heroic effort in jogging out to me and guiding me back. I don’t even recall the last .2 miles of the race. My mind and body were in panic mode and I was doing everything I could to stay conscious.
After the race, someone guided me to the food area. I sat at a table with my head between my legs, doing all I could to not black out. Keeping my mind active and keeping movement in my legs and feet. Focused on breathing. Tymber was a lifesaver. I constantly gave her updates on how I was feeling and what I needed. Water, Gatorade, let’s try watermelon, okay now I need a tissue to wipe the sweat out of my eyes and between my elbows and knees so my elbows wouldn’t slide off, causing me to crash to the cement. I was such a reck. Tymber was so sweet and supportive, and terrified, not knowing what to do. I felt hyper aware of my body’s needs. The kids were totally oblivious to what was going on.
One of the guys managing the food asked me to move so people could have bread, where I was sitting. I asked where he wanted me to go and he said to an alley across the street. I clumsily wobbled my way over, feeling like I’d lose it at every step. Tymber brought the kids over. After I crossed the street, I crashed on the grass next to a tree. Tried to take down a Creamy or water or watermelon. I had to spit out the solids. Then I had a terrible puking fit and vomited all that I had, and it felt like my stomach itself was going to come out.
Luckily I was able to take a little water after that, but my body was going crazy. It was totally shutting down. I was worried about passing out without getting necessary nutrients.
I asked Tymber to help me to the car so I could sit up higher to get my head down between my legs more effectively. I started drinking my post-race recovery drink. It was going down okay, then I suddenly had another vomit-fest and lost it all and more. At some points I feared I might have a serious medical issue if I couldn’t get something down soon.
After resting up against the car chair for a few minutes, I sipped bits of water for a while. I eventually got a whole water bottle down. Progress!! I could then very slowly continue to sip my post-race drink. After two hours of battling, I felt barely strong enough to walk. We took Flo to the bouncy house while I stood in line for a 5 minute massage.
I am so grateful that nothing serious happened. So grateful for Tymber’s support. And so grateful for Kyle’s lifesaver move to come guide me to the finish where I probably would have drifted into a car. And so grateful for Randall for guiding me to the food tables and sitting me down. A lot of lifesaving today!
This has been a great learning experience. I am becoming more aware that I need a trainer/coach so I know better how to prepare for these races.
I think one major issue is the recent change in my pre-race drink mix I’ve been using. I need to go back to what I was using before, as this new stuff doesn’t seem to be working well for me.
Splits
To give you a better idea of my performance, here are my split times.
Strava Race Results
I use my Garmin watch to track my races and then they get uploaded to Strava for sharing.
Strava Flybys
Strava has a pretty cool feature where you can watch a simulation of the race. This is wild considering how close I was to the finish when losing so many places and taking a detour!
Spiritual Tidbit
There was no way I could have remained conscious and been recovering as well as I have been without the lifesavers I had at the end of this race. I would not have made it to the finish and I would not have been able to cheer afterwards for what I accomplished.
In that same way, I am so grateful for my ultimate lifesaver, Jesus Christ. It is through Him that I feel daily peace and lasting joy. He uplifts me when I am down, guides me when I lose my way, and He made it possible for me to cross the finish line and rejoice in the heavens.
Recovery
Two days have passed now. I've had a constant headache since the race that's slowly been getting better. My legs are sore like crazy. I've been constantly drinking fluids and my body has been soaking it all up. I've been taking hot baths with epsom salt and ginger powder to loosen things up. The only slight concern I've really had is the cramping in my feet. I'm hoping I didn't strain them too much. Overall, recovery seems to be going well!