Cleveland Half Marathon Race Recap

5:30 - My alarm went off. Superman and I got up and I chose between the two outfits I'd laid out last night. I chose well, considering the weather - long sleeve shirt and shorts. Put together my fuel and water for the day. Ate an almond butter & apricot jelly sandwich.

6:00 - Out the door with a large cup of coffee in hand.

6:25 - Found a free parking spot approximately 1 mile from the start. I used to park here all the time when I worked downtown, and neither Superman or I are afraid of a walk.

6:45 - Arrived at Cleveland Stadium, where the race was to start. Found warm, indoor flush toilets, with warm water sinks to wash up in after. Stood in line for only a short time (with so many toilets, the line looked worse than it was.)

6:50 - Found the starting area. Lined up near the back with many 10K racers, who would start 15 minutes after us. The walker pace flag was ahead of us. Told Superman I'd really like to finish ahead of that pace group.

6:55 - Took these pictures:

The hat lasted about one mile.
Superman carried it the rest the race.

Was hoping to show how many people.
Facing the start, which only Superman at 6'3" could see.

7:00 - This came up on my iPod:

7:02 - Still waiting for the mass of people in front of us to move. Official start time was 7:02:56. Official chip times are not yet up, so I don't know what time I actually crossed the start.

Ran this:

Notice the uphills?

Did.
Not.
Walk.

10:10(ish) - Crossed the finish line. Tried to turn my GPS off, and had a minor meltdown when I couldn't get my iPhone out of the plastic bag I'd used to protect it from the expected rain that never really came. It dripped and drizzled and misted, but did not outright rain until we were in the car on the way home.

Jog Log says I ran this in 2:55:06, at a 13:04 pace. I did not expect to be anywhere close to 3 hours, telling Superman this race was about not stopping, and that he could expect me to finish in around 3:10. Somehow, the website has my 10K and end times, but not have what time I crossed the start line. Unofficial time from the site is 3:04:04. I'm glad I didn't have them post my times on Facebook, as some other people did. No clue when official times will be posted.

Let me say again. I. Did. Not. Walk. That was my goal, and I rocked it. Fueling was perfect. I did run out of water, which was surprising as it wasn't hot and it was wet. I think I didn't fill it all the way, and drank every mile when I fueled to rinse the taste out of my mouth.

The last four miles were hard. The last 2 miles were miserable. My toes cramped off and on for the better part of the race, even after I figured out I was holding my foot curled in because my shoes are too narrow (I've been having trouble with them ever since they got soaked several weeks ago). My foot cramped horribly when I got in the car, but that went away after a minute or so.

When I got home, I found this:

No clue why it bled.
It was (and is) the other foot that hurts.

I left everything I had out on the course. Walking the mile back to the car was painful and difficult. I felt some better after an ice bath, even more better after eggs and pancakes, and much MUCH better after a nap. I'm still stiff and I'll feel this tomorrow, but isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

Off to help my brother celebrate his PhD, for which he matriculated today. Lots going on around these parts...