Yeah, that's my opening line today. I'm super excited because I set a new PR yesterday in the Dexter-Arbor 1/2 marathon! Not only was my time 2 minutes faster than my previous PR (a completely flat course vs. this hilly one, I must note) but it was also 17 minutes faster than I ran this race last year. Yes, you read that right - 17 minutes faster than last year.
Racing conditions were absolutely perfect this year. Temps were in the 60's, it wasn't humid, and there was a refreshing breeze that that didn't develop into a full-blown wind until later in the day. And, most importantly, my stomach was behaving. (HUGE sigh of relief!)
Jaime, my sis-in-law, did the race with me. It was her first 1/2 marathon (running - she's walked two). Brian dropped us off in Dexter about an hour before the start time. We had a lot of fun people-watching before the race! (Seriously, how do you run 13 miles in some of these outfits?)
The race went amazingly well. I started out with the 8:01 pace group, just because that's where I ended up. My last two races have gone well but I knew this course was a challenge. I didn't want to start out too fast and then hit a wall later on. Well . . . starting out slow didn't exactly happen. I pretty much ran under 7:30's for the first couple miles and then started to add on a few seconds with each passing mile after that. So I did slow down a little bit. (ha ha)
I loved being able to take in the beauty of Huron River Drive - the lake, the trees, and the winding road. It is such a scenic run, especially on a day like Sunday. I felt like I could have kept running for hours.
Well, until I hit mile 12. I hit mile 12 just as I'd come powering up a pretty big hill and really given it my all. The clock at the mile marker read 1:30 and I was determined to finish under 1:40. But I was getting so tired at that point. It was right then that I caught up to the 7:38/mile pace group leader and I started to run with her. Her cheering me on and encouraging me to go faster, even though I wasn't in her group, gave me the boost to keep pushing myself at the end and finish strong.
Knowing Jaime was back there chasing me helped, too. She finished in 2:06. Go Jaime! (She was just glad she made it to the end without a stretcher.)
After the race there was a lot of good fruit - grapes, oranges, apples, and bananas - plus bagels, bread, and cookies from Zingerman's. There was also pizza. I just loaded up my plate with fruit and went to Starbucks for coffee.
1:38:09
Pace
7:30/mile
Fuel
Vanilla Almond Luna Bar, banana
Tunes
Best Day of Your Life / Katie Herzig
Don't Look Back / She & Him
Somebody That I Used to Know / Gotye
Little Talks / Of Monsters and Men
Gold on the Ceiling / The Black Keys
I'm Shakin' / Jack White
The Edge of Glory / Lady Gaga
Someday / Langhorne Slim and The Law
Words / Otto Vector
Murray / Pete Yorn
Mercy / Duffy
Dear Rosemary / Foo Fighters
From Now On / The Features
Sixteen Saltines / Jack White
You Belong With Me / Taylor Swift
Roots Radicals / Rancid
Money Maker / The Black Keys
So Says I / The Shins
She / Green Day
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) / Kelly Clarkson
Arlandria / Foo Fighters
One Engine / The Decemberists
Shake It Out / Florence + The Machine
Party Rock Anthem / LMFAO
The Way We Move / Langhorne Slim and The Law
Party in the CIA / Weird Al Yankovic
Panic Switch / Silversun Pickups
Little Lion Man / Mumford & Sons
EXPO NOTES:
- New this year are tech shirts instead of cotton tee shirts - YAY!! Plus they come in both men's and women's sizes. I ordered a women's medium because they tend to run small. Bad news? This particular brand doesn't. Good news? They let me trade for a small! Who lets you trade shirt sizes at expos? No one! Unless you're at DX-A2! I love these people!!
- I found out about an upcoming obstacle race called Rock the World on June 30th in Lansing. Only 2 weeks after Tough Mudder but it sure sounds tempting . . . There's also another one at Willow Metro Park at the end of September so maybe I'll wait for that.
- I had my vertical jump tested - only 13.8 inches. No WNBA for me. (Wah-wah.)
Next up: Flirt With Dirt 10K trail run - Saturday, June 9th
Have you run Dexter-Ann Arbor?
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