I PR’d by 10 minutes!
OK, that pretty much sums it up, but I’ll add some details.
The day started off well. Arrived to chilly temperatures, but no rain (unlike last year)! Packet pick up went smooth. I looked for friends, but didn’t see any so I headed to the start to merge in.
I started off feeling kinda tired and worried my lack of miles might hurt me. Within the first mile, I heard someone call my name. Curious, because it was female and didn’t sound like anyone who would be running my current pace. I look over, and it’s new runner friend, Liz (shout out if you’re reading). We had done a long run or two in the past and it was good to see a familiar face.
And speaking of familiar faces, the fun thing about this race is that it is an out and back on a small path. That means we get to see all of the runners after the turn around. Last year, I only knew a few other runners, Amy and Craig. This year, it was exciting because I knew a ton and cheered them on. Lots of Striders, lots of Bourbon Chase team members, including Tanya (who has some great thoughts of her own on the race) but not Amy (slacker). I also saw Melanie and other new runner friend, Chris (who both have nice recaps).
So Liz and I ran with each other all the way through the 10k mark. We talked and it was good for both of us to help distract us from those first few miles. She is also a good pacer and we kept a nice 8:30ish pace.
At the 10k mark, I knew I feeling good, and planned to pick it up a bit at a certain point. I was excited that I was feeling good as this was my first half-marathon since the Tom King last year and I really wanted to test the water and see how I’d do.
A little after the half-way point, I picked it up and left Liz. I looked at my watch and saw that I was averaging 8:05 miles. Awesome!
The rest of the race was mostly uneventful. I set a goal for myself of catching Chris. I wasn’t sure how far he was ahead of me, but we tend to run the same pace sometimes, so it seemed doable. He was wearing yellow and I thought I had him in my sights 3-4 times, but alas it was never him and I didn’t actually catch him.
I kept my pace even and picked it up again as I rounded the corner towards the stadium. My favorite part of this race is running into the Titans Stadium and as I entered I was flying. I passed a few people, heard my name called and sprinted to the finish.
I received my medal from the Titans Cheerleader (!) and walked through to visit and exchange congrats to Chris (who wasn’t that far ahead of me!) and Tanya (who wasn’t that far ahead of me either!).
M was waiting for me outside the stadium and we went and enjoyed the breakfast buffet. The coffee and biscuits were awesome.
Great Race!