Race Recap: Flannery's Pub Run Half Marathon

Holy moly! I am not exaggerating when I say that I think I ran the most difficult half marathon of my life this past Saturday. I heard the rumors that the hills for this run were ridiculous, but I kept telling myself "Lindsey, you run hills ALL THE TIME! These people have no idea about the hills that are in Sharpsburg or at the Antietam Battlefield. This is going to be soooo easy!"

Yeah...I was very wrong.

I even looked at elevation maps and was like "Meh! I have seen/done worse!" I kept in mind that I ran a marathon just 3 weeks prior that had a 1,000 ft climb for 10 miles. So this was going to be a piece of cake.

WRONG!

Still, I was not so much running this half for myself. This was Peter's half marathon. This was his first official half marathon race. He had only run 13.1 two weeks prior with me, but this race was the big test!

We parked at the finish in Greencastle, where school buses shuttled us from the high school to Main Street in Mercersburg, PA. I talked to another runner who just ran the JFK 50 this past November. It was great hearing his recap since I will be running it this fall.

The following picture was either taken while I was listening to him or waiting for Peter to return from the restroom. I think I look grumpy.

Anyway, shortly after our discussion, we headed towards the starting line. I stuck with Peter so I could cross the start with him, but we did not intend on running the half together. That probably sounds like an un-wifely thing to do, but we were both okay with this plan.

In all honesty, I was completely whipped by mile 2 (this was prior to any significant hills). I don't know why I was off my game, but I was already playing with the thought of giving up. I also had a tight right calf that was causing my foot going numb. It was just plain uncomfortable and wasn't helping me feel anymore like finishing the race.

I did regain the feeling back by mile 6, but I still kept having to tell myself "Make it to the next mile, then you can walk." It wasn't until mile 7 that I actually took advantage of walking. There was this monster hill that popped out of no where and nearly every runner started walking until reaching the top. I did start to run again, but I felt even worse than before. Every hill felt like a mountain after that and I admittedly walked most of them.

From time to time, I would turn around to see if I could catch a glimpse of Peter, but I did not see him. I ran/walked until I was about halfway through mile 12. I didn't want to walk through the finish line, so I ran to the end.

2:03:53 was my time. My slowest half marathon race ever. I am not ashamed of it by any means, but I just never imagined to have a half marathon over 2:00:00, especially since I was aiming for a 1:45 that day.

On the happy side of things, my sister had watched me finish!!! It was the first time she had ever came to one of my races so it was super special to me. She waited with me to see Peter finish, which I  just had to film!

Epic sprint down!

He finished in 2:24:23. Great first race! :)

So, not entirely certain if I will run that one again, though Peter seemed on board with doing it again. I think I will just watch him next time! It was quite the challenge, but that doesn't make it a bad race. Just a difficult one for sure!

Silent Saturday: Flannery's Pub Run

The No/Reduced Sugar Challenge & My 18 Miler

After trying the whole "no/reduced sugar" thing, I decided, I am going to withdrawal. Although it may work for many, I just do not think it works for me. I found myself eating more through out the day instead of just having what I craved. I also do not believe it worked for me being a runner. I felt weaker and my head felt like it was going to explode during/after every run.

But the challenge was not all bad. I have realized that not everything requires sugar. In my honest opinion, coffee & tea taste better without it. The pizza dough I make, I got rid of sugar and it does just fine. I also do not put sugar in my waffles because if you are adding syrup or fruit on top, you just do not need more sugar.

I also do not see the point in sugary cereals anymore. I am good with my overnight oats, which is just oats, almond milk and I'll either add peanut butter, cinnamon, or pure applesauce. Or I just have my eggs, bacon, and potatoes.

I think there were definitely positives taken from the experience, but I really can't think that much about what I am putting in my body. A runner needs to eat and this runner needs more sugar.

Speaking of running, I ran a fantastic 18 miler yesterday. Though I am tempted to have all my long runs on the C&O Canal, I am holding back because I know that the flat trail will do nothing for my marathon in May. So I ran from mom and dad's to the C&O Canal. It was a good split of road and trail.

It was a beautiful day, to add!

Just very windy!

And it wouldn't be a windy day on the canal without a fallen tree to climb over.

But the flat trail was just a break from the hills I was going to encounter.

Then, I made it a point to run past my old high school.

I thought I finished in a decent time, considering I just came off a marathon 2 weeks ago. For an unseasoned marathon runner, I think that run was an accomplishment.

As I walked back to my parent's, I stopped by to pick daffodils for my mom.

This were actually planted by my grandfather years ago! He actually passed away about 14 years ago, so to see these flowers still flourish makes me happy.

Anyway, it was runs like that 18 miler that remind me why I run distance. It's an adventure! And you never have the same adventure twice. You never know who you'll see, what obstacles you'll have, and sometimes, you don't even know what course you'll end up on!


Do you follow a low/no sugar diet as a runner? Do you like it? What obstacles did you encounter along the way and how did you get through it?

What is your favorite thing about running distance?

When you run in your old neighborhood, where do you have to run by?

Silent Saturday Because It Has Been Too Long Since I've Updated

Well...not that silent of a Saturday. I haven't updated in a while because I have been challenged with some personal issues. They have taken up the remainder of my free time. Yet, there's no excuse to not at least post some pictures from my long run today!

It was a great run!