Running a Fine Line at the Longview Half Marathon

On November 15th, I ran my last half marathon of the season.  I live in NE Kansas & this event was held in NW Missouri.  The weather here is a crap shoot in November. The possibility of extreme temperatures is usually enough to keep me away, but this inaugural race offered a 1/4 zip pullover as the race swag (and a big medal, too).  Throw in cheap registration back when the weather was beautiful & I threw caution to the wind and registered, along with my husband and several friends.

Lured by race swag.

As far as training is concerned, I took things easy.  On October 12th, I ran the Army Ten Miler, and that was the only long run of this half marathon training-- I tapered *really* early.  What's funny (not really "ha-ha funny," but interesting to me) is that, in 2013, I ran my first half marathon.  It was the only time I ran that distance that year.  I was nervous, excited, and took my training seriously.  In 2014, I've completed that distance four times.  It's become familiar.  Part of me loves that I'm comfortable with that distance & part of me is sad that I'm no longer amazed by that accomplishment.

Okay, back to unpredictable late fall weather.  The week of the race, weather forecasters started predicting our first snowfall... on race day.  I was ready to change my meteorologist allegiance if I could just find one who would suggest the weather would be a balmy 50 degrees at 8am on Saturday. No such luck.  Overnight lows in the low 20's, snow starting early Saturday morning & continuing all day long, with accumulations of 2-4" was the common prediction.  I felt like this was a test & I had absolutely no idea how to pass.  The voice in my head kept whispering, "There's a fine line between Badass & Dumbass."  Friends who are fast runners & have lots of experience running in the cold offered up lots of great advice (wear a lot of layers!) and also offered up their cold weather running gear (runner friends are wonderful).  The forecast got worse as the race got closer.

Packet pickup started Thursday afternoon (race day on Saturday), and I went with Jane, who was also running this one.  We picked up lots of packets, but started by previewing the course.  In my head, the Longview Half Marathon (that begins and ends at Longview Lake) would be a scenic course on a paved trail through the woods surrounding a gorgeous lake; lots of fall foliage to admire, maybe some ducks floating on the lake, possibly some deer leaping over fallen trees.  In reality, the Start/Finish chute would be set up in the parking lot of a lakeside park, we would run out of the park & turn left on to a 4 lane divided road, run out about 5 miles (with a couple of turns), then run back *past* the entrance to the park, continue another mile before a couple more turns.  At about 10 miles, we would make our final turnaround & head back to the park & Finish chute.  So, at about mile 7.5, we would run past the end point-- more than half-way done (yay!) but still almost a 10k to go (yikes).  I am not dissing the course, just saying that I have a very active imagination.  Creating a 13.1 mile course is not easy and creating the one I envisioned is darn near impossible.

Can you see how my vision of the course may have been influenced by the race logo?

After picking up packets, we be-bopped over to Dick's Sporting Goods.  Maybe throwing some cash at this would make things better.  Jane brought lots of coupons, both current & expired, so we didn't have to throw much money at this problem. (Did you know that Dick's Sporting Goods accepts some expired coupons.  Not all of them can be used, but it never hurts to ask.)  We each bought some Nike thermal pants, and then filled in some of the gaps of basic gear needed for winter running: a neck gaiter for me, some fleecy tights for Jane, and some stick-on, air-activated body warmers for everyone.  We still weren't sure what the answer to this test would be.  I was glad Jane was also wrestling with the question of Badass v Dumbass.

With the possibility of snow falling during the race, I took to the internets to figure out how to winterproof my feet.  My Smartwool socks were a must, but I only have regular, lightweight, breathable running shoes.  I found A marathon runner's top 5 uses for duct tape.  Yahoo!  I duct taped the tops of my shoes to keep my tootsies warm & dry!  I added a 2nd pair of running socks to my wardrobe & felt confident that my feet would not freeze.  The other duct tape trick I used:  creating a handle for a disposable 10oz water bottle.  With water stations about every 2 miles, I wanted to carry additional water.  Both of these tricks worked like a charm!

Duct tape handle + pace strip = Perfection!

The tape stayed on for the whole race, though it flapped a bit on the sides.

Surprise, surprise!  Meteorology is not an exact science & the snow held off!  Temps were right around freezing at the start.  The race was good.  My left knee started aching around mile 4 and my right knee and hip thought about acting up around mile 10, though that ended quickly.  I wasn't as tempted to turn off at that 7.5 mile mark as I thought I would be.  The snow started around mile 11, as I ran over the dam, heading back to the finish line. Knowing how close I was to the finish line made it easy to really enjoy the first snow fall of the season, but I think I was most excited about the mylar blankets they gave out at the finish line-- that's such a runner thing to me!  We all finished the race & went over to Panera Bread for some warm food.  The race provided lots of goodies, including coffee, cocoa, and soup, but we were cold & left for a warmer environment to eat in.

Bundled up at the Start Line.

Happy to have crossed the Finish Line!

When I crossed the Finish line, Jolene & Jane were both waiting in their mylar blankets. I hobbled up to them and said, "Definitely Badass."