2013 Pecan Festival Half Marathon

 

This past Saturday, November 2, I ran the Pecan Festival “Run Like a Nut” half marathon. I love this race because it is a hometown race and because it is one of the first races I ever did when started my racing career back in 2009.

I really hadn’t had much time to wrap my mind around this race. I decided last minute that I would register, knowing I needed some motivation to get a long run in before the annual pig pickin family reunion that always falls on this same day.

I knew if I hadn’t signed up, I wouldn’t get in 13 miles. So, I bit the bullet and registered. I am so glad I did because there are always so many runner friends there and several of the husband’s cousins had signed up as well.

Getting our run on so that we can head to the annual pick pickin and get our eat on!!

So, the gun went off and off I went….way.too.fast. I ran a 7:23 first mile. I knew i had no business doing that and it came back and hurt me bad. I wanted to try to keep a 7:50ish pace for the whole thing but that dream was gone by mile 5. I was already up in the 8:00’s.

By Mile 6, I was getting really frustrated with a particular runner around me who wanted to pace himself off me and carry on a conversation with me. He would talk to himself and then try to talk to me every few minutes. I was just not feeling it that day. He would run ahead and then look back and wait for me. It really threw my mental game off. This has never happened to me before and I was so ready to leave him and get to the finish but I knew I didn't have it in me to sprint ahead and keep that pace. So, I just stayed frustrated with him by my side for the remainder of the race.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:43:36. The course was way short, which it always has been. I have no clue why they wont fix that but they don’t. It was 12.72 by my watch and it was 12.72 by my watch when I ran it in 2011.

Not the time I was hoping for at all but still a good solid race. A huge bonus is always seeing my family at the finish line. They don’t always come to watch when I travel to races but they are at every single one that I do at home!

Another half marathon in the books! Stay tuned for a big race recap coming up!! I am having to get on a plane for this one!! Eeeeek!!!

happy running (and swimming and biking),

Britton