I hope that being able to set a couple of pregnancy PRs this time around means I’ll be able to come back faster after this baby as well??
I think I write this every year, but the Hightail Half & Quarter Marathon (formerly Her Tern Half & Quarter Marathon) is still my favorite race all year! I love the atmosphere of the all-women’s event, the high-end festivities of the race, and the necklace we get for finishing the race.
I had little expectations going into this race. I did want to try and run faster than I did when I was pregnant with Cullen, but I didn’t think that would be too difficult because I was having quite a bit of pain during Cullen’s pregnancy whereas this time I haven’t been in as much pain. I was pretty optimistic I would be able to maintain a faster pace than 7:45 this time around, but with pregnancy you quickly learn that things can change from day to day.
These days I don’t get too anxious about racing. Normally, I would get stressed that I spent the entire day on my feet working the day before the race, as well as getting up at 4a.m. to work at 5a.m. to help set up for the race on race day, but since I had little expectations, I don’t get stressed.
I also don’t spend as much time warming up as I used to since these races aren’t done to my full potential. It was weird to be sitting around with my coworkers chatting with them 30 minutes before the race just watching everyone else warm up. I did do a little jogging, a few stretches, and a couple striders. After about 20-25 minutes of warming up, I was as ready to go as I was going to be.
When the race started, I knew I needed to be conservative–more conservative than I would normally be. While I have been feeling okay during my training runs, I still will have discomfort from time to time. I felt really good through the first couple of miles but could also tell I hadn’t been doing enough to keep up any sort of speed in my training. It was fine though because this is an entirely different time in my life during pregnancy.
At the turn-around at 3.8 miles (which was more than half way), I knew I had some downhill on the way back, and I also noticed I was gaining on the two girls in front of me. I was finally able to pass them with about 1.5 miles to go. I was hopeful they wouldn’t catch me on the last hill because I knew I would have to slow down more than usual. (pregnancy and hills are TOUGH!)
The last mile was especially tough, but I told myself that it would be over before I knew it. (I’m not sure my body believed it. Ha!) Luckily I was able to maintain my place and finish in 3rd for the Quarter Marathon. Oddly I also finished 3rd place when I was pregnant with Cullen too!
This summer I coached nearly 100 women during our Hightail Training Group through Skinny Raven. One of the highlights of this race is seeing so many of them finish the race and accomplish their goals that they have been working so hard at over the past 12 weeks.
I also had four athletes run who I coach privately that did very well too!
Carly cut six minutes off her time setting a new PR of 2:02 for the half marathon. Melanie didn’t set a lifetime PR, but she did set a decade-PR–running her fastest half marathon in the last 10 years, which is also post-two babies. Tiffany set a new PR after only an 8 week build-up after coming off a several-month long injury. And Gia finished her first half marathon, automatically setting an automatic PR. 🙂
I have one (maybe two) more races that I plan to run during this pregnancy. I’m already starting to feel more uncomfortable running, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet. 🙂
