Run Strong: Bend Half Marathon Recap
I am not the hero of this story. Did I have a great race? Yes, I ran some of the strongest miles since this time last year and at exactly four months post operation to run 13.1 very hilly miles (see elevation chart below) in 1 hour 30 mins (6:53 min pace) is something I am very proud. The course ran a little bit differently than the year before. Rather than mostly running down by the river and in town they took us UP, down, UP again, and then around. Talk about a way to start of a race with a 1+ mile long hill and then throw in a couple more somewhere in the mix.
Bend had been having some very interesting weather lately, apparently it had snowed one day and was 80 degrees the next, and it was looking as though we may get the brunt of some rain on Sunday. Sunday morning was a bit of a cold one and both my mom and I spent much longer than we probably needed deciding what to wear; I always have a hard time figuring out what to wear for a race.
Thankfully this year they moved the half marathon start to 8:30 am instead of 7:00 am in order to have the marathon and half marathoner finish around the same time and provide the marathoners with a more exciting finish. We were grateful for this because it allowed us to wake up around 6 am instead of 4 am, plus 8:30 was a bit warmer than 7 am.
The morning started off clear and we were thinking that we would be ab le to avoid the rain they were calling for. Sadly this was merely a thought and about 50 minutes into the race the temperature dropped and it started to rain. It made for some very cold miles.
While a recap of the weather and the course is interesting what is more exciting are the two hero's of this story, my amazing husband and wonderfully strong mother who also ran this race with me.
This was Brandon's first half marathon ever and in result the longest distance he has ever completed. Training for this race was more than just running for Brandon it was also figuring out how to control his blood sugar, figuring what "sugars" worked better/more quickly, and when he needed to consume his nutrition in order to prevent crashes. It took learning how close to the run he needed to eat in order to get his blood sugar to where it needed to be to keep him going through the race and what foods to eat prior (oatmeal is the key). I am beyond proud of him for tackling this journey and doing so with strength and fortitude.
He had a goal to complete this distance in under two hours and he totally ROCKED IT!!! Prior to us starting this I told him that once I finished I would come back and run with him the last little bit, I met him with about .75 miles to go and couldn't have been more proud to head back in towards the finish line with him. I think I have him hooked and ready to do another one here in June.
My mother is the other hero of this story. I am very blessed to have a family whom not only comes to watch these races that I compete in but joins in as well. This woman who works 50 hours a week and is working towards getting her masters in Health Care Administration managed to also train and complete the Bend Half Marathon, plus she is probably one of the cutest women out there running. She is a pillar of strength and fortitude that I am blessed to have role modeled to me not only now but as I grew up. It is hard to express how much gratitude I have towards the strength she passed on.
It was a great weekend full of golf, running, fun, meeting new people (I will dive more into the fullness of the weekend in another post), lots of driving, and a busy schedule. The Bend Marathon and a half has quickly become a favorite within my family and I predict it will be a tradition from here on out.
Thank you to everyone who cheered us on near and far, your thoughts and well wishes are greatly appreciated!