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Austin Half Marathon: Eat Your Spinach & Take Your Ice Baths
Posted: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:07 PM - 7,559 Readers
By: Kelly Williamson
What a great weekend for running in Austin! The slogan for the race was
appropriate for a Valentine's Day event: "Run Austin, Love Austin".
This was a big weekend for my husband Derick and I, as it was his first
full marathon (and likewise, it was my first full marathon back in
2008). The weather was spectacular, albeit a bit chilly at the start
(probably low 40s). I am guessing that the many volunteers had their
hands full of clothing that was stripped off of runners those first 5
miles. The sun came out soon after the gun went off, and it made for an
awesome day to run; be it 13.1 miles or even 26.2. As for my
race, I did not know what to expect, but as with any race, I intended
to give it everything I had and go into it shooting for a best time.
That is kind of how I approach any race I do; always an opportunity to
PR. While I had been battling a bit of a cold the past week, it is hard
to say that it did me any disservice, as I ended up feeling almost
entirely normal on race morning and physically my body felt strong and
responsive. In all honesty, the rest probably did me good and allowed
me to run on fresh legs. Funny how that works isn't it, often times a
small cold, or any setback, can be a blessing in disguise. The downside
to this was, 13.1 miles of hard running on up and down terrain left me
completely trashed post-race. I took out miles 1-3 strong but very
controlled and cruised down 1st street (a 3-mile downhill stretch) in
some 5:45 miles. I was joined here by Jack & Adams own Adam Reiser,
who was running the full marathon. Though we did not chat, it was nice
to have Adam by my side for a few miles. As I approached mile
8, my hands got warm and luckily Jamie Cleveland was nice enough to
pick up my gloves as I saw him cheering and left him a little gift when
I went by. It was about here where I realized my body was going to
start to hurt. We hit Lake Austin Blvd, a long flat stretch and I
decided that the PowerGel I haphazardly tossed in my pocket at the last
minute would come in handy. I slurped it down and prepared for the
hardest part, miles 11-13. I was still under 6-min pace, which would
put me in at around a low 1:18. However, I knew the hardest part was
yet to come. And that it did. The hills on Enfield and then 15th street
on this course are just as bad as they say! But, I tried to welcome the
pain and challenge, and appreciate the ability to be out here
competing. I kept the mantra going "You can do anything for 2 miles...
you can do anything for 20 minutes..." Positive mental talk
can be invaluable; even if you do not fully believe it, it helps
immensely. I could see Desiree Ficker (lead woman) a little ways up,
and I knew I would not catch her, but I would sure as hell try! I
finally saw the Capitol building, a welcome sight, which means less
than .5 miles to go. Finishing along Congress is an awesome feeling,
the streets lined with spectators, and the energy of downtown Austin.
While I was pretty pleased with the effort (1:18.57 and a 2nd place), I
was more interested in how Derick's journey was going once I crossed
the finish line. I proceeded to run back to Jack & Adams
(~1.5 mile very painful jog), to get his backpack (post-race clothing)
and then jog back to the finish. I had the chance to try out my new
Zoot Kapilani racers, which performed awesome during the race and left
my feet feeling great afterwards. I got back about 2:20 into the
marathon, right as the men's winner was finishing, Keith Pierce, in an
incredible time of 2:20. I situated myself up by the Capitol and
anxiously awaited Derick. I saw Gilbert (Tuhabonye) come around the
Capitol, on his way to a 2:34 finish and an incredibly tough spirit at
the end, and then waited a few more minutes. There he was! It was SO
GOOD to see him! I knew it was not the marathon debut he had hoped for,
but I was so proud of him for sticking it out, despite battling some
cramping and the inability to take in his gels. I think he realized too
once he finished how hard it really is, and likewise, how proud he was
to have pushed through a pretty tough day. (That being said, for a
pretty tough day, he still managed a 2:41 and 10th overall for the
men). He remarked that it was a cool experience to be put in the
situation whereby he had to come to the realization that he 'just
wanted to finish'. It is good to have this perspective every so often;
whether it be tackling an event for the first time, or simply doing
something which is very tough physically and personally. It
seemed for some reason, friends and others out there either felt great
on race day or felt rough; but all of them endured and finished. I
want to send out a huge congrats to all of our many friends who took
part (I believe about 14,000 competed); and of course the amazing
volunteers and spectators who cheered us on. Every time we get up to
compete, we never know what to expect. It is not so much about the time
we can post or the place we can finish, but how we deal with what our
bodies give us on race day (or in turn, do not give us) and more
importantly, being faced with the question of 'how will I respond?'. OH,
and how could I forget. The title of this blog. When you finish a race
and feel sore, trashed, hungry, and cramped up at the finish line,
please go home and take an ice bath. Speaking from experience. I know
that is is much more pleasant to go home, take a hot shower and watch
the Olympics on TV :), but your body will thank you the next day if you
take an ice bath; and, you can follow it up with a quick warm shower. I
am walking very funny today and I think it will be at least 3-4 days
until I can run again. To wrap it up, do as I say and not as I
do, and take that dreaded ice bath post-race. It takes some time and it
will be uncomfortable, but is well worth it the next day. Trust me!
[edit]
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