Saturday was the big race…the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. I blogged about how much we were looking forward to it last week, not knowing how much fun we would end up having. It was a blast!
Friday, however, was definitely not a fun day. I noticed on Monday night that my neck was hurting a little bit on the left side, but I didn’t think much about it. I figured I’d slept funny or something, and it would go away. Tuesday, it was hurting a little bit worse, and by Wednesday, I knew that I was in big trouble. Thursday morning, when I woke up, I could barely lift my head off the pillow it hurt so bad. I had to work all day that day, and right after I got off, I headed to the chiropractor to see if that would help. I ended up trying Advil, Tylenol, icing it, putting heat on it, Biofreeze, etc., and nothing helped. The pain was so bad that I couldn’t turn my neck at all. I figured there was no way that I would be able to run if it didn’t get any better. After barely sleeping at all on Thursday night because I couldn’t get comfortable, I went back to the chiropractor first thing Friday morning, and after trying a few more things, he ended up taping my neck and shoulder to see if that would at least get me through the race.
My neck felt ok when we met everyone in Athens to leave for Nashville, but by the time we got to the Expo a couple of hours later, my neck was hurting worse than ever. It was literally the worst pain I think I’ve ever been in. It hurt to walk and even to swallow. I figured that I would just have to cheer from the sidelines the next morning because there would be no way I could run.
After we picked up our race packets (and a really cool t-shirt) at the Expo, we headed to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant called Mafiaoza’s. I ended up taking some ibuprofen on the way there just to see if that would at least get me through dinner. It ended up helping some, and it was a good thing because the restaurant was super crowded, and we had to wait a while to get seated and then to get our food. I can see why it’s a popular place because the food was awesome! My meal was probably was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had. I’d love to eat there again next time we’re in Nashville. Travis loved it too! He ended up eating 3 pieces of pizza and finishing my plate as well as Aimee’s and Mollie’s! Haha :) I have no idea where all that food went, but I guess it fueled him onto victory the next morning…
After we left the restaurant, we decided to drive the course so we’d have an idea of what to expect the next morning when we ran. By the time we got to the hotel, it was after 10 PM, and we had to leave the hotel at 4 AM! Luckily, I slept great (for the 5 hours that we had), and my neck felt decent when I woke up. I could turn my head a little bit from side to side. I decided then that I would at least try to run part of the race and hopefully I would be able to finish. We ate breakfast in the car on the way to LP Field where we had to park. Then, we took a shuttle bus to the starting line a few miles way. Everything was really well organized and ran smoothly for a such a big event with so many people. They announced that there were over 31,000 runners…not to mention thousands more spectators and volunteers. It was crazy!
Travis, Aimee, and I ended up starting the race in the same corral. Before it was our corral’s turn to start, we turned around, and there was just a sea of people behind us. There were so many people that we couldn’t even see the end of the line! Finally, the gun went off, and we started running. I decided from the beginning just to take it easy and try to run as far as I could, but not push it too hard. Travis and Aimee took off pretty fast, and I didn’t see them again til the finish! :)
The first 4 or 5 miles were pretty easy. It was a lot of up and down…rolling hills, but nothing too steep. There were so many people cheering on the sidelines that it was easy to run without thinking about it. The music playing really helped too. Every time I heard a song that I knew, it helped me run just a little bit harder. I started my stopwatch when we started running, so I could see how fast I was going. From the beginning, I knew that I probably wouldn’t make my goal of 2 hours because I was running about 10 minute/mile pace. I decided to change my goal to 2:10. For the first 5 or 6 miles, I was on pace pretty well, but by about mile 7 or so, I started fading. It was already pretty warm by that point, and a lot of the course was in the direct sun. I got water at just about every station, drinking some and pouring the rest on my head. I also ate some Gu around mile 8 or 9, and that gave me some more energy for another mile or two. The last few miles were difficult. Both of my arms started going numb all the way down to my fingers for some reason. I knew I was slowing down, but my legs wouldn’t go any faster. I decided that as long as I ran the whole way without stopping to walk, I would be happy no matter what my time was. So, that’s what I did. I RAN THE ENTIRE WAY!! It wasn’t fast or pretty, but at least I finished. When I rounded the corner and I could see the sign for “Mile 13”, I got this burst of energy that I had no idea was possible. I sprinted the rest of the way to the finish line, and I probably passed 10 or 15 people just in that last little distance. It was an awesome feeling to cross that finish line! I really can’t describe it, but I almost started crying I was so happy and excited. That doesn’t happen very often :)
My time ended up being 2:18:18, which I was happy with. I think I could’ve gone a little faster if I hadn’t been worried about my neck, but I really was just glad to be able to run at all after being in so much pain the day before.
Travis ended up doing awesome!! He finished in a little over 1:51, which included a stop at the Port-A-Potty at mile 1 (haha!). I’m so proud of him! He really enjoyed the race and apparently told Aimee right after they finished that he wanted to do a full marathon sometime in the future!! I think he was still on his “runner’s high” when he said that…lol!
Aimee did great too! She finished in about 1:49!! Her goal was to run in 1:50 or less, so she did it. I was really happy for her!
Mollie and Nate ended up finishing close to the same time (about 2:43 I think). They did awesome! Mollie didn’t feel very well toward the end of the race (or afterward), but she still finished anyway. I was so proud of everyone!
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| Ready to head to Nashville! |
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| 13.1 |
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| 5 AM and ready to run in a couple of hours! |
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| We look surprisingly awake for it being so early :) |
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| The sun was starting to come up! |
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| FINISHED :) |
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| Yay! |
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| So proud of us! |
Overall, it was much easier to run that far in the race than it was to do a long run at home. People cheering and waving signs, music playing, sights to see…it all made it so much easier than running by yourself through the same neighborhoods over and over.
I guess my adrenaline was going all day because my neck felt awesome when I finished the race. I could turn my head almost like normal without much pain at all. It was crazy! I guess if that happens again, I should just go run 13 miles outside and that will cure me :) Seriously, I have no idea what caused that pain! I guess my muscles just got really tight, but I don’t know why. It’s still been a little sore yesterday and today, but not nearly as bad as it was on Friday. I hope that never happens again.
I think I would definitely run another half marathon in the future. I think it would be hard to beat this one in Nashville with all the music and people and how well it was organized. But, it would be fun to try another one in a different city too. I’m pushing for the one at Disney in January, but Travis doesn’t really want to do that :) I guess I’ll let him pick one out…especially if he’s going to do the full! Crazy!!! :)
As for now, we’re going to take a week or two off from running to let our aches and pains subside. His hip has been hurting some since Saturday, so hopefully that will get better with some time off. I’d like to let my neck get back to normal too before trying to run again. But, after that….who knows! We may have another 13.1 or 26.2 in us in the future!! :) Never thought I’d say that!!
