The 2nd
Annual Bristol Half and Half Relay was this past Saturday. I almost didn’t do it. Last year the race course was very
difficult. We were warned that the
course was going to be challenging, and it was.
Even with that, I finished last year’s race at 2 hours 5 minutes.
This
year…..I almost didn’t do it. I had
vowed that even though I completed The Beast series last year (which consists
of 5 half marathons), that I would not do the Bristol Half again. I almost didn’t do it. However, the competitor in me, and the
promise of a less difficult course, prompted me to give it another try.
The course
was still challenging, and will probably be the most difficult half I will
complete this year, but it was not as difficult as last year. The course was redesigned and to a
point. The race starts on the track at
Virginia High and ends at the Stone Castle at Tennessee High. Running through two states in one city is the
hook. I’ve pretty much decided there is
no way to map any racecourse in Bristol without any hills. It’s just a fact of life. So, as I’m apt to see on the backs of people
who pass me on the course, “Suck it up, buttercup.”
So, I
did. I had set a goal of finishing in 2
hours 2 minutes. That would be 3 minutes
better than my time for last year’s race.
Still challenging, but attainable for me. My ultimate goal this year is to finish at
least one half marathon under 2 hours. I
had not trained much over the last 3 months leading up to the race so I was not
expecting much in the way of a great finishing time. I just wanted to finish and enjoy the run.
I keep up
with my time throughout each race and pretty much calculate in my head what it
will take to finish at a certain time.
By the split time at mile 6 was at 54 minutes. The wheels began to turn and I knew that if I
kept that pace there was a chance I could finish under 2 hours. But there were still 7.1 miles to go. I sent Christy a text (yes, I texted during
the race…haha) at the halfway mark. I
was still under the time to finish in less than two hours.
Mile 8,
still at a good pace…….
Mile 10,
another txt….still going fairly strong……..
I normally
hit a wall between miles 10 and 12, but by the time I got to mile 12, there was
no wall. My legs felt strong and I
wasn’t winded at all. I knew it was
going to be close to 2 hours, but at this point all I’m thinking is that I have
just over a mile to go.
Mile 13…….one
tenth of a mile left…..the Stone Castle right in front of me…..I turned the
corner into the parking lot and looked for the time clock….. 1 hour 59 minutes
18 seconds. I felt I still had something
left in the tank and started running faster.
I crossed the finish line in 1 hour 59 minutes 29 seconds. Thirty-one seconds under my ultimate goal for
this year, shattering last year’s time by about 6 minutes. By the time Christy found me at the finish
line, I was bawling and saying, “I did it” over and over. Never thought it would happen at this race,
but it did.
During 13.1
miles you have a lot of time to think.
There were two things that rolled around in my head…..First, every hill
is an opportunity for growth. When I
first started running I wanted every run to be flat. A friend of mine told me that the hills make
you stronger, faster. I’ve found that to
be true. I knew there were some hills in
this half that I could attack. So, I
did. There were some that I would hold
back on. That strategy paid off. While the course was challenging, I didn’t
look at it as not doable. It was just
another course. Each hill was just
another obstacle in my way to my ultimate goal.
Don’t let the hills in your life keep you from accomplishing your
goals. Attack the ones you can. The ones that seem too daunting, take them
slower….but keep moving forward.
Second,
don’t let your past dictate your future.
If I had done that, I never would have competed in this year’s Bristol
Half and never would have accomplished my goal.
We all have things in our past, even me, that we aren’t proud of, things
we might do over if we had the chance, mistakes we have made along the
way. Don’t let those things dictate your
future. Don’t wallow in the “I can’ts”
and the “you’ll never’s.” You can
overcome your past, it doesn’t have to dictate your future.
I almost
didn’t do it……but as I sit here today, I’m so glad I did.
