The morning was a little cold but that's always a good sign before a race. It didn't start until ten so it warmed up a little bit, and by the time we started it was probably almost fifty. The course has almost 1200 ft. of elevation gain and loss so it was a challenging course. It was my first half marathon so it was challenging anyways.
My time was 1:34 and a few seconds, which was 34th place. I held my pace for most of it, then at mile 9 I started losing everyone that I had had in my sights. People started passing me like crazy. I stopped at one of the aid stations and drank two cups of gatorade instead of aspirating half and spitting the other half out. My legs were gone by then. It was just a huge mental game for the last few miles. I ran the whole way and never walked.
Eliza met her goal and felt good about her time. This is her second Zeitgeist. I wouldn't have started running if it wasn't for Eliza telling me about this race. She looks happier than I did at the end.
It was so different from racing bikes; the atmosphere, the rawness of the sport, the speed, the use of senses. In cycling there's so much competition, it feels like someone's always got a trick up their sleeve. You find your self thinking, "Are they coasting or pushing it?" or, "Should I attack now? or maybe I shouldn't so I've got some for when they attack?" Not with running, you just set your pace and try to hold it. Running down the hills was the hardest part. I almost fell down the stairs the day after because my muscles were so tight and knotted. I'm glad our stair railing is anchored well. I've really never felt my self so physically broken down before. I'm looking forward to training more for the next one. And yes, I have been running at least twice a week since August.
After stuffing our faces at the post-race party, we went off to find Porters rugby game. We missed most of it but we still were able to witness Porter's talent and passion for the game. It's super fun to watch; it moves a lot faster and is more flowing than football. I'd say it has more in common with hockey than it does football. Porter had scored earlier in the game but we didn't see it. Good job buddy.
Before we went to celebrate Lauren's birthday and our 6th anniversary we got a few runs in at the Eagle velopark.
That night we went to Donnie Mac's which features "trailer park cuisine." It was super fun. We're going to make a trip to celebrate our anniversary. Things are a little crazy but very well with the bakery right now so one of us will be stuck up here til Christmas.
Lauren and I are happy to have friends that visit us. Thanks guys.
