So I did it. I finished my training plan with only a handful of deviations (gotta be flexible, right?), and I found my starting corral on September 15^th, 2018 to fulfill a promise to myself.

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My Race Morning Breakfast

I stayed with my tried-and-true pre-run breakfast. I eat the same thing before every long run and let my stomach settle for about 1-2 hours before I run. On race morning, I ate my breakfast about 2 hours before lining up in the starting corrals.

My breakfast consisted of:

1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oats

1 spoonful of peanut butter/Nutella

A splash of almond milk

1 banana, cut into pieces and mixed in with the oatmeal

Related: 5 Best Pre-race Breakfast Foods to Fuel Your Half Marathon

Gear Check Bag

This was the thing I sort-of freaked out about in the days before the race. I had never done a gear check before, and I had no clue what to expect.

So you’re telling me, I just throw the stuff I want with me, but don’t want to run with in a trash bag and they will have it for me when I cross the finish line??

Yup. That’s exactly what happened. And it was awesome!

5k’s and 10k’s don’t offer a gear check because they usually start and stop at the same place, so I wasn’t familiar with how this system worked. Usually I just put the stuff I need in a backpack and try to hide it by a tree or in a bush somewhere in the start/finish area.

What did I put in my gear-check bag?

Initially, I had everything that I wanted for the race but didn’t want on me yet. Aka my headphones, armband, waist belt with sports drink and pretzels, and sunglasses. I also had my pre-workout formula that I would sip while warming up. Oh, and don’t forget chap-stick!

In the minutes before the race, I switched it out. I put my sweatpants and sweatshirt in the bag, along with my pre-workout cup. I tied it shut, put it in the U-Haul, and prayed it would meet me at the bottom!

Before the Race

The race was about an hour away from my house, so my husband and I drove there in the wee dark hours of morning. After we found a parking spot, I proceeded to use the bathroom and then make my way over to the buses.

It was a BEAUTIFUL 20-minute ride up the canyon (and I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of the view).

I sat next to a really nice older lady who helped calm my nerves a bit. Her attitude towards the race really helped rein in my appreciation of the moment, all the work I had done to prepare, and the amazing endeavor I was about to undertake.

I immediately got in line for the porta-potties when I got off the bus because, I was….well-hydrated. I now know that it’s a good idea to stop drinking in the hour leading up to a race.

After that I walked around and warmed up. Then, I panicked a little because I realized the “Race” playlist I had saved on Spotify was only long enough for a 10k, and I hadn’t bothered to add enough songs to last a half marathon.

Oh, and there was zero cell phone service at the starting line. Have no fear—I did have another “Running Hits” playlist downloaded that I usually listened to on my longer runs. I quickly shuffled through that and added all my favorites over to my “Race” playlist.

Another note on the fact that there wasn’t any cell service. I had planned to turn my RoadID app on right before the race so my husband could track when I was getting close and then venture over to the finish line to watch me, but that plan didn’t work at all.

No service, no RoadID…Note to self.

Playlist now in check, I continued warming up and stretching until it was about 15 minutes out from the start. At that point, I got in line to pee one more time, shed my extra layers, shoved the gear bag into the truck, and found my starting corral.

Start through Mile 6

I started behind the 2:30-finish pacer, because I figured that I could run finish somewhere between 2:15 and 2:30, but I wanted to start off sloooooooow. Starting slow was the key, I had been told.

The excitement was electric, but I forced myself to stay slow because this was the longest distance I had ever run.

This race would be all downhill, so it should be easy, right?

The first few miles were a breeze! I could have easily run them faster but I consciously slowed myself because I knew I would regret it later if I rushed at the beginning.

Everyone was excited and having fun.

I had set my favorite run-tracking app, MapMyRun, to give my time, distance, and pace updates every 0.50 miles. It informed me that that I was consistently hitting a 10:30 pace.

There were a couple aid stations that I breezed right on by. I sipped the sports drink I carried, but didn’t bother taking in any more than that. I didn’t feel thirsty, so I didn’t want to slow down more than necessary.

By mile 6, I felt awesome and ready to take on the world!

Mile 6 through Mile 10

After mile 6, I focused on holding on to my pace, and just knocking off mile after mile. My time was great and I felt good, so no point in slowing down. Just keep pushing forward.

I did make better use of the aid stations in this section. Mainly, I focused on eating a couple pretzels before an aid station, then washed them down with water.

Just keep ticking off the miles…I figured that after I hit mile 10, it was just a 5k from there on out and I could kick-down the pace.

Mile 10 through the Finish

At mile 10 I checked my watch, I was at 1:45. In my mind I thought, “Ok, it’s just a 5k left, and I can do a 5k in less than 30 minutes. If I kick it down now, then I can finish in 2:15!”

Except, I had nothing left in the tank to “kick-down”.

This is when I learned what “Hitting the Wall” feels like.

I was thirsty, so thirsty. I had run out of the drink I had been carrying, and the air was so dry that my mouth just felt parched. When I pulled up to an aid station, desperately looking forward to a cup of water, I allowed myself to walk for several steps while I drank. “Perfect,” I thought, “Just what I needed to finish out the last 3.1 miles strong.”