Home » 2012 Goals, 2012 Race Recaps, Blog Hop, Fitness Friday Blog Hop, Goals, Half Marathon, Health and Fitness, iFitness, Running, Trail Running, Twelve in Twenty-Twelve » Twelve In Twenty-Twelve || Planet Adventure Winter Half Marathon Race Recap Part 2

Twelve In Twenty-Twelve || Planet Adventure Winter Half Marathon Race Recap Part 2

Thoughts:

  • Miles 1-3:  I couldn’t help but notice how refreshing the clean fresh air was and the beautiful scenery.
  • At about mile 4:  I realized this wasn’t going to be about the pace. It was going to be endurance and the finish. Quitting wasn’t an option.
  • Mile 6: A few thoughts of OMG this sucks. What was I thinking?
  • About mile 8: Man Woman vs. Wild. Feeling strong and confident!
  • Up to this point I was slow with the mud and jumping over fallen trees but on the more level stretches I maintained about a 9:30 pace. Chad is awesome with maneuvering the uneven paths, water, logs and mud.
  • Part of the course was running around a lake. Think about 500 runners at night with headlamps circling the lake. It was so cool!
  • Mile 10: My thoughts were no running Dirt Days this year. No more night races. To I’m not ever running a trail race again!
  • Mile 11-13: Back to feeling strong and thinking about what I had accomplished so far.
  • Ice. Mud. Hills. Dark. Fallen trees. My goal. Uninjured and finish. SUCCESS!
  • Yes. I will run another trail race at night :)
Photos:

Off to a good start with clear blue skies all day and weather reports of less wind in the evening.

Almost there and oddly enough I didn’t have the typical pre-race butterflies in my stomach. At this point there was a calm about the whole thing.

When I saw the park entrance I started thinking about being out there in the dark. Really?

Getting ready in the car was another off-routine factor of this adventure. Getting dressed. Garmin. Shoes. Bibs. Eating. I surprised myself (and probably Chad too) by how flexible I could actually be with not having my race routine. Still an odd calm about it all.

Dinner was almond butter and honey on a sandwich thin.

Most important!

The finish. I kept this picture in my mind during the entire race.

Off and on throughout the race my iFitness belt with bib holders was a topic for conversation. It was the bib holder that got the attention and people wanted to know where to buy it.

The medal. Going with the whole green focused Planet Adventure theme the medal was this. I thought it was funny. Chad loved it! The differences between trail runners and street runners. This medal says it all. There really is a noticeable personality difference.

Not only was this my first of at least 12 half marathons it was also the first of at least 12 dates for Chad and I <3 With kids it doesn’t always work out that we can run races together (and the fact that he prefers trails and I prefer roads) but when it does we have the best time. And of course the obligatory wearing of the race shirt the next day.

How long did it take me? 3:09:11.8

A race to remember.

You’re probably thinking at this point, finally, she’s done :)

Anyone racing this weekend? Long runs. Planning spring training?

Link up below!



41 Responses to Twelve In Twenty-Twelve || Planet Adventure Winter Half Marathon Race Recap Part 2

  1. Wow sounds like you had a great time,AWESOME time you rock …Well done.Great photo’s :)

  2. That sounds like so much fun! I love all the pics and the race medal:)

  3. Great recap! Definitely sounds challenging, way to push through! I also just saw your post yesterday about conquering the crane, and I am so impressed! It’s one of my long term goals, too. :)

  4. I’m hoping for a long run on Sunday! Great race, Jill!

  5. Great job on the run/race! Looks like it was a nice day.

  6. Awesome job! That sounds like so much fun, but really challenging! I haven’t done a trail race yet, but the duathlon we are doing in May has you do the run portion on trails. We are buying trail shoes so we can train!

  7. My recap would look more like this:
    Mile one: OMG, this sucks.
    Mile two: OMG, this sucks.
    Mile three: OMG, this sucks

    And so on.

    Love the pictures of you and your husband. So adorable.

    Great job on the race!!!

  8. What a great race! I love the image of the headlamps around the lake. How cool. Congratulations!!!

  9. Congrats on your race! Today I posted my recipe for cultured citrus full of probiotics. Have a great weekend.

    http://naturallivingsocal.blogspot.com/2012/01/cultured-lacto-fermented-citrus.html

  10. Looks like a fun race, great job! Looks a lot too like the Warrior Dash that I compete in :) And also, way to go on not injuring yourself!!! xox

  11. LOVE. THE. MEDAL! Sounds like so much fun!

  12. oh that race just sounds/looks so awesome! Great Job! Very impressive! I am hoping to try out lots of trail running this spring (although probably not at night!) :)

  13. Looks like a blast a muddy blast, but fun none the less. :) Love the medal.

  14. What an adventure! I am notorious for vowing never to run x race or any race when I’m in the throes of those final miles yet somehow I keep coming back. Very cool medal!

  15. Great race Jill! It looks like a lot of fun, but difficult! I have never run a race at night; I don’t even like RUNNING in the dark period! You rocked it! I love the medals; what a fun idea!

  16. What a fun race!! Those shoes are insane!!!

  17. great pics of you and the hubby!!! love your blue belt!

  18. Glad your first of at least 12 half marathons went without injury! I love the picture of you guys in your race shirts. It’s a really sweet picture!

  19. Awesome and congrats! Sounds like a great time!

  20. Yay for trail racing! Sounds great to me :) Way to go :)

    I’m doing a measly 5K on Sunday… downhill on pavement. I hope I don’t fall :P

  21. Congrats!!! Trail running is so hard! I did my first trail race this year and even though I think I have a good base, those 5.5miles seem soo long!! You did awesome!
    Christine recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: BelieveMy Profile

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

CommentLuv badge