We got to town late Friday afternoon, and headed to the Fleet Feet Sports running store for packet pickup. I was like a kid in a candy store-- this joint was about four times bigger than my home park, with enough shoes, apparel, and etcetera to keep your average running nut happy indefinitely. I couldn't believe how many different kinds of socks, fuel, and stuff they had. My understanding going in was that Huntsville has a decent running community, and if their running store is any indication, they really do.
So after packet pickup and a meal at our favorite pizza place, we headed back to the hotel for a few beers and a 10 pm bedtime. I set my alarm for 4:55, thinking the race started at 7.
I woke up just after 3 with nervous energy. I couldn't go back to sleep, as I was afraid of sleeping through the alarm. It turned out to be much earlier than it needed to be, as the race didn't actually start until 8. I was pretty certain that 7 am was the start time-- we even got a great parking spot at the race. It just turned out there was plenty of time to kill. One advantage was that there were surplus tech shirts from last year's race, so I scored one. I also noticed that Huntsville seemed to be a big Mizuno town, as my habit of checking out shoes was in good form. there was even a Mizuno tent at the race, and the company sponsored the tech shirts. Some Brooks, Nike, and Asics were also present. But Mizuno seemed to be the majority.
I shouldn't go any further without mentioning the greatest support staff on the planet. The wife got up about 4:30 and drove to the race with me, even though we were an hour and a half early. This meant she had nothing to do for over three hours. She is the queen, and she is the absolute best.
The hamstring had felt pretty good in the days leading up to the race. I ran an easy four Monday, and five Wednesday with a little tempo work. Ibuprofen was our friend throughout the week. I went in with the intent of getting in there and mixing it up, just to see what I could do.
So for being at the site extra early, I got in the starters' corral two minutes before the start, towards the back. Just like at the Mercedes Marathon in February. This time the race distance was short enough that it would cost me. Raceday apparel was the same blue/black long-sleeved top from February, compression tights (better suited for me when I was 30 pounds heavier, but not a concern) and wind pants. Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 (the marathon shoes) and Feetures! thick socks completed the outfit. And a headband. I never run without one, and as near as I can tell, it's just me.
I'd fueled with half a Clif Bar and orange Gatorade at 5:45, so that was a concern. So were my early splits, due to other traffic. It took me about a mile and a half to dial in my pace, but by then I'd dug myself about a 1:20 hole behind goal pace. The course was a double loop, three miles out and back, then four miles out and back in the other direction. The one and only hill was through a residential area and peaked at miles 4 and 12.
I decided to knock the deficit down a little at a time rather than all at once. Most splits were between 1:55 and 2:00, with the exception of drink stops, where I lost many of the seconds I'd gained back. Miles 3-10 followed this pattern. I still felt pretty good, not really hungry, and drinking at every stop. The flat course certainly helped.
The Fleet Feet running store has a racing team that did really good work. I'm on The Athlete's Foot racing team here in town, but we're more about representing the brand than putting really good numbers on the board. These guys in Huntsville are better-- they cranked out miles in 5:45 or so.
By the time I got to mile 10, I was still about 25 seconds behind the 1:45 goal time, and I was starting to realize that I'd have to step on it in order to get the job done. This was when I channeled Sheriff Buford T. Justice, character from the 1970's movie Smokey and the Bandit. Sheriff Justice has been chasing the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) across three or four states and is starting to get a little frustrated, and says, "I didn't come all the way this far to go home with empty pockets." I just felt that I didn't want to come all this way and miss my goal by less than a half minute. I'd worked hard in training (mostly) and definitely during the race, so I decided to leave it all out there.
My split times improved from just under 2:00 per quarter to just under 1:55, and it made a difference. It was difficult through here, as the aforementioned hill came into play, but I kept on grinding and working. My left calf even seized up once or twice, and I just had to hope it'd get me home OK. By the time I turned into the church parking lot for the last .2 or so, I realized that I was going to make it, and it just felt really good. I remembered the disappointment I felt at Nucor and coming up that last hill and seeing I wasn't gonna get in under 23:00 (though things worked out OK). This time, I knew I was getting in under goal. There's something about seeing the clock and knowing you've got enough gas left to get across and meet your goal. What a feeling. 1:44:50. Ten seconds under my goal time, and almost 18 minutes better than my Eisenhower half time of 2:02:44. And I felt a whole lot better afterward this time, too. Victory swag:
I finished 118th out of 810 runners, getting me just barely in the top 15 percent. In Tuscaloosa I've been closer to the top 10 percent, so there's that. My average mile time was 8:06, but my last four miles were 7:54-7:56-7:53-7:38.
Crossing the finish line brought an official end to my 2012 racing season, and unquestionably my best year of running. I set personal best times in the 5K, 10K, half and full marathons. That was the biggest reason I signed up for Huntsville-- to set a PR in the half. I still need to check my mileage to see where I'm at in terms of total mileage, but I think I'm in good shape to eclipse my 2011 total, also.
Nonetheless, a great year of running, and also the closing of a chapter of my life.
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