So, Sunday morning, I woke up at 4:45am, took Ruger out to use the bathroom, kissed Seth goodbye and drove to Fort Collins to get on a bus at 6:00am with my friend, Tera, for a ride up the Poudre to the starting line of the Equinox Half Marathon.
Side note: For any of my 3 readers (Hi Mom and Dad!) who are still waiting for the more detailed Steamboat report that I promised…..it’s not happening. Maybe after next year’s race?
Anyway, the bus dropped us off at the Mishawaka around 6:45 where we waited inside until right before the 8:00 start. We met up with Kiersten, a former coworker, used the restrooms one last time, stopped by the bag drop, and lined up at the start. My mouth was dry and my stomach hurt, so I had no idea how the race would go. I remembered that I didn’t drink much water in the days leading up to the race. Whoops. Not the best preparation.
(Source: Equinox Half Marathon & 5 mile)
Tera ran the Colorado Half earlier in the year and was a little disappointed in her race experience, so her plan was to take it easy and really enjoy the scenery in hopes of ending on a high note for this one.
After talking race paces with Kiersten, it sounded like I should end up finishing slightly ahead of her so I made a mental note to stay ahead of her. My stomach issues (which are not a common occurrence) were scaring me though and I had no idea how the day would go.
The gun went off at 8:00 and I set out at a good pace; trying to avoid going out way too slow like I did at the Horsetooth Half. My plan was to stick between 8:00-8:15 with a secondary goal of an 8:30 pace if things took a turn for the worse with my stomach. The course is downhill almost the entire way and I felt myself speeding up considerably so held back but soon I was running a 9:25 pace. I saw Kiersten in front of me so I sped up, passed her, and closed out the first mile at an 8:17 average.
(Source: Equinox Half Marathon & 5 mile)
The first couple of miles were spent working out the kinks in my legs and getting them used to running (a sign that I should probably think about a warm up beforehand). Before I knew it, the first aid station appeared. I grabbed a cup of nuun and a cup of water, pulled over out of the way of other runners, and walked as I drank; hoping to avoid becoming too dehydrated. The bodyglide that I applied earlier must have rubbed off on the jacket that I wore before the start because my arms and back fat were chafing like crazy and starting to hurt a little.
I thought I heard Kiersten talking to another runner behind me so I headed out of the aid station and spent the next several miles alternating being passed by and passing a man and woman running together. I finally lost them somewhere in the middle of the race. I glanced back a couple of times for Kiersten, but didn’t see or hear her after that.
Right before the mile 7 aid station, I took a Strawberry Kiwi Honeystinger gel and then washed it down with two cups of water. I left the aid station trying to lick gel off my hands; happens every time.
Everything was downhill except for one short uphill around mile 8 near the start of the 5 mile race. The uphill was steep, but short, and we’ve driven this road enough to know that the steepest downhill would stretch out on the other side. I shortened my stride and kept my effort the same, but slowed down a little and finished the mile at 8:20 passing several people on the way up. It was nice to see the payoff of struggling over the hills in my neighborhood all summer. After reaching the top of the hill, I let loose on the downhill knowing from my past experiences with the Steamboat marathon and the Horsetooth Half that it wouldn’t shred my legs to go for it at this point.
The next two miles were 7:41 and 7:50. I started to get a little nervous because I hadn’t been able to sustain those paces in training so I slowed down a little and made sure to walk through each aid station. I knew that the last mile was pretty flat, but would probably feel difficult after running downhill for so many miles and that it would be out in the sun which was starting to feel uncomfortably hot. The chafing under my arms was getting worse and my mouth was so dry that it was becoming difficult to wet my lips. Note to self: bring chap-stick in the drop bag next time.
At the 10 mile mark, the finish seemed to be right around the corner – only 3.1 to go! The thought of being done must have made me slow down because suddenly, my pace was dropping and I was being passed. Mile 11 was 8:21 average. I decided that would never do and picked up the pace. Somewhere in mile 11, my wrist bumped a button on my watch and set a new lap which was super annoying because it would vibrate on the new lap mile instead of the actual course mile.
There were several dead bull snakes along the course, but in mile 12 as I was between two other runners, I had to jump over a garter snake that was still very much alive. Blech.
It was difficult to see the finish line as it was around a curve and behind some trees, but as soon as I saw people standing along the side of the road, I knew that I must be close. Just as I saw the turn for the finish, I heard my boys yelling, “Mama!” and they ran up onto the road to finish with me. It’s always the best part of the race when they join me.
As soon as we crossed the finish, I tried to guide the boys to the side to make room for the two runners immediately behind me and we completely blocked the photographer. Nice.
My official time was 1:46:41; watch time was 1:46:42
Splits on my Garmin read: 8:17, 8:10, 8:05, 8:16, 8:00, 8:06, 8:06, 8:20, 7:41, 7:50, 8:21, 8:04, 8:03, 7:47
Kiersten crossed a couple of minutes after with a bloody hand from tripping on the cattle guard. Of course, it had to be at the exact spot where traffic was stopped on both sides of the road to allow the runners across. The poor girl had a lot of witnesses. She said that she tried to keep my ponytail in sight during the race and another runner came up to say hi after and that she spent the whole race trying to catch “the girl in the red shirt”. It was funny because I had spent the last half of the race trying to catch a girl in a pink shirt and she pulled away from me in the last 2 miles like it was nothing.
Kiersten left to pick her kids up from Sunday School and I waited at the finish for Tera with Seth and the boys.
(Source: Equinox Half Marathon & 5 mile)
While we were waiting, we saw this runner juggling. He made it look so easy!
Tera came around the corner looking strong and very happy crossing the finish at 2:35:53 with an official time of 2:33:24 and a PR!
We were happy campers! Tera had a much better experience at this race.
This was a fun race, on a fast, downhill course.
Here are my tips:
- There is no packet pickup on race day unless you arrange for it ahead of time so make sure you either do that or go to packet pickup. It was at Sierra Trading Post this year. Your race bib gets you on a bus at the Poudre High School. No bib, no bus ride. Also, to keep traffic at a minimum on the narrow road, runners that are dropped off at or drive to the start will be disqualified.
- The pre-race information emails stated that the aid stations would only be stocked with nuun and water so runners should carry their own fuel. I saw Honeystinger gels and chews being offered at aid stations, but carried my own gel and didn’t need more than that.
- The pre-race emails said that parking would not be available at the finish, so spectators should park at the high school and ride free shuttles to the finish. In reality, there was limited parking for a fee ($10, I think), but the entrance was right next to the finishing chute and crowded with spectators, as was the path to the parking area so I can see why it was heavily discouraged.
- Runners get a ticket for a free slice of pizza or $3 off at one of the food trucks and their race bib and an ID get them free beer (2, I think). Perfect for filling the pint glass that comes with the finishers medal.
- Wear sunscreen! Most of the course is shaded, but the last few miles are out in the open.
- Train on some downhills ahead of time or you might walk away a little sore! I wasn’t sore at all, but could feel that my legs had worked hard, if that makes sense.
I highly recommend the Equinox and am hoping that I can make it an annual event.
The race packet came with a notification that Green Events is planning a Spring Equinox Half for next year on a new course. Tempting!