Look, Ma...Pigs Really CAN Fly!!

Well, I did it. More accurately I should say that we did it, because I don't know if I could have done it without my sister there with me stride for stride (we literally have the same finishing time).
The Flying Pig Half Marathon is in the books, folks.

Never having been in such a big race, I was a little unsure as to what to expect ( was also nervous as I had been fighting a cough and some lung congestion for the few days leading up to the race), but my trusty sis was there to guide me through. We started out early, walked from the hotel, and got corralled up just a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start. What we didn't realize (and couldn't hear because we were so far from the front) was that the race had to be delayed 15 minutes due to a major fire along the marathon route, and they were having to plan a reroute on the fly. Eventually the gun(?) sounded and we were off.

With so many people it was kinda hard to get into a rhythm/pace at the start. We actually didn't cross the starting line until nearly six minutes after the race officially started. After about the first mile or so we headed across the first of the bridges that took us into Kentucky. On the bridge we stepped around a massacred pigeon and joked that we didn't know there would be free snacks, particularly so early on. (This must have been something akin to gallows humor.) We headed through the first water stop (quite an adventure for a first timer) without taking water (I carried my own) and shortly after we heard the first of a couple bands, this one playing "Brown Eyed Girl". There was much singing along by the runners, and the feeling of camraderie was cool. The second band came up a bit later (though still while in Kentucky) and we heard the smooth sounds of "Summer of '69". Shortly after this it was back over a bridge and back into Ohio.

I was feeling pretty good so far, and the chest congestion/cough wasn't affecting me, which was great. I have to mention that along with my sister and myself, my brother in law was running along with us, as the lead leg on a relay team. He hung right there with us, and it was about the time we crossed back into Ohio that he mentioned he was almost half way done. (Needless to say, I think we were like 3.5 miles in, and my sister had a ways to go, but it was all good.) It felt good to be running along with people I knew, and I was still in a distance I knew I could do.

A couple miles later we were running through downtown Cinci when I knew to be one the lookout for my wife and little girl (who I must say TORE UP the 4&5 year olds race the day prior). We knew pretty closely where they would be, just not which side of the street. Kris looked one way, and I looked the other, and as we dodged water cups my sister saw them just ahead of where we were. My daughter was a bit surprised to see us (I think because there had been a lot of waiting, and then all of a sudden there we were), but I said Hi and after we passed, she shouted "Run, Daddy, Run". This got lots of chuckles from the spectators around her.

After this, it was on to the hill. I had seen the elevation chart, and heard all about the hilly portion of the race prior to running it, and was a bit intimidated, as I had done exactly ZERO hill training. Overall, I have to say I think it wasn't as bad as I had expected, and we powered on through miles 6,7, and 8. At the 6.8 mile mark, my brother in law finished his leg of the race, and we wouldn't see him again until later. His knees had given him lots of trouble the last couple miles of his relay leg, but he gutted it out.

To be honest, I don't remember a lot between miles 8 and 10. I know that it was at that point that the half course split from the full, so things thinned out a bit. I was pretty much in my zone, just plodding it out.

I DO remember that at the 10 mile mark on of the volunteers made the comment that it really was all downhill from that point, and he was right. We powered into the unknown (for me at least; I had never run further than 10 miles in all my training) and continued on.

It was right around the 12 mile mark that Kris mentioned that if we ran a 9 minute mile she would PR. I asked her if she wanted to go for it, and she said no. I told her if she needed to leave me, to go ahead. She neglected to do that and stuck right with me. If she had said that she wanted to go for the 9 minute mile, I would have honestly tried to do it for her. Not sure if I could have done it or not, but I would have given it everything.

I have to mention here that my sister's hip had been giving her problems (perhaps too much training, but I'm not sure ;-) ). Every time I asked her how her hip was doing, she said it was fine. Not that she would have told me any different had it been killing her. Remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body and all.

Somewhere between mile 12 and 13 we saw Jeff walking (he had somehow missed the bus back to the starting area) and he urged us on. All along I knew in my head that we were going to make it, to finish, but it was somewhere between 12 and 13 that I really FELT it.

We came into the home stretch, and I must say that seeing the finish line was a relief. We powered on through the finish. Ok, little story. There was a point, REALLY close to the finish, where I picked out a guy (in this case an older gent in a red shirt), and decided that there was no way in HELL this guy was crossing the finish line before me. So I dug deep, sister right there with me stride for stride, and we sprinted across the finish.

Net finish time 2:23:10
Chip time : 2:17:40

I had it in my mind going in that I wanted to finish under 2:24, which would have been an 11 min/mile pace. Goal :Achieved. Oh, and I'm still undefeated against the third, silent, member of our little race, the Garmin virtual trainer.

We got our medals (VERY COOL) and made our way through the finish area, clearly picking the wrong side to pick our snacks from. On our side there were chips, bananas, bagels, and bottles of water. Apparently on the other side there were orange slices, ice cream, cheesecake, and people just handing out cash. Ok, ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but we clearly picked the wrong side.

As we made our way to the family meeting area, I saw my little girl, and almost started crying. I was really tired, and having just finished, it was a very emotional moment for me. Anyway, we hung out for a little bit and then went back to the hotel to shower.

Overall, I had a great time. It was a lot of fun, and I can honestly say that I'm proud of having finished and achieving my goal. I have a feeling there will be more half marathons in my future. Oh, and they're organizing a marathon here for next April. It's going to be the first, so what better time to start a streak (??). I'm sure there will be some kinks, but not having to travel will be nice, and I can come home to recover, which would be good. So I'm thinking next April will be my first full marathon. Now, the question is, how hard do I want to push, and how fast do I want to try and run??

Keep on running.

Later.