A few days ago, I ran my first half marathon! It was a hot and hilly race and I learned a lot along the way! The whole experience, from the race expo, the race itself and after the race was so much fun and I can't wait to do another one!
The race I ran was the Nashville Rock N' Roll Half Marathon downtown Nashville. It was to raise money for St. Jude's Children Hospital. Running it was one of the best decisions I've ever made!
Friday, the day before the race, we went down to the race expo to pick up our shirts, running bibs and to set up tracking. It was really cool that tracking was an options because it helped my parents keep track of me while I was running!
The expo was super busy! The big sponsors were Brooks Running, TOYOTA, and Geico and they all had big booths at the expo. There were vendors to buy clothes and running gear from, companies advertising and even a few food companies that were sampling their food products! My Dad and I ended up buying some belts to wear while we ran to keep our phones in!
We headed home and got to bed early, because the next day was race day and we had to get up early! They had warned us that parking would be an issue, so we wanted to get there in time to get good parking!
We woke up at 4 a.m and got downtown around 5:30. It was early, but I was too excited to be sleepy! My dad and I ran for the Microsoft Team, so we took a team picture before we headed to the start line!
My dad ran the 5k, which started earlier, so we got him to his start line and watched him take off! There were so many people running the 5k and a lot of them were dressed in costumes or carrying American Flags!
Then we headed to the half marathon start line. There were corrals to separate the runners, and I was in 36 out of 40, which was pretty far back. They let the corrals go at 2 minute intervals, so it would have taken along time for my corral to leave. Thankfully, I was able to get in an earlier corral and cross the start line earlier! Since it was already pretty warm, I was super happy about that! I crossed the start line around 7:30 a.m.
The race started off going through downtown Nashville and then branched out into some of the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. There were a lot of hills, something I knew about but wasn't prepared for. Along the course were people holding signs and cheering. Also, there were bands every few miles playing music to encourage the runners!
The volunteers for the race were amazing! There were water, glucose, an Gatorade stations along the way. They were also a few aid and medical stations. Since it was really warm, they were pretty busy caring for those who couldn't take the unexpected heat!
The course was crowded. There were so many people and because of this, I wasn't able to run very much at all. I managed to do a fast jog for most of the race, with a few bursts of speed on the down hill and slowing down on the up hills.
As we neared the finish line, people started walking a lot more, which made it harder to go around people. I wasn't really tired, but I was hot and really sweaty! Those hills did take something from me, and I would pay for it later!
I crossed the finish line and I was so happy and proud of myself! My time was slow, but I was happy to just have finished! The race finished in the Nissan Stadium. At the finish line, they were giving out the medals, which were pretty cool! There were also a lot of people! As we walked through the stadium, the volunteers were giving out water, Gatorade, iced towels and snacks. I grabbed water and an iced towel and went to find my family. They knew exactly when I finished thanks to the tracker on my shoe!
What I Learned
#1 Train Hills for Nashville Races. My legs were pretty sore the next few days since I wasn't prepared for those hills!
#2 Get to the Race as Early as Possible! We were so glad we did this! After the race we just had a short walk back to the car, instead of a long walk like those who got the race later!
#3 Wear a Visor or Hat for Hot, Sunny Races. I wore a visor the whole race and was really glad for it! Sunglasses would have just slipped down my face and not have protected against sunburn!
#4 Drink Lots of Water the Days Leading Up to the Race. I tried to do this as much as possible and I was glad since the race turned out to be so hot!
#5 Don't Run With Earbuds or Head Phones. I chose not to use my earbuds during the race since I had read articles that suggested against running with them. I really enjoyed running without them and it helped me take in all the spectators and music as we ran!
#6 Sign Up for Tracking. Its free and if you have family waiting for you at the finish line, it helps them keep track of you! Also, it tracks your pace throughout the race and keeps your exact time, so you don't have to rely on your watch or race timers!
#7 Carry Some Sort of Sweat Towel With You. I didn't even think to do this and I wish I had. My face was dripping about 30 minute into the race and I had nothing but my shirt to wipe it on!
#8 Take Advantage of the Water Stations. They are there for you. During a hot race, stop at every single one of them!
#9 Have a Running Buddy. I wasn't able to have a running buddy for this race, and I really wish I had one! Lots of runners spent the race just chatting with their partners and encouraging each other!
# 10 Have Fun! I wasn't going for time or a personal best from the start and I was glad I hadn't set any type of goals other than finishing. My time was slow, but it was hot and crowded and I just wanted to have fun! And I did!!
I ran my first half marathon! I am so proud of myself and can't wait to run another one! I learned so much from this experience and I am so glad to be able to share it with others!
I hope you can be encouraged or helped by this post! If you've never run a race, I hope you sign up for one! If you've run races before, hopefully you've found some useful tips from my experience!
Please share this post and my blog with your friends, family and running buddies! Spread the love of living a healthy lifestyle!
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Hannah
Great post, Hannah! And you did a great job!
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