6 for 26' : Cedar Falls Half Marathon #4.

ERA of WTF……………joy and resistance

Back in Iowa!

I signed up for this race in December of last year. My plan—which sounded great and made perfect sense at the time—was to come to Iowa, do wedding-related activities, have my dad come out, spend some time in Des Moines, have the two fathers meet, and then head to Cedar Rapids so my dad could watch me run.

It was a good plan in theory. In practice, it was a bit much.

Our final destination was Cedar Rapids for the inaugural race. The fact that it was in June should have been my first clue. I don’t run races in June. Yet, there I was. It was hot, humid, and rainy. Oh, and there were hills. Lots and lots of hills.

One of the best parts of the race was spending time with BGR Cedar Rapids. I was there for the chapter’s inaugural debut, and it was wonderful to see the ladies and run alongside them. BGR representation was strong throughout the event.

This was a race of more than 3,000 participants, and by 7:00 a.m. it was already 80 degrees. I knew my only option was to slow down, manage my effort, and enjoy the scenery. I’m also very glad I left my fuel vest behind. I would have been absolutely miserable in that heat. Instead, I wore my fuel belt, which felt much lighter and didn’t weigh me down.

The race started in downtown Cedar Rapids before taking us along the Cedar River, which was beautiful. From there, we headed through several neighborhoods, including one particularly long uphill stretch. By then, the temperature had climbed even higher.

My race strategy was simple: run intervals. I stuck with a 3:1 run-walk ratio, and it worked really well. My pacing felt steady, especially considering the heat.

Honestly, I was doing pretty well until two things happened.

First, the downhill sections. With these knees, going downhill is actually harder for me than going uphill. That was challenge number one.

Then came the rain.

My newly broken-in running shoes got soaked and became slippery. By mile 10, I was definitely starting to struggle. The course was packed with runners because it was marathon weekend. There was a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and marathon relay, along with multiple pace groups and pacers spread throughout the course.

Around mile 11, I spotted the 2:45 pace group.

That became my motivation.

My last three half marathons this year had all been around 2:30, and by that point I knew that goal wasn't happening. But I also refused to finish in three hours. Seeing that pace group gave me something to chase.

So I stayed with them.

Actually, I did one better.

I crossed the finish line in 2:43.

Yep—I finished ahead of the 2:45 pace group.

Given the heat, the hills, the rain, and everything else the course threw at me, I’ll happily take that finish.