Palm Coast Half Marathon

I conquered the sub-2 half marathon.

I DID IT GUYS!

There are so many emotions going on right now that's it's hard to process.  I have had a sub-2 dream since my first half marathon in 2006.  I've had a sub-2 "monkey on my back" since my 2:00:34 finish at Gasparilla in 2012 and 2:00:30 in St. Pete.

I wanted it SO bad and I finally, FINALLY did it!

Thank you so much to everyone for the continual encouragement and Kelsey for being my awesome pacer.

It was a random decision to run the Palm Coast Half Marathon.  Kelsey saw the race on sale for $35 on Groupon.  She's running the Disney marathon on Sunday and couldn't "race", so she offered to pace me.  I agreed knowing that might be the push I needed to beat my mental sub-2 game.

The Palm Coast Half Marathon took place at the Hammock Beach Resort.  It was a small race (450+ runners) and we picked up our packet on race morning with a whopping 30 second wait.

We also got to use a "real" bathroom inside the golf course's clubhouse.  It's the little things people.

I was suited up in my new Livestrong gear that Kyle got me for Christmas, however after our warm-up jog it was clear that it was too warm for a jacket.  A costume change and we were off.

It was hard to go slow the first mile.  From going over my past half marathon splits I knew this was crucial.  There were no crowd issues and I forced myself to go easy.
Mile 1 - 9:11

My game plan at this point was to stay about 9:10 - 9:20 for the next two miles.  I also made a point to hug the curves of the course and to "run the tangents".
Mile 2- 9:24
Mile 3- 9:09

The weather for the race was perfect.  Mid 60's, cloud cover, and very limited wind.  I was actually chatting a little with Kelsey and enjoying the run.
Mile 4 - 9:09

In the middle of mile 4 we entered the conservatory part of the run....also known as...you are now running on dirt!  This was unexpected, however not terrible.  The dirt was pretty compact and if you found a tire track it was even firmer.
Mile 5 - 9:02

The park was peaceful and beautiful.  At one point we ran over a covered bridge with marsh on both sides and we could sneak a peek at the ocean too.  I was feeling good holding my pace and we were close to my 9:09 average pace that I needed to go sub-2 so I was very, very confident.
Mile 6 - 9:05

Around mile 7 I had my mocha + caffeine Gu.  I usually fuel myself with sport beans, however I didn't want to slow down to chew, so I went with Gu.  Gu is best taken with water, so try to take it near a water stop.
Mile 7 - 8:50

Mile 8 started to get boring.  Yes, the park was pretty, but it got old.  Plus with only 5 or so people on the course around us there wasn't much to look at.  From time to time our pace would increase here.  Kelsey is used to "racing", so when she would spot a person she would subconsciously speed up to "pick them off".  I'm not a competitive person by nature so my instincts are different.  However looking back I'm proud of how many people we "picked off".  From mile 3 on, I'm confident in saying that nobody passed us.
Mile 8 - 9:00

Mile 9 started to hurt.  Not bad, but I felt myself tiring.  I listened to my music and tried to stay calm.  At this point I knew I had sub-2.  I just had to work for it a little more.
Mile 9- 9:00

The middle of mile 10 finally brought us out of the dirt road and my legs were happy to get traction on the pavement.  This was the point where I told Kelsey she could start yelling at me and pushing me.  However we were within our goal pace, so every now and then I would give her a thumbs up and we would trudge along.
Mile 10- 8:43

Around mile 11 I met my "sub-2" demons.  My body started to get tired and my mind was filled with negative thoughts. "Just walk. You'll be fine." "You need to walk. If you don't take a walk break you'll slow down." "This is hard. You won't make sub-2".  Those were my demons that kept me from going sub-2 before.  I recognized their crushing sound.  However this time was different.  I knew if I even opened my mouth to tell Kelsey I needed to stop that she'd say "no".  She wouldn't let me.  I would waste more energy talking than if I kept running.  I listened to my music and repeated my mantra "today is my day.  no regrets".  Within a half mile, the demons were gone.
Mile 11 - 8:30

Miles 12-13.1 were amazing.  Amazing and uphill.  They hurt and I wish I would've pushed even more but I knew I did it.  I went sub-2.  Unbelievable feeling.
Mile 12- 8:16

Final Results - 1:52:43

I also won my age group.  Excuse me?

Yes, I will accept this award. Thank you.

I've worked as a race announcer for 10 years and I've seen races where "slower" times place.  I knew I would reap the benefits of a small race and today was my day.

Also in full disclosure, my Garmin measured the course short.  About 12.75 total.  I'm not sure which was off, but I thought I'd share that. I would have still easily made sub-2 with another .35 to run.  My Garmin also might have struggled in the woods or my mad tangent running skills were a little too good.

Thank you so much to Kelsey for pacing me!  I always knew I had sub-2 in me, but I needed support to get there.  After Kelsey BQ's (Boston qualifies) at Disney, she will be available to hire for her pacing skills to anyone in the Florida area.  Kidding, kidding!

Tomorrow I will talk more about the emotional side of the PR and what I think helped me finally get there. I'm so happy to not be writing this post again.

Total nerd mode.

Thank you SO much to all my readers and friends for the support and congrats.

What's the last DREAM BIG goal you achieved?

Love and winners,
Carissa & Kyle

Related Posts - Visit my Races page for all my race recaps.