She Runs by the Seashore

For last fall, instead of training for a marathon, I decided to put my energy into training for a fast half marathon. While I never really follow an exact training plan, I made an effort to work on speed and felt I was ready for my sub-2:20 half marathon goal. Until I saw the weather forecast.

I only signed up for one half marathon in the fall to race (non-pacing), and that was the Ocean City Running Festival Half Marathon. Unfortunately, Oct. 28 was an unseasonably warm day. I ended up feeling awful and running a time of 2:38:34.

I also only signed up for one half marathon to race this spring, but it was a much cooler day, and I was able to accomplish my goal of running sub-2:20 at the Salisbury Half Marathon, held as part of the RunSBY Events in the city where I live: Salisbury, Maryland. When I finished the race, I knew it was my fastest half since 2019, but by consulting my blog, I realized that I was actually 23 seconds faster than my fastest half of that year. So, it was my fastest half since 2018.

The evening before the race, I got together with other Eastern Shore Running Club members for a pre-race dinner at Back Street Grill. I’d also made sure to focus on hydration during the week, which I think really helped my race performance, as this isn’t always something I’m the best at.

I have been training for a marathon, and I wanted to do one or two miles as a warm-up before the race to add on a little mileage and mostly to avoid any shin splints, which I had noticed on a few runs. It also helped with getting another bathroom stop in. I did a little more than a quarter-mile warm-up, went back into my house to use the bathroom again, and then continued my jog to the start. I live close enough that it doesn’t make sense to drive to the parking location because it’s further from my house than the starting line. I got in a mile warm-up and then met up with other members of the Eastern Shore Running Club (not everyone, but a large group) for a team photo.

Because I saw temperatures would be in the 30s on race morning, Saturday, April 6, I was wearing a quarter-zip underneath my ESRC tank, along with shorts. When I went outside for the warm-up, I didn’t feel cold enough, but I kept the outfit on anyway because I wasn’t sure where my ESRC short-sleeve shirt was.

I had the goal of running sub-2:20, so to be safe, I wanted to try to keep my miles under 10:30 instead of 10:41, because I usually end up with 13.2 miles on my watch instead of 13.1.

My first mile was my fastest full mile of the day, at 10:06, but I was pleased with how consistent I was able to keep my pace for each mile. Aside from the final sprint to the finish, every mile started with a “10,” ranging from that 10:06 as the fastest to 10:54 as the slowest mile (for both miles 7 and 10). I also had three miles come in at 10:18 (miles 3, 5 and 9).

I had run most of the course on a marathon training run two weeks prior and know the roads well. This was also my fifth year participating in RunSBY; I ran the marathon once and this was my fourth year running the half. The half marathon course starts by the Salisbury City Park, takes runners through part of town and then is mostly rural until heading back to and through the Salisbury University campus and through neighborhoods, ending in Downtown Salisbury.

Around the Mile 4 marker, my friend Janet caught up to me. We ended up running together for most of the rest of the race. I told her multiple times she could go ahead, but it turned out we were both keeping up the pace that we could. I didn’t really feel like I could go faster, but I was able to sustain the pace we were running.

It really helped to have her there, and I think running together helped keep us more consistent. With every mile, I was staying on track and getting closer to my sub-2:20 goal. We kept up a consistent run and stopped at the water stops.

Although it was a challenging pace, I felt pretty good as I ran. I started to feel more tired in the last three or four miles. Just before the Mile 11 marker was the Eastern Shore Running Club aid station, where I got to see our club’s tent from a distance and then several volunteers. I got a cup of water from Carla before turning to head down Riverside Drive toward Downtown Salisbury. Near this aid station, Janet and I lost each other, but we were never too far from each other. I saw more friends in about a mile at the Midshore aid station.

I started to try to dig in more after the ESRC aid station, as I knew that I was close to my sub-2:20 goal, I only had about two miles left, and I didn’t want to miss the time by a hair at this point. Later on along Riverside Drive, not too far from the finish, I was getting tired and decided to do a brief walk. Janet caught back up to me and said something encouraging, like “Come on, Vanessa!” That gave me a burst of energy and I sped up, running toward the finish line.

I was able to cross the finish line in 2:18:17, a 10:33/mile pace. Right before I crossed the finish line, I saw Bart Yasso, who was announcing the race, and he stuck his hand out for a high five. I tried to return the high five, but I kind of missed. However, I think it’s cool that Bart Yasso comes out to our hometown race. I have had several opportunities to meet him over the years.

It’s been a while since I had a long race that I felt great about (other than one that I paced) — the most recent aside from this one being the 2021 Salisbury Half Marathon. With the flat course, great time of year for weather and proximity to my house, this one is a winner for me as far as a fast race to continue running.

This year’s swag included the finisher medal (for finishers, obviously) and a purple short-sleeve shirt (for the women’s cut), along with a choice of a race belt, mug or bag. I chose the mug. Packet pickup was quick and easy at the Wicomico Civic Center. There are also free race finish line photos.

After the race, I had water, Gatorade and a Rice Krispies treat, then headed over to see the Eastern Shore Running Club Scholarship presentations to two deserving local students. After that, it was time for some pizza and a post-race beer, both provided by the race, before joining a group of friends (two Dianas and two Alexes, all originally from Romania — I just met the one Alex at this race) for brunch at the Mad Hatter Cafe. I also got to meet a blog follower, Mandy, which is always fun for me!

I was happy and proud about my race performance, and it makes me excited to see what I might be able to do in future races!

Splits

Mile 1: 10:06
Mile 2: 10:28
Mile 3: 10:18
Mile 4: 10:44
Mile 5: 10:18
Mile 6: 10:14
Mile 7: 10:54
Mile 8: 10:39
Mile 9: 10:18
Mile 10: 10:53
Mile 11: 10:13
Mile 12: 10:30
Mile 13: 10:16
Last bit (watch had .26): 2:25 / 9:18 pace

Time on results: 2:18:17 / 10:33/mile pace; time on watch: 2:18:23 / 10:26/mile pace

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