First Annual Rock Your Socks Half Marathon Race Report

Yeah! I did it. Second half-marathon in three weeks. Thank you Tonia at Racing with Babes for inspiring me!

So, about a month ago, Tonia and her teammates decided to host the First Annual Rock Your Socks Half Marathon and 10K. At that time, I was struggling to get my long runs in, so I thought this would be great motivation to get my long run in, at least for one week out of the 27 weeks of half-ironman prep. So I signed up!

Fast forward to this week: I am so glad I did. This is my third week post Pittsburgh half-marathon and the first week that I had some decent workouts. Being a running/multi-sport newbie, I thought the half-marathon would be pretty much like a long run, maybe with a few extra days of rest, so I did not budget rest in my training plan. So, for this week's half, my plan was to really treat it like an extra long, long run, so that I would not jeopardize any more half ironman training.

The day started so and so, with a headache that happily did not progress into a migraine (although it did mess with my digestive system a bit). However, by noon it was gone and I was ready to Rock my Socks. So I got ready, chose a pretty pair of socks, then took them off since I realized it was actually quite warm outside. I skipped lunch, ate some pretzels and a Luna bar instead, filled my water bottle, packed some Jelly Beans, the iPod, and the Garmin and headed out!!!

Sporting my awesome pink plaid socks

Realizing these would be much more practical

And it was awesome. It was my longest long run, my second half-marathon, and a jolly good run! The stats:

Distance: 13.1 miles
Time: 2:18:54 (moving time 2:18:06, there were a few lights)
Pace: 10:36 min/mile
Calories: 1,500 something.

Obviously, this was a far cry from my sub-2 hour Pittsburgh half, but 1) it was a training run, 2) it had a lot more climbing than Pittsburgh, 3) most of it was on the trail with a lot of rocks, mud, and obstacles. But it was as satisfying since it is a lot harder to run 13.1 miles solo. The splits were: 10:22, 10:31, 10:25, 10:05, 10:20, 10:55, 11:07, 10:49, 11:02, 10:24, 10:20, 10:18, 11:10 (included hill-from-hell), and the last little bit was 1:00.

The route was a combination of my two usual haunts. The first two miles were quiet road, in a residential neighborhood, followed by 2 miles along a fast high way. At mile 4.3, I started the trail/gravel section, with a 4.1 mile x 2 (out and back). The last little bit was a very steep hill (123 feet of climbing) that led to campus. I finished my run at my favorite cafe, Webster's, where I got a steaming hot chocolate milk latte. I also picked up some ice for my ice bath.

Post run...

I think I did everything I needed for the best recovery possible: chocolate milk, coffee, ice bath, compression socks, walking (a bit) and rest. If there is anything I am missing, please let me know!

Thank you Tonia for organizing this, it was a great way to get inspired to get some miles in!

In other news, I would like to welcome a new follower, Molly from I'm a Sleeper Baker! Hi Molly! Thank you for joining!