The Gambler Half 2011 – Race Recap

Today I put another half marathon under my belt! I completed The Gambler Half in Council Bluffs, IA.

I ran the Council Bluffs half last year, and it went decidedly better this time around. I didn't beat my PR (which I set 3 weeks ago in Lincoln), but I still made it across the finish line in under 2 hours!

This was a small race, so there wasn't an expo. But there was a free pasta dinner at packet pickup!

They held a contest earlier in the year to come up with a slogan for the back of the shirts. Since the race is called The Gambler (the start & finish are at a casino), "My Pair Beats Your Pair" seemed to be the perfect winner!

And this sticker is probably the best piece of free race swag I've ever gotten!

I stuck with my pre-race routine, laying everything out the night before. Don't mess with something that works!

The race began at 8:00, and I started off strong, with hopes of beating my PR by keeping my pace under 8:45.

• Mile 1 - 8:42
• Mile 2 - 8:41
• Mile 3 - 8:35
• Mile 4 - 8:46
• Mile 5 - 8:51

But then we hit that long, straight bike trail that tortured me last year, and it started to wear on me. They reversed the direction of the course, so at least we hit this section early on. The weather wasn't nearly as bad as last year, but we did end up running into the wind during this stretch.

• Mile 6 - 9:15
• Mile 7 - 9:25
• Mile 8 - 9:44

Honestly, I struggled with thoughts of quitting during this time. My legs felt really heavy and I was disappointed to see my pace dropping. I tried telling myself to just zone out for awhile, but it was hard. Luckily my legs started feeling better after mile 8. I didn't get much faster, but I started feeling good.

• Mile 9 - 9:37
• Mile 10 - 9:13
• Mile 11 - 9:32

I decided to buckle down and get to that finish line in under 2 hours!

• Mile 12 - 9:05
• Mile 13 - 8:59
• Mile 13.1 - 0:33 (I think my Garmin lost signal as we ran through a parking garage to the finish.)

Chip Time 1:58:51 = pace 9:05

I was excited to see Kate, Laura, Sean, & Anna waiting for me at the finish! They even got some action shots for me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I think it's so important to be able to reevaluate and possibly change your goals mid-race. Once I realized it didn't look like a PR was in the cards (which is what I went into the race hoping for), I was easily discouraged. But by focusing on a new goal (breaking 2 hours), I still had something to focus on and work towards instead of getting upset. It would have been very difficult to finish that race if all I kept thinking was, "Well, I'm not going to PR, so it's a lost cause!" Seriously, running is so mental, it's crazy.