Sunday morning my dad ran his FIRST half marathon! He's been itching to run longer distances since experiencing the spirit of the running community while cheering me on at the Akron Marathon. We started with local 5k & 10k runs these last few months and trained up to 10 miles... dad said he felt strong so we signed up for the Mini Heart Half Marathon here in our hometown of Cincinnati, OH.
There are a few reasons this race is important and special to us -
1) This race is sponsored by the American Heart Association. All money raised & donated goes to support and research heart disease. From children to adults, Heart Disease is scary and many people have felt the pain and loss of the disease.
2) My dad is a heart attack survivor. In 2007 he suffered a massive heart attack and wasn't expected to live.
3) Last year I ran the Mini Heart Half in honor of my dad.
4) Cincinnati is our hometown so it's special but it's really special to my dad because he grew up in Carthage... downtown Cincinnati has always held a special place in his heart. He has done years of ministry on Vine St. and truly loves this city.
So this year being able to run it as a Daddy/Daughter Team was pretty special. We started running together this past fall and it's been pretty symbolic of our relationship. I have a great relationship with my dad, we have this understanding, a connection, and understand that not a lot of words need to be spoken.
Saturday evening dad stayed at our house, Sunday was going to be a very early morning! We set our alarms and tried to get some sleep -
Sunday morning it began...
4:30 am - alarms went off! One of my biggest fears is that I over sleep on race morning! I will wake up every hour to check... I headed downstairs to start breakfast for us!
5:00 am - dad and I ate oatmeal with raw sunflower seeds, banana, blueberries, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and a tablespoon of almond butter w/ black coffee
5:30 am - layered up! It was FREEZING - in the 20's and 18-20 mph winds! That called for 2 pairs of winter running pants, 1 base layer, 1 middle layer, and 1 outer layer. Gloves and headband for ears! It.was.cold!
6:00 am - time to go!
7:00 am- We went into a building to keep warm and were packed in with many others who had the same idea :) We wanted to stretch and stay warm so our muscles wouldn't lock up.
7:15 am - We went off to a corner and prayed over the run. It was an awesome time for us to focus and be prepared for the 13.1 miles ahead of us!
7:20 am - We headed outside and decided what our goal time would be. We had said we'd like to keep a 10 minute pace the focus, especially since it was so cold and windy. We didn't want to push too hard and the wind completely exhaust us. So we set 2 hours and 15 minutes as our goal. We lined up behind the pace keeper and said we would stick with them.
7:30 am - The starting GUN went off and so did we!
Miles 1 & 2- If you're familiar with races you know the first few miles can be kinda slow, it's a huge herd of people pushing through and you just kinda follow the herd, slowly but surely it begins to open up and you're able to find your groove and pace. It's quite the sight... seeing thousands of people ahead of you and thousands of people behind you, all running for the same cause, all believing in the power of the run, all sharing the same passion for running.
Mile 3/5k- 31:30 (10:10 pace) We were pacing great and feeling strong... the wind wasn't awful and the cold was bearable. Dad patted me on the back and had a huge smile on his face. He was so excited.
Miles 4 & 5 - took us down to Delta, turned us around and back up 50 West into the Downtown area. For those of you who think 50 is not hilly- let me assure you it IS! Rolling hill after rolling hill the return from Delta was a tough one!
Mile 6.2/10k through mile 9- 1:02:27 (10:05 pace) And the final stretch on 50 began... the last hill on 50 was tough but we pushed through it and were able to keep time, not losing even a second in our pace.
Mile 9.3/15k - 1:33:42 (10:05 pace) We got a nice downhill to shake out our legs and arms and some flat surface to run on for a bit before hitting the bridges.
Miles 10-12 - Bridges... and these were brutal! We hit the bridge by US Bank Arena first and it's a slow and steady hill that had 18-20 mph winds beating us head on! This was dad's FIRST time going past 10 miles, he said he was feeling good... so we kept in our pace. As we ran past the Newport Aquarium and down by the river, we came back around to the front of Newport and crossed back into Cincinnati on the Purple bridge. I was really hoping the wind would be at our backs but it wasn't, it was even stronger on our faces as we returned into Cincinnati and pursued mile marker 12!
Mile 12 - was just a tease... Dad was feeling great, we weaved around and headed back toward fountain square but just before mile 13 we had ONE LAST climb. There is something awesome about hearing the cheers, screams, music, and drums of the finish line that gives you a boost of energy to finish strong.
Mile 13- And for the first time, dad felt that energy- the runner's high, the power of the run. He picked up his pace, he saw that finish line, he saw the clock, and his eyes lit up!
Mile 13.1- We grabbed hands and crossed the finish line STRONG! Hugging, crying, hands in the air... Dad successfully completed his FIRST HALF MARATHON! Our FINAL time was 2:13:30 - WE BEAT our 2:15 goal!
We celebrated post race at our favorite place - First Watch! Wore our medals and shirts- had people asking where we had been and what we had done! It was so awesome hearing dad talk to strangers about his FIRST half marathon and his experience!
Even though it was freezing cold, dad had a great first half race! It is something I will always remember, a time no one will ever be able to take from me, something I am so grateful for!
