The Cherished Half

I used to be oh so snooty - oh, that's just a half; oh, no way - you cannot compare a half to a full (that I think is still true). Oh, I haven't counted how many halfs I have run. Those don't matter as much anymore. Boy, was I sorry I ever made any of those statements. Given that I was at a stage where I was barely walking, then barely jogging a mile, I had no face to say any of these. I was attempting my first half marathon in two years and it really counted. By now, I almost always wear my Vibrams, and even though I have the Bikila which is just for running, I decided to use the general purpose Vibrams because I had used those on a trail before. Today was destined to be a gorgeous day. The weather seemed perfect. I had picked the same trail half that I had hobbled through two years ago. I knew it was tough. I also knew that I hadn't exactly trained for a half but given all my conditioning, it would be fine. There was a period when I thought I might not do it. My daughter had water polo games yesterday and today. My husband refused to opt out of his cricket game which meant that I had to take her and I had got admission to participate in a really cool ed-tech event over a weekend - they had liked my application. Such big decisions. But I had really looked forward to this. So, I organized a carpool in the morning for my daughter. My parents were home so I knew I didn't have to worry about my son's routine, particularly his food (his restrictive diet continues). I declined the invitation to the ed tech event. And off I went, listening to Pt. Shivkumar Sharma on the way, putting me in a great frame of mind. The fog was still out. That meant the park might be a little chilly which actually works well when one gets hot. As I went to get my bib, I bumped into a co-worker. What a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face! She was off to do the 5K but we got pictures of each other, together. I picked up my t-shirt, went to the car to drop off everything and came back to find quite a line for the restroom. Turns out there was no bathroom along the course, so I decided to make a dash for it before the start. Following is a picture my coworker took of me before the start.

The announcements started a little before the race. They were warning people to stay on course, that it was marked, that if we reached a road, we had gone off course. Then they said that it was longer than 13.1 - it was 13.24. They also went onto add that for those people for whom it was their first trail race or their first half, it gave them bragging rights as this was a really tough course. At that point I was sure I must have been crazy to sign up for this race as my first big one in two years. But since I had knowingly signed up to be crazy, I went ahead with the plan. At 8 a.m. sharp, the race took off. I remembered the first stretch being super steep. And sure enough, within .2 miles we were facing the first steep slope. There was hardly anyone running this. The incline continues almost without respite for the first three miles. It is brutal and puts even the first hill of the Dish to shame. This picture is shows how everyone is actually walking.

Thus we trudged on. Everyone seemed in good spirits. I felt like maybe I will keep with the bulk of the crowd. That kind of vanished by mile 7. But to me the goal was finishing the half, not the time. This time was different from two years ago. Not only did I have a phone that took good pictures, the chip was just a piece of something attached to the bib. That was how outdated I felt. After working really hard for 21 minutes, I saw the first mile marker! Oh my! That meant if I continued at this pace, even if I didn't worry about the time, it would take me 260 minutes at the least. Could I do it? Oh, why was I so foolish to try and do this again? Never mind, just keep going! At some stretches on the incline, the path was extremely narrow, barely adequate for one person to go through but everyone seemed to manage just fine. The really good thing about the trail - it was through the California redwoods, which are amongst some of the most majestic trees in the world. They are beautiful and no matter how often I might have seen redwoods, the trunk shapes are always fascinating. It is just like when I see the Himalayas, I could keep looking at their grandeur. Here's a picture between miles 3 and 4 of some redwoods.

Both mile 2 and 3 seemed to take 21 minutes each. It was disheartening in a way. Is this how it is going to be all the way to the end? Should I just turn back here? But I wasn't there to get disheartened. In the meantime, I had also been texting my daughter to make sure she was alright and was ready for her pick up - thank goodness for some wonderful parent carpools. Just as I thought the worst of the inclines were done, I saw one of the steepest stretches. This picture gives an idea somewhat of one of the three that came almost in succession.

As visible from this picture, by now, the crowd had gone on ahead. I knew I wasn't the last. This particular person seemed to be hounding me and when we came to the point where it seemed like he really wanted to go on, I asked him if he wanted to pass. There seemed to be an almost equal number of men and women which was great. Sometimes though, in recent years, there appear to be more women than men, which I thought was great. It was only after mile 4 that I felt like I was actually even attempting to run. Every now and then there would be stretches of downhill or flat - not long stretches but just enough to break out into a jog from the walking strides. One of the main reasons I even picked this race was because it is run by Brazen Racing. I really like many aspects about the races that they organize. Despite the fact that the trail is so narrow and several parts of it cannot be accessed, they try and have as many aid stations as possible. At the aid stations, not only is there water, there are sports drinks, sliced oranges, bananas and a ton of snacks to choose from. I stuck to just orange slices and water but the availability of it all is awesome. Not just that, almost all the participants have excellent trail manners - when to give way, when to overtake, how to acknowledge, and they all greet and wish as they pass the trailers like me on the way, unlike these big races where participants seem to only cheer/wish folks who belong to their training teams. The atmosphere of these races is very positive, high energy and happy. There is hardly anyone on the trails who is grouchy or doesn't wish nicely, including the aid station volunteers who are really awesome. Additionally, at the end of these races, they have the most delicious treats awaiting the runners after their hard work. Today, my favorite thing was this cheesecake, so delicious, it just melted. By mile 6, it seemed like almost everyone was way ahead of me. Most of them had passed me on this loop where we had to run both ways. Our bibs had our first names printed in bold. So some of them were really nice and called out by my name, saying nice job. All along, I kept worrying about my feet in my Vibrams too. Would they hold out? Would I have pain after? How will my toes do? The reason is because I often have pain in my longest toes. What I did find out though was that the toes do have a mind of their own on the trails and one has to be ultra careful or suffer a fall like I did between miles 10 and 11. For a moment I was stunned - how could I fall? I had put out one hand (my right of course, the dominant) to take the impact of the fall. So my head was fine. However, my right knee is pretty badly bruised. It went through my running tights. My right hand has a few bruises, and my Nike fuel belt, has a deep cut on one side. It could have been worse. It took me a couple of minutes to gather myself and continue. I just hope tomorrow morning the knee is not extra painful. However, the Vibrams did do their job. They held out through the race. By mile 9, I was still at about 20-21 minutes a mile, even though I thought I was going a little faster. Just a perception. I knew I didn't have a problem finishing. I was getting a little tired, but just a little. More than tired, I think it was thirst. The sun had come out early in the day and even though the Redwoods provided a good cover, it felt hot. My throat and lips felt dry frequently. So the aid stops were a real blessing. While going through the woods, at this point, it seemed as though one were passing through an air-conditioned room. The feeling of comfort and relief was really high at these times. All along, I kept mentally pushing myself. The entire race seemed to have been completed on will power. I had decided I was going to do it and I was going to do it no matter what. I would take my time because I wasn't going to do something foolish and erase months worth of real hard work to get myself moving, as well as I would enjoy the show. Thus the multiple photos. I had to enjoy the beauty around. Between miles 7 and 10 were probably some of my best moments. I was not the last but I was way behind the pack. As a result, it seemed like I had the trail to myself with this cool breeze, the sounds of the birds, the silence and peace in the air and time for me to think. If only I had recorded on a video, you would have got to hear the sounds of the birds. It was the safest I have ever felt on a trail. I knew I wasn't lost, that even though I was alone on the trail at that stretch, it was safe because people were not far and I wouldn't be lost. What a way to spend the day! I am so grateful to get to experience this and for the fact that I am able to do so again, kind of like being reborn. Between miles 9 and 10, I stopped to take a picture of this flower. It was different from all the other wildflowers I have seen on the trails, really small but lovely yellow.

I talked about the fall above. It took me a couple of minutes but after that I just took off like I hadn't the entire race. My last two miles were down to 16 minutes from 21. The redwoods continued to fascinate. The aid station crews were waiting patiently until the very last runner which was a while. I made sure to thank them profusely each time. After all, they are only volunteers. After mile 12, the trail opened up into the sun. I couldn't have asked for something more beautiful. Mustard-like tall rushes with several large butterflies flying freely, the sun shining through a clear, blue sky. It was absolutely marvelous. This picture can only capture a fraction of that.

In the meantime, between miles 12 and 13, I crossed someone trying to finish her race. I had to urge her on and I did see her finish not long after I did. The last 1.2 miles were painless. It was great to finish. I am just very grateful that I could do it, that I tried it, that I willed myself to finishing the race. I am glad I sat and enjoyed the cheesecake though, because I then drove home, showered and left right after for my hour+ drive to my daughter's second game. And of course, now I am thinking - I can get myself to train for a marathon, provided I keep doing these peripheral fitness routines, to keep my upper body and feet strong. Here's a picture of me at the finish line and a picture at the end of my feet in the Vibrams. You can see the dirt on my right foot from the fall. Well, here's till the next one!

p.s. Incidentally, I use my Vibrams for my Zumba and they work just fine (as do my feet).