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Dec5

Top 10 Reasons I Loved the Mistletoe Half Marathon (2.0)

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Last year I ran the Mistletoe Half Marathon with my bestie Courtney and blogged the top 10 reasons why I loved it. I ran it again this year so it’s time for the second edition of Top 10!

10. I registered the night before the race. I’ve never done that before. The downside – increased registration fees. The upside – no prerace jitters! I hadn’t trained at all and the furthest I’ve run in months (maybe even a year) was 7 miles. So I went into it planning to just enjoy the run and have fun.IMG_3187

9. I jogged to the start line and walked home. That’s half the reason I wanted to run the race – just because it was so dang convenient!

8. I didn’t have to wear my hood during the race. Mistletoe is notorious for crappy weather. Freezing cold. Snow. Rain. You  name it. It was chilly at the start but not miserable. Well, my toes were miserable while waiting for the race to start. They were freezing but not nearly as cold as last year! How on earth did I run without socks last year:?! (See #5)IMG_3182

7. They gave out medals. Last year they just gave out ribbons and I know a lot of races are going away from medals. I happen to like getting hardware. IMG_3196

6. My iPod died at mile 2. This was the most ill-prepared I’ve ever been for a race. No training. Forgot to charge my iPod, let alone make a playlist. No game plan. Just running. And it was nice that my iPod died because it let me listen to my body more and enjoy the race experience more.

5. I took a hot bath post-race. I know ice baths are better for recovery. But when it’s cold outside and I just ran my booty off, I deserve to spoil myself. And a hot bath was woooonderful. Followed up by a hard cider, of course.IMG_3199

4. Hanging out with friends after the race. Some of my Dance Trance buddies were performing at the finish line so I got to watch them and hang with them. I lingered for almost 2 hours after I finished. I was freezing but it was just a fun atmosphere.

3. I ran without my Garmin. Granted, I was forced into that since I lost mine but it was actually really nice. I listened to my body and gauged my pace that way. And I didn’t get frustrated like I sometimes did with the Garmin when it reported a pace I considered sub-par.IMG_3180

2. I ran it again in Vibrams but didn’t have the severe calf pain afterwards. I’m getting stronger in these monkey shoes! Last year, I had been running in VFF for 4 months before the race. Now I’ve got almost a year and a half experience of running β€œbarefoot.” IMG_3181(These are the Vibram Bikilas with Injiji socks.)

1. And the best part about the race? I FREAKING SET A PR!!!! I ran the half marathon in 1:49:19. I could NOT believe it considering how very very little I’ve been running lately. It’s been no secret on the blog that I’m struggling with workouts, but this was just the motivation boost that I needed to really train for another half.IMG_3200

I ran sub-8 minute miles for most of the race based on my old school watch and a little math while running. And I knew atmile 4 that even if I slowed significantly, I’d still beat my previous PR, which was 1:57 (set almost 5 years ago). Last year I ran the same course in 2:02 so I knocked off 11 minutes off that!

The hills from miles 8-11 nearly killed me. I was wiped by mile 9 and slowed a lot, but I still finished with a 8:21 overall pace. I was – and still am! – so giddy about my time.

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    38 responses to “Top 10 Reasons I Loved the Mistletoe Half Marathon (2.0)”

    1. Wow, nice work on your PR! I just bought a Garmin and plan on breaking it in tonight, but I have to say that it’s nice to run without being “plugged in” whether it’s a pacing thing or music… I’ve been doing it more often lately and enjoying it very much!

    2. Congrats!!! That is a great time! I recently ran a PR and I was so psyched for the rest of the week. Good for you!

    3. Congrats girl!!! That is awesome!
      By the way, How can you look so freaking cute after running a half? You make it look so effortless! LOVE IT!

    4. congrats!! thats so awesome that you went in to have fun and came out with a PR. that just shows that you have so much in you and are capable of so much!

    5. I thought number 10 was impresive…until I got to number 1! Damn girl! I love that you PR’d without “training”, your Garmin, or iPod.

    6. i’m channeling all of my fake-runner’s pride and sending it your way! yayayayayay!
      we celebrate on the 21st.

    7. Way to go Teri!
      That PR is a great time! That too without a working iPod!

      P.S: LOVE the Monkey Feet! πŸ™‚ I wants me one of those..

    8. Congratulations!! So happy for you! Sounds like such a fun race, and you manage to make Vibrams so cute (an almost impossible feat). πŸ™‚

    9. Congratulations! Good work on the time! Any tips for getting rid of the massive calf pain? I’ve been running in my Vibrams exclusively for about 8 months now, and I still have significant calf pain regularly. I blubber to my boyfriend nightly, and he massages them. Knowing that this will not last forever, I am curious about any tips you have. I have shaved a TON of time off my race times running in the them. I’m planning on doing the Eugene Marathon this spring.

      I love your blog!

      Sarah

    10. Congratulations on this race!! That’s amazing to be able to do this run without any prior training or planning. I admire that πŸ™‚ You ROCK.

    11. Nice Work Teri – so impressed! I only dream of doing half marathons … ha! πŸ™‚ Don’t freeze out there … although I hate to tell you, it’s freezing here too. Take Care!

    12. It’s so funny that a race you didn’t train or plan for turned out to be so great! Awesome job.

    13. AAAAHHH!!! what?? no fair! why did we even train last time? haha. You are such a brat! I take back my last comment about running when you come out here next…I’ll just slow you down πŸ˜‰

      Congrats girl, you’re a rockstar. Just wish I could have been there to cheer you on!

    14. That’s awesome! Your Mistletoe Half sounds like my Kiawah Island half last year. I decided on a whim a few days before to buy a race number off of a friend who couldn’t run last minute. The weather was horrific, 40Β° and pouring rain. I hadn’t run in 3 weeks, so I had one of those “what the heck am I doing?” moments at the starting line. I ended up with a good time, 1 hour 37 minutes and a few seconds. Not a PR, but I was surprised, considering that I was totally unprepared. I qualified my friend for Boston…good for her. I’m running the same race this Saturday! But I’m not as brave as you—Vibrams for long distances make me nervous! I think racing is most fun when you make light of it, no stress, no pressure. And I like medals and all race awards…a lot.

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