Andrews Family

I haven’t posted for a while but I did want to write a post to catch up on the Lincoln Half Marathon that I ran while we were up in Nebraska back in May. For us, the event started the night before because we got a room at the Embassy Suites right by campus. The night before the race there was a Pasta-Thon, a free pasta dinner, for racers and family at the Champions Club by the stadium. So we walked a couple blocks from the hotel to the dinner and met up with Russ, Carleen (also running the half), and Nikolas Barger for some grub. It was a good family event and they even had a clown making balloons for the kids. Livy didn’t understand that dragging her balloon on the sidewalk was a bad idea, but luckily Nikolas was in tight with the clown and had a pocket full of spare balloons. Before bedtime we headed down to the hotel swimming pool where both Livy and Molly had a great time. Livy put on her best Sea World performance swimming and jumping out of the water like a dolphin. The race is the National Guard Marathon Trials so there were lots of runners from different units across the country which made it a cool atmosphere. But before long it was time to try to get a good night’s rest. I had planned on getting up early and I didn’t have any trouble because when both girls woke up crying, Jenny handed me Molly. It was all good, though, and after the girls calmed down I got dressed and jogged over to the start/finish line in front of the stadium. I ran into Jenny Andel, a high school classmate, in the crowd before the race which was cool. Before I knew it, it was time to go. Maybe it’s just me, but after the gun fires and you’re shuffling your way to the line the thought goes through your head of, “Am I really going to do this?”

The start of the race was the old stomping grounds. We ran down to the engineering buildings and then took a turn past good old Neihardt (the dorm where Jenny and I met and lived for four years). Then past the State Capitol and down Sheridan Blvd. I figured if I was gonna go, I was gonna go big. So using my GPS watch I set a personal best pace. I knew that would be tough since the 3M course in Austin was really downhill, and I just came off an achilles tendon injury. But the first half of the race felt great and I was on pace with a guy who was running effortlessly and talking to everyone along the course like he wasn’t even breaking a sweat. After he pumped them up they would all cheer so I positioned myself about 10 yards behind him. It made for a great course and kept me pumped up. About mile 5 or so I ran past my fan club of Jo & Brett, Patti & Joel, Uncle Nathan, and Jenny and the girls (except for Red). A couple of miles later, things weren’t going so well anymore. I decided to pull back on the pace for a bit and then hit the end hard. Before I knew it, I was going by the fan club again and I was pumped up to push it hard those last three miles. That lasted until I turned the corner to head up 10th street and it was all uphill from there. The drive up from Texas two days before was taking its toll and my lower back and core seemed like it was falling apart.  I revised my strategy to just not walk as I watched the mother/daughter teams truck past me. I held on though, even if my “kick” was just around the loop in front of the stadium. It felt rough, but I ended up running a 1:45:46, which is about 8 minutes per mile. It was about 2:30 slower than my 3M race time so it was actually pretty good for me. The 3M race here in Austin was fun and I was energetic at the end; this race I describe as hard work. After the race Nathan walked with me back to the hotel for a cool down and we met up with Jenny in time to cheer on Carleen as she went by. Then it was into the hotel for a cooked to order breakfast before showering and checking out. The race was fun and I recommend it for anyone considering a half, especially if you stay at the Embassy Suites. I was happy with my time, but I don’t think my nephew Alex is going to let me forget that his kindergarden teacher beat me. She, yes she, beat me by a couple of minutes. So if you are considering your first half, don’t forget that it takes a bit of humility along with a lot of miles.