Racing in Compression Socks - Danville Half Marathon Report

Two weeks ago I went out for a trial 11 mile run to see if I could pull off running a half marathon in November.  It went okay, so I mulled over my two choices and decided to register for the Danville Half marathon, which was this past weekend.  Unfortunately, on Friday, I came down with a stomach bug.  I woke up Saturday morning 3 pounds dehydrated and feeling pretty weak, but I'd already paid for the race so I decided to just give it a shot.  If nothing else, it'd be a pretty day for a run.

Since I hadn't done a lot of long runs prior to the race, I decided to try racing in the Zensah compression socks that my parents got me for my birthday last summer.  I wasn't sure if this was the best idea, since the furthest I'd run in them was 6 miles, but with the odds already against me due to that stomach flu, what did I have to lose?

Here I am at the start of the race with the boys, who were distracted by the geese.  The first 5 miles or so ran along this river, with gorgeous waterfalls at one point.  It was the most perfect day to be out running - temps in the low 60s and sunny with just a mild breeze.

 I forgot to do my asthma inhaler before the race, which bothered me a bit in the early miles but then I adjusted.  At mile 4, a guy running past that was doing the 8K told me I was 11th female, and I decided to try to hold that spot through to the end.  At around mile 6, I started feeling the effects of the dehydration, and was really getting thirsty.  At this point I took some water, as I ran through a check point pavilion.  The race then went off into the woods, onto a gravel path, and began to hit some hills.  Miles 6-9 were hilly, with the largest and longest hill being right at around mile 8.  Normally I wouldn't take Gu until mile 10, but since I was coming into the race calorie-deficient, I took my first Gu at mile 7.  And then at mile 8 my stomach went GRRRRRRRRR.  And my mind went Uh oh.  And then I'M SO THIRSTY. 

At mile 10, I took some Immodium, which I also wouldn't normally do in a race but had brought along just in case, because of the stomach flu.  This seemed to help enough that I was able to take my second Gu.  But nothing could quench the cry for thirst.  They had plenty of aid stations along the course, but it just wasn't enough to ease my desire for fluids.  I switched to Gatorade but still I was so thirsty.  The last few miles I could feel myself losing pace a bit as I struggled.  Still, I enjoyed the crunch of the leaves under my feet and the sun shining through the trees.

At mile 11, I felt a blister on the ball of my right foot.  Luckily, it wasn't so bad it affected my running much.  Would it have happened without the compression socks?  Hard to tell.  But my calves felt good running, even when my quads and hamstrings were getting tired, so I think that in the end running in the compression socks was a good decision.   That said, I'd probably need to run in them more often for longer distances if I was going to attempt something like a marathon in them.

Finally, I saw the bridge in the distance that marked the last bit of my route to get to the finish line.  Here, Pierce demonstrates running across the bridge.  Only he has more energy than I did by the time I crossed it!

As I pulled into the finish line, I waved to the boys, who were cheering for me from behind an iron fence:

I crossed the finish line in 1:56:26.  Because I don't run halfs very often, it turns out that this is a PR for me.  I can't help but wonder how I might've run had I not been so dehydrated. 

Know what makes you feel better when you are super thirsty and have just run 13.1 miles?  This:

In the end, thanks to this being a smaller race, I placed 1st in my age group, and won a very nice beer mug, which Paul promptly declared to be his.  

Bottom line?  I loved this race.  I can't wait to do it again.  This was my second time running it, and they have changed the course and the month, but it's a great race either way and I love the size and the support and the beautiful views along the way.