Patriot Half

So the Patriot half was on Monday the 26 and this was the third year that I was running in the race.  The last two years I have been in third place and this year I didn't want to disappoint.  This race is pretty special because it marks the end of the spring racing season, showcasing the city of Rockwall and the Rockwall running club http://www.rockwallrunningcenter.com/, and it's a great race that Barrett Hopper has put together.  This year was no different, the start was in front of the high school stadium which was great because it had plenty of restrooms in the stadium and no waiting was involved.  Also, the race bring out most of the RRC folks and this year the white rock co-op paced it which was great as well.  The half marathon started right at 7:45 and at around 7 the rrc folks took a group picture on the front stairs of the stadium.  As always the picture came out great and there was a bunch of folks in the picture.  Before the race started a circle was formed honoring the veterans which was awesome since it was memorial day.  As usual with Barrett's races the race started right on time at 7:45 and we were out of the stadium.  The first few miles felt pretty good as they were down hill, quickly a group was formed: Barnabas, Brandon, two guys from commerce, Catch up, and Greg's son.  I knew Catch up and Greg's son were doing the relay so I wasn't really worried about them. I also noticed Barnabus was a 1:05 half marathoner so I knew he would kill it the second half.  My goal was to make it to the podium so I wanted to be conservative and then push it on the hills.  We made it through the park, and through Cameroon lake with no troubles.  My legs were feeling good and I just wanted some steady miles.  We went under the 205 bridge and to the shores where I knew the hills would start.  The first commerce guy started to slow down and that is when I passed him he mentioned he had a side stitch, it was hot and humid so I knew the conditions got the best of him.  At this point I was in 4th and as we headed to the park were the exchange was I saw the different runners which was inspiring and I kept telling myself just stay steady.  We hit the monstrous hill and that was really tough, I knew it was coming but even then it was a beating.  We finally got out of the shores and I knew a big down hill was coming up by squabble creek.  This down hill was a great boost for me as I was flying down that hill. Back under the 205 bridge I saw a great deal of runners and it was great as they cheered and I cheered back.  I knew this would be the toughest stage of the race going down john king; but I was in 4th and I knew I could catch someone and get on the podium.  At this point my legs were starting to burn, but I kept telling myself just get to the next mile.  I saw Brandon walking for a bit and that inspired me as I was gaining on the two guys in front.  Finally when I was on John King I passed the other commerce runner and I was gaining on Brandon as he was stopping for a bit.  My legs were burning at this point and my arms were getting super fatigued  but I just kept with it, we had a wind to our face which helped to cool off a bit but didn't really help with going faster.  After about half a mile I caught up to Brandon, and we were both hurting pretty bad; this was definitely a race of guts.  Brandon started to speed up and I was going to go wit him but started to feel dizzy-which for me was a big red flag as I have been to the ER before for collapsing.  So I knew I had to slow down, Brandon quickly created separation and at this point I just wanted to stop running; my legs were screaming at me to stop.  I made the right turn on the baseball field and I knew I was close, I was happy not to be fighting the wind only to make a left turn and feel it again.  The last stretch was really tough but I saw Greg and that gave me a boost.  The last turn was amazing, seeing all the people cheer for me was inspiring and gave me the last boost that I needed to finish the race.  I finished with a spring and once I stopped I could definitely tell that I was overheating. I saw my parents and Jessica were there to give me some water that I desperately needed.  I walked it off and felt okay, the people with the shaved ice definitely helped and it was so yummy.  It was great to see all the other runners coming in and finishing strong.  I got my matraca and was cheering them.  Third year getting third place, but I was happy with what I did I gave it my all and that's what counts.  Barrett and crew did an amazing job with this race and I highly recommend it.  It's a tough race for sure, but isn't that what running is all about? A celebration of how tough one can be.