Sunday morning, despite an early and drizzly start, I headed up to Saratoga with one of the other Lunar Bit*hes and ran the second of three half marathons I had registered for as a personal challenge in honor of my upcoming milestone birthday. The appeal reputation of the Palio was that it was a flat course. At least until they changed the route around this year, that is. Even with the somewhat hillier new course, it couldn’t rival the Seven Sisters or the Chingachgook Challenge for hills, which did make this a relatively flat course that left me feeling accomplished after 13.1 miles rather than nearly dead. Winning!
I can’t complain too much about running this one solo after my friend confessed (on our way north) she just wasn’t feeling the half and had decided to enjoy the 5K rather than hate the half. I think that’s a great decision and imagine myself coming to the same conclusion at some point. We run for ourselves, not for some false glory bs! I run most often on my own and, particularly during a longer race, I think I do best when I can pace myself without feeling pressured to maintain a speed or conversation. I really tuned in to my run this morning and was very content checking out the scenery as I wound my way around Saratoga Springs and the always beautiful state park.
The race was well organized and the volunteers were enthusiastic and plentiful. My sole complaint was the number of bathrooms available at the start – there just weren’t enough. Aside from that, it was an awesomely executed race with plenty of water/Gatorade stations and adequate restrooms along the route. My play list was on point from the very first song (Joe Cocker’s Feelin Alright) and I felt strong and in control the entire distance.
The miles ticked off and I began to increase my pace, committing to not allowing anyone to pass me, and working hard to move ahead of those in front of me. In the last 3 miles I passed 49 runners and my final 2 miles were my fastest of the entire race. The finish line, once it finally came into view after 2 turns, was a welcome sight and I’m satisfied with my 2:22:34 time. It was a really good run. Up next: the Hairy Gorilla!
DelSo 