DNF
I woke up at 6:30 A.M. to wind, but no rain. On the way to the race, it started raining.
No problem, said I. This will be good for me! Mental toughness.
By the time we got to the race site, it actually looked like it was clearing. Windy, but drying out. Thanks Mother Nature.
Everyone was in good spirits at the race start.
My first mile was on track, a good steady pace of 9:41, second mile was 9:33. And then it all fell apart. It started raining...then it started pouring...then it started hailing. It was so bad, I can hardly describe it. It was like a million little pin pricks all over your skin. I only had on shorts and a t-shirt, so I had a lot of surface area exposed. It was so painful, and there were no shelters, homes, barns, nothing that I could run to and huddle against. The only thing I could do was crouch down in a ditch on the side of the road. I thought this is ridiculous. I can't sit in this ditch forever! As I was crouching, and trying to protect my ears from the hail, a woman came up to me and said "here's a car - do you want to go back?" At this time, I had already mentally checked out of this race. There would be no finishing for me. So I hopped in the car of a Good Samaratin (his wife was also running the race.) There were about 15 people crammed into his SUV, all soaking wet. I sat in the front seat, on the lap of the woman who stopped with me. Here are some of the car pictures:
The dashboard, as well as the rest of the car was completely soaking wet.
Driving back to the start.
The carful of runners.
The car that saved me.
So back at the start, with my tail between my legs, I waited to see if my husband would bail. And waited. And waited. Apparently, I was going to be the only quitter in the family today.
So I waited with the other runners that decided not to finish, and 1:38 minutes later, as the weather began clearing (figures), he comes running to the finish:
Amazingly, he got first in his age group. Amazingly, there were a bunch of people finishing the race!
There is another local half-marathon on November 20. Looks like I will have to redeem myself then. For now, I am going to wallow in self-pity for the rest of the day, and mope around the house. That seems like the right thing to do after my first-ever DNF.
No problem, said I. This will be good for me! Mental toughness.
By the time we got to the race site, it actually looked like it was clearing. Windy, but drying out. Thanks Mother Nature.
Everyone was in good spirits at the race start.
My first mile was on track, a good steady pace of 9:41, second mile was 9:33. And then it all fell apart. It started raining...then it started pouring...then it started hailing. It was so bad, I can hardly describe it. It was like a million little pin pricks all over your skin. I only had on shorts and a t-shirt, so I had a lot of surface area exposed. It was so painful, and there were no shelters, homes, barns, nothing that I could run to and huddle against. The only thing I could do was crouch down in a ditch on the side of the road. I thought this is ridiculous. I can't sit in this ditch forever! As I was crouching, and trying to protect my ears from the hail, a woman came up to me and said "here's a car - do you want to go back?" At this time, I had already mentally checked out of this race. There would be no finishing for me. So I hopped in the car of a Good Samaratin (his wife was also running the race.) There were about 15 people crammed into his SUV, all soaking wet. I sat in the front seat, on the lap of the woman who stopped with me. Here are some of the car pictures:
The dashboard, as well as the rest of the car was completely soaking wet.
Driving back to the start.
The carful of runners.
The car that saved me.
So back at the start, with my tail between my legs, I waited to see if my husband would bail. And waited. And waited. Apparently, I was going to be the only quitter in the family today.
So I waited with the other runners that decided not to finish, and 1:38 minutes later, as the weather began clearing (figures), he comes running to the finish:
Amazingly, he got first in his age group. Amazingly, there were a bunch of people finishing the race!
There is another local half-marathon on November 20. Looks like I will have to redeem myself then. For now, I am going to wallow in self-pity for the rest of the day, and mope around the house. That seems like the right thing to do after my first-ever DNF.
6 Comments:
I have never thought of having to deal w/HAIL during a race...OMG. I am so sorry! The good news is, you are ok, safe, and COMPLETELY PREPARED for the next 1/2. Don't let this incident keep you down too long! HAIL sucks and you would have run an AWESOME race if not for the HAIL. On to the next race......
Thanks for the good thoughts, guys! You're the best!
I've run through torrential downpours, snowstorms, and even thunderstorms (stupid, I know), but never encountered hail. I think you were probably right to have bagged this one. DNF's totally suck, but you'll be awesome at your next half.
And thanks for the warm welcome! I have to warn you though, if you're a buckeye fan, we may have words come the 19th... :)
Wow! What a race!!! I thought my half marathon puking was bad! I can't even imagine getting hailed on - that's one for your memory book! How much did it slow down the top runners? I'd die if they still finished with 5-minute miles!!
Wow, can't believe you were out there during the hail. I was safe in the bagel shop! Luckily finished my run just before the bad stuff hit!
That's amazing! I can't imagine trying to run a half-marathon in those conditions. There will always be other races. You were smart to get in the car!
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