13.1 + 3 = Race Day Fun

Today was my second half marathon while pregnant.  With kiddo boy, I was 23 weeks pregnant running Nashville and this go round I am just shy of 20 weeks running Cincinnati.   To recap my first prego race go here.  I ran a whole 5 minutes faster this race and let me tell you-- from mile 5 1/2-10 it was pretty much a solid hill. It was also significantly warmer than any weather we had trained in.  Because of that I was especially happy with my time of 2:13:38. 

I have ZERO personal race photos.  Mostly because my hubby now has a toddle to corral while on the sidelines and I am not nice enough to add the weight of a phone/camera to my run!  I got to see the fam at mile 3 and the finish.

This course was one giant hill for miles and miles as evidenced by the marathon elevation graph (the half was the same course until the end)

So yeah-- giant uphills for 3ish miles = mega downhill too.  And man did it make this pregnant Mama have to pee from mile 9 until I stopped at 13.1!!  At mile 9 I started counted down the miles left until I got to see my family... only 4 more miles, 3 more miles... 2...

Unfortunately though at mile 7 I lost my stepdad who was running with me.  He was a step behind me on the hill but then all of a sudden he was gone.  I slowed up for a mile hoping to see him or that he would catch up but I never saw him-- then I was worried he passed me and I didn't know it... so I decided I was running the second half of the race just baby and me.  Around 11 1/2 miles there is a part of the course that laps back against people further ahead or further back in the race.  As I looped, my stepdad spotted me (he was behind me) and yelled my name-- since I was less than a mile away from the finish I kept going but waited for him at the finish line. 

He finished in 2:18.  I felt bad we didn't get to run it all together!  Also, because we weren't together and it's easier to spot him in a crowd of runners (bald head, headband, etc) than it is to spot me-- my hubby, son and mom didn't see me go by and I didn't see them.  Boo.  Especially a boo since I was counting down to that moment and felt strong finishing.

I felt MUCH better afterwards than I did finishing the Nashville half when I was prgnant the first time.  That alone I take as a success!

All in all, it was a fun race and I would do it again.  Good crowd support, music along the course, LOTS of water stops (but I ran with the Camelbak) and an all around fun theme with the "Flying Pig" name.

EDIT:  Because our hotel was across the river we walked a mile and half to the start and a little more than that from the finish back to the hotel.  Hence-- 13.1 + 3.  Lots of miles on the ol legs!