I stayed at the host hotel for the Halfsy, the Embassy Suites in Lincoln, which was a perk because shuttle buses were there bright and early race morning to bring us out to the starting line of the race. This is always key in a point-to-point race. However, if you’ve ever stayed at the Embassy Suites before, you know that their architecture features rooms that surround an indoor courtyard that spans the height of the building. The night before the race, apparently the Nebraska Cornhusker football game was on the big screen down in said courtyard, so falling asleep was difficult as I tried to drown out the screaming fans below. Didn’t these footballers know that the hotel was full of runners who had to get up at a ridiculous hour to run 13.1 miles??!! Sheesh!
After a less than wonderful sleep, I woke to my alarm at 5:30 am and took my time getting up. I warmed up my coffee and got dressed, the usual routine, but I noticed my stomach was a bit out of sorts. I figured I just needed a good egress (as this Runner’s World article calls it) and hoped it would happen before gun time.
I gathered all my gear, ate a quick oatmeal and raspberries breakfast, tossed back a second coffee, stretched and headed to the bus. I caught the 7:00 am bus without any trouble, and about 20 minutes later, or so, we were at the starting area.
The weather was cold. Just above freezing with a light wind, so I stood behind one of the tents where they were handing out bib numbers to latecomers to help shield me from the wind. I was really happy that I had my winter running cap and gloves and a garbage bag to wear. I ended up chatting with a woman from Missouri who drove a couple of hours with her family to do this race. She more often was a full marathon runner, and we traded some stories of races we had done. Her husband and son were there with her, but they were trying to figure out how to get back to downtown Lincoln, as they had hopped on the bus with her and were now stuck at the starting line! Yikes! Not great planning.
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| Here I am not enjoying the freezing cold weather. |
We chatted until about 8:00 am, and then thinking it a smart idea to visit the porta potty one last time, we wished each other well. Thankfully, my egress finally arrived, and I was feeling better about the thirteen miles ahead of me. I lined up around the 9 minute mile pace sign and shivered for the last fifteen or so minutes before starting. Dang, was it cold! I should be ready for this, but the weather in CT has been so unusually warm this fall, I’m just not seasoned for it yet.
After the National Anthem played, we were off. The first part of the race was fairly quiet spectator-wise. We started out near East High School (I think) and ran some loopy streets in that area. I can’t really recall what was out there, probably because the cold air was making my eyes water, but I think it was mostly retail and commercial type streets in the neighborhood. I stopped once to use the bathroom because I could feel my bladder becoming a bother. I HATE having to stop, but as I ran by the early porta potties, I spied an open one and jumped in. It cost me a couple of minutes on my time, but I knew I'd be uncomfortable if I didn't stop.
Around miles 4-5 we came to a park where there were some bigger crowds spectating along with a dj. One cool thing at this point was that we ran alongside a pond and off in the distance I could see the state capitol building. That was pretty much where I had to run to...at least it was in sight.
I felt pretty good for miles 5-8. The route ran through some neighborhoods and some retail areas. The road we were on was a pretty major road, and cars were still allowed on it, with one lane closed off for runners. The two-hour pacing group hadn't passed me yet (to my knowledge), which meant I was still good with my 2 hour or less finish goal.
The next section of the run entered a corridor park of sorts. It ran along a small small brook with nice sculpted gardens and hardscapes along it. It was a pleasant area, and things were going well until suddenly I felt my running bra come unhooked! Oh no! How is it that this phenomenon is a new talent of mine??!!! Just about the time that this happened, a water station appeared, so I veered off the path and ducked behind a tall tree to try to fix my situation. My bra was a front closure, so I tried my best to reach up my shirt and re-hook it. Fortunately, the water station that I stopped at was staffed by all women (presumably from the university), so I wasn't too worried about anyone seeing me. One woman at the water table saw me ducked behind the tree and asked me if I was alright. I yelled to her that I was fine and that my bra had come unhooked. The whole table heard me, of course, and started laughing. Oh well. It could've been worse. At least I didn't poop myself.
I lost a few more minutes with the bra incident, and unfortunately, I also lost my rhythm. The next couple of miles felt slow, but I pressed on and tried to keep to my 2 hour time goal. We got to the end of the corridor park and crossed over the water and up the other side, under a bridge and on to the final bit of running.
We ran through a small, dense neighborhood between miles 11-12 that gave way to the footbridge over to the university stadium. As I came around the corner to head up to the footbridge, an older woman (older than me) grabbed me by the arm and yelled to me "Us old ladies need to stay together!" I said back to her, "We're not old!" Geez, how old did she think I was? I had a hat on, so my grey hair wasn't even showing. Guess I was looking kinda rough at this point in the race.
Once on the footbridge, I could see the finish line area. It was just down the ramp to the chute. I crossed the finish line to 2:01 on the finish clock, but my net time turned out to be 1:59. Just squeaked in under my 2 hour time goal! Hooray! I collected my medal and pretty much headed back to the hotel. I didn't have loads of time to hang around, as I had a rather early afternoon flight home. I will say though that the race organizers had a fantastic finish line party atmosphere going.
I got to the airport without any issues and had some time to kill before boarding. I tried to nap a little, but I didn't really work out. The flight out of Lincoln was short and my stopover was Chicago. While waiting for my next flight, I met a woman named Jacquelene in the lineup to board. She had been traveling for more than 24 hours from Australia and was enroute to Connecticut to visit her daughter, son-in-law and grandson. We chatted about Australia and about the bad weather that Connecticut was getting. I expressed my concerns about getting in to Hartford on time. The flight before ours to LaGuardia had been canceled, but luckily, our flight was still on.
We boarded our plane and by some stoke of luck Jacquelene and I were seat mates. It was great to be able to continue our nice conversation.
When we finally got to Hartford, we said our goodbyes. A short time later as I was waiting for my luggage, Jacquelene came back to tell me that her daughter's car had broken down on route 95. The weather was vicious, with driving rain and gusting winds. What a night to have your car break down! We discussed her options of getting a cab (expensive) or Uber. She was going to try for whichever one she could get. I offered to take her to the train station in Hartford (although on a Sunday night at 9 pm I wasn't sure if any were even running...). I asked if she was sure she would be ok. She said she was. I grabbed my bag and made my way to the parking garage.
As I got to the upstairs level in the airport, my conscience just didn't feel right about leaving this lovely woman stranded at Bradley airport. I called my husband (the traveling guru) and asked him how I might best advise her. He suggested Uber over a cab, but he also suggested that she might just want to get a hotel room. I made my way back down to the lower level to offer her this idea. I could easily drop her off at a local hotel where she'd be safe for the night without paying a fortune. I found her and gave her the new information. She had tried for Uber, but no cars were available, so she had decided to go via cab. Her daughter gave her the address they were at in Milford, CT! (Ouch!). She just wanted to get there, regardless of the cost. A very nice cab driver helped her, and she was on her way. At least I knew she would be safe and with her family after such a long day of travel. She was grateful for my concern, but really, if it had been one of my relatives stranded in another country, I'd want someone to stay with them, too.
I made my way to the parking garage and arrived home after a slow drive through the crazy rain. I ended up getting home later than I expected, but I was glad to have helped Jacquelene. It was a relief to be home and hanging out with my husband. Thank you, Nebraska, for the Halfsy experience!
As a bonus (sort of), school was canceled the next day in our town due to the wind damage and loss of power at some schools, so I didn't have to work after all. Extra day of rest for me! Woo hoo!
Around miles 4-5 we came to a park where there were some bigger crowds spectating along with a dj. One cool thing at this point was that we ran alongside a pond and off in the distance I could see the state capitol building. That was pretty much where I had to run to...at least it was in sight.
I felt pretty good for miles 5-8. The route ran through some neighborhoods and some retail areas. The road we were on was a pretty major road, and cars were still allowed on it, with one lane closed off for runners. The two-hour pacing group hadn't passed me yet (to my knowledge), which meant I was still good with my 2 hour or less finish goal.
The next section of the run entered a corridor park of sorts. It ran along a small small brook with nice sculpted gardens and hardscapes along it. It was a pleasant area, and things were going well until suddenly I felt my running bra come unhooked! Oh no! How is it that this phenomenon is a new talent of mine??!!! Just about the time that this happened, a water station appeared, so I veered off the path and ducked behind a tall tree to try to fix my situation. My bra was a front closure, so I tried my best to reach up my shirt and re-hook it. Fortunately, the water station that I stopped at was staffed by all women (presumably from the university), so I wasn't too worried about anyone seeing me. One woman at the water table saw me ducked behind the tree and asked me if I was alright. I yelled to her that I was fine and that my bra had come unhooked. The whole table heard me, of course, and started laughing. Oh well. It could've been worse. At least I didn't poop myself.
I lost a few more minutes with the bra incident, and unfortunately, I also lost my rhythm. The next couple of miles felt slow, but I pressed on and tried to keep to my 2 hour time goal. We got to the end of the corridor park and crossed over the water and up the other side, under a bridge and on to the final bit of running.
We ran through a small, dense neighborhood between miles 11-12 that gave way to the footbridge over to the university stadium. As I came around the corner to head up to the footbridge, an older woman (older than me) grabbed me by the arm and yelled to me "Us old ladies need to stay together!" I said back to her, "We're not old!" Geez, how old did she think I was? I had a hat on, so my grey hair wasn't even showing. Guess I was looking kinda rough at this point in the race.
Once on the footbridge, I could see the finish line area. It was just down the ramp to the chute. I crossed the finish line to 2:01 on the finish clock, but my net time turned out to be 1:59. Just squeaked in under my 2 hour time goal! Hooray! I collected my medal and pretty much headed back to the hotel. I didn't have loads of time to hang around, as I had a rather early afternoon flight home. I will say though that the race organizers had a fantastic finish line party atmosphere going.
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| Halfway finisher's medal 2017. |
We boarded our plane and by some stoke of luck Jacquelene and I were seat mates. It was great to be able to continue our nice conversation.
When we finally got to Hartford, we said our goodbyes. A short time later as I was waiting for my luggage, Jacquelene came back to tell me that her daughter's car had broken down on route 95. The weather was vicious, with driving rain and gusting winds. What a night to have your car break down! We discussed her options of getting a cab (expensive) or Uber. She was going to try for whichever one she could get. I offered to take her to the train station in Hartford (although on a Sunday night at 9 pm I wasn't sure if any were even running...). I asked if she was sure she would be ok. She said she was. I grabbed my bag and made my way to the parking garage.
As I got to the upstairs level in the airport, my conscience just didn't feel right about leaving this lovely woman stranded at Bradley airport. I called my husband (the traveling guru) and asked him how I might best advise her. He suggested Uber over a cab, but he also suggested that she might just want to get a hotel room. I made my way back down to the lower level to offer her this idea. I could easily drop her off at a local hotel where she'd be safe for the night without paying a fortune. I found her and gave her the new information. She had tried for Uber, but no cars were available, so she had decided to go via cab. Her daughter gave her the address they were at in Milford, CT! (Ouch!). She just wanted to get there, regardless of the cost. A very nice cab driver helped her, and she was on her way. At least I knew she would be safe and with her family after such a long day of travel. She was grateful for my concern, but really, if it had been one of my relatives stranded in another country, I'd want someone to stay with them, too.
I made my way to the parking garage and arrived home after a slow drive through the crazy rain. I ended up getting home later than I expected, but I was glad to have helped Jacquelene. It was a relief to be home and hanging out with my husband. Thank you, Nebraska, for the Halfsy experience!
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| Nebraska card. |
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