I love Austin. I really do. But this post is not going to be about how much I love the city of Austin. This post is going to be about how much the Austin Half Marathon challenged and humbled me.

I ran Austin because I was looking for a destination race in a rad city. What I really got was a rad destination with a race that had a 200 feet elevation gain within the first three miles and 70-degree weather with 50% humidity starting at seven in the morning. It was the kind of race that smacks you in the face and says, “watch yourself, young lady….you still have work to do.” Running 13.1 miles in Austin was a battle between staying hydrated, not overhydrating, pounding pavement uphill, and pavement pounding on my quads downhill. I always thought I was a decent hill runner…maybe not.

It all started very quickly on 2nd and Congress Street. I was easily able to find standing room among the first runners lined up to race, without being seeded. My skin was sticky with the heat before the gun even went off. I knew about the elevation gains within the first three miles but they went so fast that I hardly noticed. Around mile five I started getting into a good rhythm, averaging sub-7 at each mile mark. And then mile eight came and with it came an influx of rolling hills that seemed to suck the life out of me. I was grabbing Nuun and water at almost every hydration stop. There were plenty of them and the volunteers were phenomenal. I would drink all my Nuun and half my water, dumping the other half on my head and down my back. I was so happy that I had made the last minute decided to run in my sports bra. There were moments when I questioned my choice to wear compression socks but in the end, I think they helped save my calves from some serious post-race soreness.

Mile twelve finally came and with it came the most challenging hill of the course. As much as I had prepared for this hill mentally and physically, getting up it was rough. At this point, I knew that my top goal was unattainable. 1:25 was out of sight and out of mind. So was 1:30. This is why you create several goals, people. I wanted 1:35 or under, so bad. This was the time to go for it. I let the downhill of mile 12 carry me along and from there I started picking up the pace regardless of how much it hurt. My quads were on fire and my lungs felt like over-filled balloons. I had not felt this bad in a race in a long time.

The only thing I could think of during the last mile of the race was how much this course was preparing me for Boston. Only half a mile left and I could put Austin behind me. With a quick turn off of 11th and onto Congress Avenue, the cheers from the finish line were a delight. I can only imagine what they will sound like in April on Boylston Street. I crossed the finish line in 1:35:02 and later learned that I was the fifteenth female to finish and third in my age group. There were a lot of factors that I looked at while analyzing this race in my mind…my place among my gender, my overall pace in the race (7:10), my time at the 15k mark (1:05) etc. Could I have run faster on a flatter course? Sure. Could I have run better uphill? Maybe….but I do not play the “what if” game. It is a dangerous one that leaves you heartbroken. I had run most of this race with my heart and I wanted to celebrate that. Sometimes running is not about winning….

…more often than not, running is about the community that you surround yourself with and the common spirit that is found when thousands of people gather to do the same thing. Sunday in Austin was about celebrating the common line which is called “the finish”.

I left Austin knowing that I had done everything possible to prepare for this race. The course did not pull me down but it did pull me closer to my long-term goal.

The most important lesson that running has taught me is how to be competitive and gracious at the same time, with myself and with those around me.

Competitive and gracious is a delicate balance but, I am a better person because of it and Austin reminded me of that. From the exuberant streets of Austin to the historic roads of Boston, I am more motivated than ever to put in some hard work the next five weeks and show up at Hopkinton with 100% heart. Austin to Boston…here we go. #BoundForBoston17 #BeBoston

Happy Running!
xoxo, A