Race Recap- Doc Rock and Run Half Marathon

9 days ago, I crossed the finish line at my 3rd half marathon. Say whaaaat? CRAZY TALK!

This race was the Doc Rock and Run Half Marathon and 5K in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I had never ran this race before and I had no idea what the course was going to be like. I imagined a nice, flat course. Boy, was I wrong. More on that later. Let's get to the recap.

On Friday, I went to pick up my packet after I got off work. Ashley and Megan, who also ran, went with me. My sister and her two friends came into town and joined us at the expo. Me and Rebecca went walking around the expo while Kelsey and Sara sat at the cooking show. We got a bunch of free stuff and I picked up my packet. After that, we went to Roma's to load up on some carbs. Personally, I did not like it and it made me feel sick afterwards. Bad mistake. After dinner, I gave them a tour around ASU and then we headed to bed. I had an early wake up call the next morning. 

On Saturday, I woke up around 6 AM. I took a shower and got ready. Then, I met up with Ashley and Megan in front of the quads and we headed to the start line. It was so nice to walk to the start line. I did not have to worry about driving there and finding a parking spot. The race started at 7:30 AM. The first couple of miles were good. I was feeling great and thought I was for sure going to PR. My goal was to run at least 4 miles every hour. I was doing good until the infamous hills started popping up. Holy smokes, I was not prepared for the hills. I did not do hill training, I did flat training. Sadly, I found myself walking the hills because I knew if I ran them, I would not make it to the finish. They had a water station at every mile but honestly those were the only people I saw. There were no people along the course cheering you on. I was disappointed because I feed off of that energy. Boo. This was a good race for me mentally. My running has come a long way since December 2012. Surprisingly, I did keep my goal of at least 4 miles every hour, despite the hills. My fastest mile was mile 1 with a time of 13 minutes and 5 seconds. My slowest mile was mile 13 with a time of 15 minutes and 27 seconds. The time on my tracker was 3 hours 12 minutes and 32 seconds for 13.1 miles. BUT. The course actually went an extra half mile longer so it was 13.6 miles. What the crap. That makes a huge difference and I was so pissed. My actual time was 3 hours 22 minutes and 39 seconds. So, I did not get a PR but that's okay, I will survive. I will probably never run this race again, just because I didn't like it. The next couple of days were rough on my body due to my new diagnoses of asthma. I won't discuss those issues on this particular blog though.    

I would like to give a huge shoutout to those that were waiting for me at the finish line. Mom, who basically carried me to a chair after I crossed the finish. Rebecca, who ran the last little bit with me. I would not have made it without you. Kelsey, Sara, and Natalie, who were cheering me on and texting me throughout the race saying "Run Kristen Run!" Dad, who got to see me cross the finish line at a half marathon for the first time ever. Gram and Pop, who are my biggest supporters when it comes to running. Thank you all so much.

I leave you with some pictures. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

Kristen Leigh Buynar