There was a time when I believed I could not run 13.1 miles. There was a time when I believed I could not run consecutive miles with a 7 in front of the pace. There was a time when I could not comprehend running the second half of a race faster than the first.

Until I did.

I’ve always been a runner, but not a long distance runner. In high school, I was a fast sprinter, but the thought of running 3 miles with the cross country team made me want to gag. After telling some friends and my husband several years ago that I would never – could never – run a half marathon, I ran my first in 2009 (1:51:15) … followed by 5 more half marathons, 5 marathons and 2 half Ironmans (and many other shorter races in between). But throughout all of those experiences and years of training and racing, I always put limitations on myself. In my head, I decided what I could and couldn’t do. I could never run a half marathon with all my splits under 8-minute miles.

Until I did.

The thing about running and racing is that we have to remove the limitations we pose on ourselves. The ones that don’t exist. The ones we fabricate in our minds. The moment when we start believing – truly believing – that we are capable of more than we think we can do is the moment everything changes.

On Saturday, everything changed. I ran the ZOOMA Florida half marathon in Amelia Island, shattering every limitation I’ve ever put on myself.

I was incredibly fortunate to be an ambassador for the race and was invited to attend with a group of wonderful running bloggers from across the southeast. My best running friend Tammy and I headed down for a 3-night racecation on the beach, and I had the hopes of finally breaking my 1:45 half marathon goal.

I felt extremely confident going into this race. I’d been running better and stronger than ever. I knew my training paces and recent 5K and 10K times should translate into the performance I was hoping for. But I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared. I was more nervous than I’ve been before any race – maybe even more nervous than before Beach2Battleship. I wanted this. BAD. And I knew it was mine for the taking or the breaking. I could control the outcome. And I wanted to prove that hard work translates into results. I wanted to prove that the limitations I have always put on myself are a sham.

And I did.

My goal was to break 1:45. I ran 1:39:47, placing 3^rd in my age group and 11^th overall (8^th female).

Rather than give you a minute-by-minute recap, I’ll share with you all the things that went right to make this the perfect race day:

The weather and the course. After 4 years of competing in endurance events, I’ve finally learned to control the things I can control by choosing races that work best for me. I’m a runner who performs my best in cold weather on mostly flat terrain. So I’ve finally learned to pick spring races in which I can train in the winter and race in cooler temps on flat terrain. The temperature on race morning was 38 degrees and sunny with 10 mph winds. Perfection. ZOOMA Florida is also a flat course with only a few false flats along the way. Double perfection.

My mind-set. Leading up to a race, I want to be in a positive, stress free-mind set. Creating an environment that allows you to be race-ready is something we can actually control. I arrived 2 nights before the race (arrived on Thursday night and the race was on Saturday). We stayed at the Ritz Carlton (beautiful!!!) with a gorgeous view of the ocean. We got to walk on the beach and take our time eating, attending the expo, resting our legs and relaxing. Come race morning, there was no stress other than the butterflies in my stomach.

Eating and drinking. It has taken me 4 years to figure out the optimal nutrition strategy that works for me. After many months and years of experimenting, I’ve finally found my magic nutrition and hydration bullet. As someone who is constantly interested in hearing what works for other athletes, I’ll share with you what I’ve found to work for me.

• Pre-race breakfast the day before the race: Same breakfast I eat on race morning (see below)
• Pre-race lunch: Pasta with tomato sauce and chicken, a small salad (free of any fibrous veggies) and a roll
• Pre-race munchies: Peanut butter pretzels, organic fruit snacks (all fruit ingredients)
• Pre-race dinner: Grilled chicken with salt and pepper, heavily salted baked potato and rolls.
• Pre-race hydration: Water throughout the day and 16 ounces of watermelon Nuun in the afternoon/evening
• Pre-race breakfast  (3-4 hours before the race – I wake up, eat and go back to bed): An everything bagel, heavily salted hard-boiled egg with extra salt on the side, berries and 12 to 16 ounces of water
• Pre-race fuel: 100 calories of Clif Shot Bloks taken with water 35 minutes before the race (no more water after that), immediately preceding my warm-up (10-minute run followed by 10 minutes of dynamic stretching)
• On course fuel/hydration: 2 salted caramel GUs (at miles 4.5 and 9) with water; alternate between water and Cytomax (that was the sports drink offered on the course) at every hydration station during the race
• Post-race splurge: Burger and fries with Blue Moon!
  

  

My support system: I was so fortunate to have had my best running pal Tammy with me. Leading up to the race, she kept telling me – with absolute certainty – that I was going to do this and that there was no way I wasn’t going to reach my goal. Her confidence in me really made me want to keep believing, despite starting to get quite neurotic the evening before the race. Additionally, the ZOOMA team and the other ambassadors were simply amazing. They were so supportive and their positivity was contagious. If you don’t follow them already, you need to. You can learn more about them all and where to follow them here.

Pacing: I ran a completely consistent race, with the second half about 1-second per mile faster than the first half. I didn’t want to go out too fast and jeopardize my legs for the second half, but I also didn’t want to go out too slowly and not be able to make up lost time on the back end. My hope was to run a mostly consistent race. I felt really good throughout the entire race. The last 3 miles were hard, but I was able to maintain my pace, doing so just felt harder, and my last 1.1 miles were my fastest miles. Additionally, wearing my pace band proved to be really important factor for me. I can’t do a lot of math while running and the ability to simply glance down at my pace band and realize I was 5 minutes ahead of my 1:45 goal around mile 10 is what pushed me those last 3 miles. I knew I was going to be on the cusp of 1:40 and 1:39. Knowing that made me push harder to get that sub-1:40 time. Had I not known how close I was to 1:39, I may have allowed myself to slow slightly vs. use it as motivation to keep pushing forward.

These were my splits:

• Mile 1: 7:38
• Mile 2: 7:41
• Mile 3: 7:43
• Mile 4: 7:31
• Mile 5: 7:35
• Mile 6: 7:37
• Mile 7: 7:35
• Mile 8: 7:31
• Mile 9: 7:35
• Mile 10: 7:36
• Mile 11: 7:42
• Mile 12: 7:40
• Mile 13: 7:30
• Last 0.1 in the sand: 7:05 (You can see my video of me crossing the finish line here.)

If you’re thinking about running ZOOMA Florida, I would HIGHLY recommend this race. I thought it was a near perfect experience and an excellent course.

Here’s what you need to know about ZOOMA Florida

• It’s still a small race (slightly less than 500 runners this past weekend) which made the logistics seamless and the opportunity to place in your age group much more achievable. The hotel shuttle to the start left exactly on time with plenty of room for everyone, and the race started at exactly 8 a.m. The porta potty lines weren’t too long and there was adequate space to do warm-ups and stretching.

• The weather was insanely perfect. The high was 48 and the low was 32. It was a bit windy, especially on the last 5-mile stretch, so be prepared to fight some wind on the second half of the course.

• The expo was nice and the goodie bag is the best I’ve ever received from a race. We got the cutest reusable grocery bag, a tech shirt, a hat and a pair of Feetures socks. We also received free bottles of Hint flavored water and Luna bars at the expo. The clothes that were for sale were also really cute and they had a variety of sizes.

• The terrain is flat and fast. There are a few false flats along the course and some very small rolling hills in the beginning, but I would consider this an extremely flat course. Additionally, my Garmin read 13.11 at the finish, so if you run the tangents, you’ll get a near perfect distance. During mile 5, you get to see other runners via a small out and back section which is a lot of fun to wave and high five people, and miles 6 through 8.5 are along a shaded two-lane road surrounded by trees. I really loved that section.
• There is almost no spectator support along the course. There are currently no pacers available for times faster than 1:50, and if you are faster than a 1:50 pace, you are likely going to be alone for the majority of the race. I was alone most of the race and it was very well marked and safe.
• The last 5 miles are on a straight stretch along a road with traffic. Runners are directed to stay in the bike lane. I was all alone for most of the race with no runners in front or behind me, so this narrow path was not a problem for me, but it could have been a little challenging if it was more crowded. This is also the section where there is the most sun and wind, so you’ll need to be aware of this if the temperatures are hotter than what we experienced.
• The last 0.2 miles are in soft sand. I had known about this and was mentally prepared for it, but it was still really hard. The good news is you can see the finish line the entire time you’re on the sand, so the end is within reach, but you still feel like you are moving in slow motion. Surprisingly, this was where I ran my fastest of the entire race, but it was so incredibly hard. I also knew I was seconds away from being under 1:40, so I willed myself to keep “sprinting.” If you’re going for a PR, you’ll definitely need to factor this short section into your overall race strategy.  But the payoff for finishing on the beach is well worth it.

• The post-race party was fabulous. It was on the grass looking out over the ocean. There were mats and foam rollers set up for stretching and recovery. There was a live band playing with people dancing and singing. There were lots of goodies being handed out from Honest Tea, Hint water, Muscle Milk and more. Barefoot was giving out free wine, and there were free food boxes with a hummus wrap, pasta salad and a cookie for runners to enjoy. Inside masseuses were giving free massages and there was post-race yoga. The ZOOMA team knows how to do it, and all the sponsors were amazing!

• The Ritz Carlton was the perfect venue for a girls’ racecation get-away. The hotel is expensive and the food at the hotel is very pricey, so you’ll want to be aware of that before registering if you want to stay at the host hotel (which you need to). We never had to leave the hotel for any of the race logistics (the shuttle to the start picked us up there, the expo was there, the finish was there, etc.). I would HIGHLY recommend this race and the entire experience surrounding it.

Let’s Win the Chance to Run ZOOMA Napa Together!

ZOOMA is sending one inspiring blogger and a reader of their choice to run the ZOOMA Napa half marathon (or 5K) in June. I would LOVE to win this trip and get to take one of you with me. Please vote for me on their Run to Napa Facebook tab here by clicking the vote button next to my picture. I would be grateful and honored if you would vote for me and spread the word! If I win, I’ll share more details about how you can have a chance to run with me! Thank you for all your support and encouragement! Love you all!

As a race ambassador for ZOOMA Florida 2014, I received a free race registration as well as some merchandise from event sponsors. Food and travel expenses were not covered. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever run ZOOMA Florida? If so, what did you think? If not, does this seem like a race you’d like to run? Will you vote to send me to ZOOMA Napa with one lucky reader (thank you!)?