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| Vacation Races had someone taking photos on the course. I think this is mile 8. No other way to get a photo of the beautiful course! |
I love Montana (born in Bozeman, but a Tennessean most of my life after moving as a tween). I love Glacier National Park. My husband knows it's my happy place, and that running is my happy thing. Everyone has life stress. And after years of staying home with our three little boys (now ages 11, 8, and 5), he suggested I look into any races that might happen in Glacier Nat'l Park to blow off some steam. This was almost ten months ago, and I thought it was too good to be true. BUT it's as true as it is good -- Vacation Races hosted The Glacier Half Marathon on June 25, this past Saturday. One of my dearest friends and I went right to planning our trip allllll those months ago. I can't believe it came and went so quickly. I've been back home, nearly a week, processing the immense gratitude and gently calming the part of me that just wants to move there 20 years ago.
My husband had frequent flier miles that took care of both plane tickets, my friend's parents have a time-share that got us a nice room in Canmore, Alberta, for the first half of our momcation. And my friend is the best detailed planned EVER, so we were able to make the most of our trip. This post won't be about all that, but Banff National Park is AH-MAZ-ING! So is Glacier! We hiked 45 miles in the five days before the half. Such therapeutic time in nature making good memories is such a blessing. She and I can be quiet OR cracking up together. So just really relaxing.
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| What better souvenirs than my race shirt and medals? |
START LINE
My friend and I found an Airbnb in East Glacier Park Village, which was less than 5 minutes from the race's finish line. It was also a perfectly-centered location to travel to West Glacier for a rafting trip one day and then explore East Glacier trails the next. It was a 15-minute drive from the shuttle in Browning, MT, that took all of the runners to the start line between 4 and 5 a.m. that morning. The race began at 6 a.m. It was 38 degrees before the sun came up, so I had on all my layers; and they also had white garbage bags I could leave my big cozy sweatshirt in (with my bib number on it) that they brought to the finish line. Worked seamlessly. The race started in several different waves. I signed up for the first, the blue, bc the estimated finish time was by 1 hour and 55 minutes. I think there were 300-something people in that wave. Altogether, the race had 1,500 runners. Wow.
RUNNING AT HIGHER ALTITUDE?
In west Tennessee, we are at ~400 feet above sea-level. Glacier National Park, NOT the peaks, is ~5,000 feet above sea-level. The first five miles of the race are a straight climb up a mountain road, with almost 1,000-foot gain. Miles 6-10 were then downhill, and the last 5K of the rave was a moderate hill climb and then finished mostly flat. The course veered off into a grass meadow that was actually really pleasant to finish on in front of the East Glacier Lodge. Prepping for the race had me mindful of how breathing might be more difficult in thinner air. I took advantage of Tennessee's humid heat to help me prep, as it's known as "poor man's altitude training." We were in high elevation for the whole week before the race, hiking up into peaks in Banff and Glacier. I honestly never even noticed the altitude affecting my breathing. Fresh mountain air, with a chill, is so much easier to take in and put out than humid droplets of a hot summer in the South. Whew. I told my friend I was not going to limit any of our hiking IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS to save my race legs. The hiking and traveling were soooooo much more of this experience than the race, even though the race was "the reason" it all happened. My muscles were shot by race time. Not sore -- just empty with heaviness, if that makes sense? But it was so great! This was my slowest half marathon time (01:54:57), but it doesn't bother me at all. It's probably going to be a fav, if not THE fav, my whole life. I was the fourth female in my age group (35-39), which means I got an extra shiny medal as a souvenir. I was the 41st female, and 116th person.
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| My dork happy "I made it" smile. The MC was so great. Every person had to give a little snippet of info about themselves to register, and she would call us by first name and share that tidbit, so it felt like I was high-fiving a pal. |
FINISH LINE
Looking at my paces (AFTER the race, not during) was amusing. By the top of that beginning 5-mile climb my miles were ~10 minutes long. But then that next 5 miles that were downhill were all about ~7:30 minutes long. Then mile 11 had another hill. Sigh. I brought my tried and true Nathan bladder handheld water bottle that fits in my vest pocket. I didn't need my back bladder for a cool half-marathon... and I hate how it sloshes, the noise irritates me, so I just didn't wear it. But the vest is so nice for not having to carry my phone or that little bottle. Anyway, for the first time ever, the nozzle I bite to get a gush of refreshing liquid h2o did not work. I was so thirsty at mile 11, but I did not want to stop. But I ended up walking part of that moderate hill so I could unscrew the bottle and get some needed sips. Several old men passed me. I also snagged a Honey Stinger gel at an aid station, but only for a little bite to power my legs up the hill. By mile 12 I actually felt nauseous, the first time ever during a run, but it passed after a minute. I could have then used a porta-potty, but there were no more (even though they impressively had a whole lot throughout the race, including more than 40 at the start line), so I made it to the finish line just fine.
Running is such a blessing to my mind, and I'm so thankful for a supportive family. Whether I'm running around my neighborhood for daily miles OR traveling, it's such a sweet adventure that keeps me active and engaged and hopeful. I hope I get to do 100 halfs in my life. And some more fulls. But I'll just be thankful for one at a time.
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| I'm just so thankful! |
