Hershey Half Marathon- FINISH!

A break from the norm. That’s what I needed something fierce.  Weeks of doctor appointments, grieving and trying to find a way to normal resulted in me wondering if I was even prepared to run my second half-marathon. The first one was good but rough. Could I do it again with less training?  Could I relax and feel like myself again?

Absolutely! 

The drive to Hershey, PA started off beautifully with my old college roommate in tow to cheer me along.

Farm stands, fall foliage and beautiful blue skies were all in evidence as we made our way from Maryland to Pennsylvania. 

We were so excited to get there and enjoy an afternoon of catching up sans kids, touring Hersheypark After Dark and taking in a leisurely lunch in town.  We spent the evening eating deliciously yummy s’mores snacks at the park and relaxing at The Hotel Hershey.  Before I knew it we were it was time to lay out my gear and head to bed.  I was getting a bit anxious.

Pre-race greeting from a Hershey Kiss! Can’t beat it! 

5 a.m. dawned real early. I headed to the old Hershey stadium for packet pick-up and to get ready for the race.  People were already milling around in the dark, running around the stadium and jumping around in the cold.  In no time it was time to line up at the start and hear the race get kicked off by a boy from the Children’s Miracle Network.  He was fantastically cute and made the start funny and sweet.

We were off and running around the outside of the stadium. Racers looped out of the parking lot and around the outside of the grounds of the park.  We looped again it seemed and I saw my friend cheering me on at mile 2. The route had us headed into the park and running throughout it.  Having just been there the night before it was fun to see it empty, realize there were more hills than I thought. I will probably never run around and under a roller coaster at any other point in my life either and I loved it.  So much fun!  The race continued out of the park and into town and the neighborhoods that surround the tourist area and parks of Hershey.  Here is what I found the heart of the race. The beauty of it all and  it is the piece I will always remember the most.  From the kids from the Milton Hershey School cheering us on to the gorgeous scenery that the area has to offer it is a truly beautiful and sometimes majestic course.  The fall colors were all in effect as were all the signs of the season. Houses decorated for harvest and Halloween made it special to behold and run past.

One of the things that I loved about the race was the clear markings on where you were at almost any given time. I’m such a counter when it comes to my miles and increments that this totally kept me motivated. Not only were there mile marker flags but orange cones to denote what portion of each mile you were running.  That makes me run faster and more efficiently.  We ran past old stone walls, historic duplex homes, rolling green hills, farm land and streams.  Somewhere between mile five and six we were on a path running by a stream.  A wooden bridge covered part of it and the sun was just beginning to warm us.  Enya’s ‘Orinoco Flow’ unexpectedly played on my iPod as I watched a group of ducks glide in time to the music and down the sun glistening stream.  It was just perfect.  I smiled and looked skyward and said, “Thank you.”

Running the Hershey Half Marathon is a lesson in hills.  You have to pace yourself going up and down because the number of them is in the double digits.  I found myself walking up the lengthy hills as fast as I could.  I wanted to conserve my energy for the long flat stretches and all the miles ahead of me.  Oddly, miles one through eight just sailed by with no pain or real fatigue.  I was surprised when I passed a water station, felt myself begin to get really hungry and realize I was at mile nine and my time was 1:36.  I yelled out, “What? Really?! That can’t be right!” But smiled and ran a bit faster up the big hill and then flew down it.  In no time I was at mile ten.  This is where I began to feel tired. I got a cramp in my left thigh that I never experienced before and wondered if I should stop and stretch.  I ignored it and pressed onward. I didn’t want to slow down and jeopardize what might be a possible personal record.

Miles ten through eleven was a series of curves, more hills and short flat roads that lead to more hills. It wasn’t a constant barrage of them though.  The tall trees that let their burnt orange, fiery red and golden-yellow leaves cascade down around us as we ran were just what I needed to feel inspired by nature’s beauty and press on.  The almost constant presence of bystanders cheering runners from the sidelines was also an incredibly helpful part of the Hershey Half.  Those people know how to motivate!  Proof was in mile 12 that brought us back into the town of Hershey and the chocolate aid station.  I accepted some peanut-chocolate goodness from the Reese’s Cup character and zipped it into my jacket pocket for later.  I knew I had to be coming to the end because we were heading past the park.  We looped around again and into the parking lot where more people cheered runners on.  I was tired of running, tired of hills and wanted to just find the finish.  I didn’t know if I was on track to beat my old time, but I had a feeling I would if I could just make it past the last never-ending hill that made up the final part of the race.  Sweaty and exhausted I pushed on towards the inside of the stadium where crowds of people awaited yelling and screaming at the finishers.  As I made one last turn on the track inside the old Hershey Stadium I saw the finish and accelerated.  In my mind my arms were raised above my head as  I saw that my time was going to be a personal record. With 14 minutes shaved off my last race time I ran over the finish line and got my incredibly cute Hershey Half Marathon finisher medal.

 

Official Time:  2:22:22.

The Hotel Hershey Spa awaited me with a relaxing Chamomile massage and I couldn’t wait to shower and get there.  It was a great experience that I will never forget and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it. The whole Hersheypark, hotel and PR team made the race easy, fun and beautiful.  It is hands down the best race I have run yet.  In fact, it makes me want to go again next year.

 

I have to say a huge thank you to the people at Hersheypark and the all those who made the Hershey Half Marathon possible.  You all did an amazing job!  The race benefits the Children’s Miracle Network.

My hotel accommodations and spa time were paid for by the wonderful people at Hershey.  My bib registration was paid for by me as a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network.