Susan Tirch
Wife/Mom/Sister/Daughter/Friend
38, Pennsylvania 
At first I started off fast and dreamed of what it would be like if I could hold that pace through the entire 13.1 miles. Ha!
For so long I took running for granted and even when I had better races I still didn't really appreciate them for being GREAT! I'd give anything to have last year's race back and a 2:08 finish.
I'm used to running with friends and even a lot of races lately I've done side by side with one of my friends. While I appreciate running with my friends SO MUCH, I think I made the right decision (in this case) to run alone. I know I did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. This race was ALL ME!
My character as a runner is probably definitely stronger than my actual ability as a runner. I always have my head in the game and my heart for that matter. I do pride myself in having a lot of determination and perseverance.
When I travel for a race, I usually don't sleep well. I slept like a rock before the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I suddenly woke up at 3:55 am five minutes before my alarm went off. My body even built in a snooze. Ha!
My Pet Peeve while racing is most definitely spitting. I can't stand the sight of spit on the ground. I know it's part of the sport, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. I find it disgusting.
When I'm training hard for a race, I go into things with a lot more confidence. I felt like a fish out of water at the start line this year. I just didn't know what to expect out of this old body of mine.
A 10:00 pace used to feel really comfortable for me, these days 11:00 sounds better. During last year's half I managed to squeak out a 9:45 pace. The fastest I ever ran in a race was 8 minutes flat over 2 miles. I almost died.
If I got down during the race yesterday I thought about a couple of things. First, the Boston runners. My shirt said Run for Boston. It didn't say, mope your way through a race for Boston. I also thought about just being ok with who you are at the time. I did the best I could and that's all I can ask out of myself. Was it what I wanted for myself? No, but it was definitely all I had in me.
My dream half marathon time is 1:59:59. I want so badly to break that 2:00 mark. One day perhaps. One day!
Being a mom of three kids heavily involved in activities is a crazy life. I love it, but it makes fitting in runs difficult at times. I've learned to not sweat it. I will not die if I miss a run and I've accepted the fact that I'm not going to run on a treadmill at 4:30 am or 10:30 pm. It's ok with me!
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