Papa Loco: A Cold, Chaotic, and Confidence-Boosting Half Marathon
Let's rewind to the week leading up to the Papa Loco Half Marathon. Saturday before, I had a great 13-mile base run at 6:06/pace, feeling exactly how I wanted to start my marathon build-up. Sunday, I flew to Houston, TX for a work trip and squeezed in a chill 10-mile run at 6:22 pace right after landing. Monday was a whirlwind, and with freezing temps, I opted for treadmill miles.
Then, a snowstorm hit, trapping us in Houston an extra day. Tuesday, my interval run turned into another treadmill session and a longer walk once the ice started to melt. Wednesday morning, fearing another delay, I hit the treadmill again. But thankfully, we made it home. I was so amped, I went straight from the plane to a 13-mile run at 6:29/pace. 3rd fastest half-marathon time I’ve posted on Strava. No big deal, right?
Despite the training chaos, SteveO, Andy, and Matt convinced me I needed some race day energy before the big marathon. So, after some initial research, I decided I was going to sign up for the Papa Loco Half. Early Thursday morning I woke up at 3:30 AM, realized I forgot to register, and frantically messaged the race organizers. (Sorry again!) They graciously reopened registration until 9 AM, and I registered half-asleep. Then went back to sleep.
Later that day, I tackled my Tuesday interval workout: 1.5M Warmup; 3 x 2 Miles @MP-10 w/ 800m Jog; 1.5M Cooldown | Splits: 10:44 (5:22/mile); 10:41 (5:21/mile); 11:21 (5:40/mile). Ten miles total, 6:07 average pace. Feeling fast! Friday afternoon, I did a 7-mile shakeout run.
My biggest fear? The cold. I'm a fair-weather runner, to say the least. I spent ages stressing about what to wear, how many layers, the bib visibility... you know, all the important stuff. I packed my entire running cold weather wardrobe, perfectly pinned my bib to a Brooks shirt, and figured I'd wing the rest with half tights, arm warmers, and my Melanzana micro-grid hoody.
The race was in Conway, AR, about 30 minutes north. My plan was to run, then drive to Springfield, MO, for a bros night with Steven, Charles, and Brad – Chinese food, cheap beer, and ping pong. Woke up on time (a miracle!), hot shower, double espresso, and off I went. 24 degrees outside, seat warmers on full blast.
Arrived at the parking lot with just enough time for a pre-race banana. Then, disaster struck. I turned around in my truck to change and realized I left my clothes bag at home. This is why I don’t do mornings. So, there I was: Patagonia joggers (half tights under), a base layer, my Brooks shirt with the race number, arm warmers, a Drury Cross-Country hoody with cut-off sleeves (Bill Belichick style), my bright red Patagonia puffy, and a huge beanie. 'This might suck,' I thought, and started warming up.
It was freezing. Now 27 degrees, windchill 24. My warmup was uneventful, casual pace, a few pickups. Heart rate was jacked from pre-race jitters. Back to the car, water, SiS beta fuel gel, and to the start line. I ditched the joggers and puffy, swapped the beanie for a lighter one, and worked with what I had.
The course was an out-and-back 2.68-mile trail. Perfect for testing race day pacing, nutrition, and my new Nike Alphaflys! My goal: 13 six-minute miles, a marathon race day simulation.
At the start, I was a sight. Drury bros would have roasted me for wearing a hoody in a race. I made a point to start from the second row, not wanting to get caught up in the initial excitement and go out too hard. (For those who don't know me, that's how I race - off the front or off the back.) To my surprise, two younger girls (maybe middle or high school?) took off at the start, pushing the pace to 5:30/mile. I tucked in behind them for a bit, but after about 200m they quickly pulled back the pace. As I went around them, holding the effort, I noted the pace felt surprisingly comfortable. I knew I had put in the work, so I decided to test my fitness and stick with it. 'Let's make this a workout,' I thought.
Reaching the first turnaround, gave me my first opportunity to gauge the competition – a decent gap. I was running solo. I did exactly what I said I wasn’t going to do. Running back through the field in the first pass absolutely felt like Mario Kart. But it was also so great seeing so many other runners! The community aspect of running, was something I long missed. Back to the race. As I made my way back at the starting line for the second turnaround, I ditched my hoody that I had been fumbling with it to keep my bib visible, but honestly, who cares? In the chaos, I missed — maybe it wasn’t marked, maybe I wasn’t paying attention — the actual turnaround spot and overran it by about 200 meters. Oops! #headphones Bonus miles, I guess? They had cones set up the next time I came through, preventing others from making the same mistake.
The rest of the race was a steady grind. Pace drifting a bit in the final two miles. The cold never quite faded, but I wasn't miserable. I took my nutrition as planned: SiS isotonic orange at 30 minutes, SiS isotonic strawberry at 60. But opening those gels were a battle with my frozen fingers and gloves combo. I literally had to stop to wrestle the second one open.
Crossed the finish line first. The clock showed 1:14-something as I ran by. Turns out, they had chip reader issues and missed one of my laps so my offical time was 59.27. Almost a new American Record. Strava said by best effort half-marathon was 1:13:05, so I'm considering that my official time. Honestly, running a ballpark 1:13 with no taper was a huge confidence boost. It solidified that the work I had put in was paying off. After that run, I knew a 2:30-2:35 marathon was within reach.
Key takeaways:
Practice gels at race pace. Cold hands are a struggle.
Nike Alphaflys are a cheat code, but tough on calfs.
Half tights > split shorts.
Now, off to Springfield for bros night!
Then of course, had to do a recovery run with SteveO the next day before I drove back to Little Rock.
