Stephanie Rothstein
On Her Half Marathon Debut Performance
1:13:16, 11th place, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, 01/13/08
Stephanie Rothstein, a former distance standout for the University of California, Santa Barbara, debuted in the 13.1 mile distance at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on January 13, 2008. Coach Hudson targeted a 1:15 finish, which she exceeded by nearly two minutes. Stephanie described the race as follows:
On Her Half Marathon Debut Performance
1:13:16, 11th place, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, 01/13/08
Stephanie Rothstein, a former distance standout for the University of California, Santa Barbara, debuted in the 13.1 mile distance at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on January 13, 2008. Coach Hudson targeted a 1:15 finish, which she exceeded by nearly two minutes. Stephanie described the race as follows:
Stephanie at the
2007 Tufts 10k
I had a goal in mind. My goal was to run faster than 74 minutes. Of course I told Brad that and he didn't exactly tell me what he thought I could run. He thought right around there. But he said, "Since it is your first, let's go a little more conservative." For the first mile he wanted me between 5:45 and 5:50. My first mile was 5:48. Then he said just listen to your body, see what rhythm you get into. I got into a 5:40 pace with the other runners. It was pretty windy out there today. They said it was one of the windiest days they have had for the race. So, I had to make a decision. Do I run my own race by myself or do I hook onto a pack?
I went for it. I hooked onto a pack. I ran with a Hanson's woman [Dot McMahan]. We pretty much ran the next ten miles together. Then I hit my watch and saw a split and thought, "Well I guess I am running 5:35's today." That was what my body was doing. I got to about 10 and 1/2 miles when I thought, "This got hard". You tell yourself you have to keep pushing, even though your body wants to settle in. My legs were the ones that wanted to quit but I knew I was very strong. I knew I was fit. Then I just kept the pace that I had all the way in. The pack that I was with - which was 8, 9, and 10 - they kind of dropped me a little bit and I just held on for 11th place.
As my first half marathon I definitely liked the distance. I always knew that this distance and the marathon would be my strength. I could tell people what I thought I could run, but most people want to fall on the realistic side. But I am just a big dreamer and I have big goals. I feel that if you don't set your sights high, you miss out. It is like one of those sayings, "You reach for the moon and if you miss you still may hit a star, so why not aim high." That is how I see it.
The bittersweet part was just missing the top ten. The field was great this year. Any other year my time might have been 5th or 6th place. So at first I was a little disappointed. But then I thought, "I can't be disappointed, my time was great". It is the one time that I don't mind that I missed the money [This race was a U.S.A. championship with prize money for the top ten].
I think women's distance running is getting so much stronger, which is great for our sport. It is getting deeper and deeper. Women are still relatively knew at distance running competitions with opportunities arising only in the last 25-30 years.*
I think this is probably one of the deepest half marathons you will have in this country for the whole year. It is great for our sport. I just have to keep running fast.
Next I am focused on Cross Country down in San Diego. A goal there would be to make the World Team.
* To get an idea of how far Women’s Distance Running has come, check out the following piece “Distance Women Barred from the Olympic Games” on page 21 of the 1976 U.S.A. Track and Field Trials Program
I went for it. I hooked onto a pack. I ran with a Hanson's woman [Dot McMahan]. We pretty much ran the next ten miles together. Then I hit my watch and saw a split and thought, "Well I guess I am running 5:35's today." That was what my body was doing. I got to about 10 and 1/2 miles when I thought, "This got hard". You tell yourself you have to keep pushing, even though your body wants to settle in. My legs were the ones that wanted to quit but I knew I was very strong. I knew I was fit. Then I just kept the pace that I had all the way in. The pack that I was with - which was 8, 9, and 10 - they kind of dropped me a little bit and I just held on for 11th place.
As my first half marathon I definitely liked the distance. I always knew that this distance and the marathon would be my strength. I could tell people what I thought I could run, but most people want to fall on the realistic side. But I am just a big dreamer and I have big goals. I feel that if you don't set your sights high, you miss out. It is like one of those sayings, "You reach for the moon and if you miss you still may hit a star, so why not aim high." That is how I see it.
The bittersweet part was just missing the top ten. The field was great this year. Any other year my time might have been 5th or 6th place. So at first I was a little disappointed. But then I thought, "I can't be disappointed, my time was great". It is the one time that I don't mind that I missed the money [This race was a U.S.A. championship with prize money for the top ten].
I think women's distance running is getting so much stronger, which is great for our sport. It is getting deeper and deeper. Women are still relatively knew at distance running competitions with opportunities arising only in the last 25-30 years.*
I think this is probably one of the deepest half marathons you will have in this country for the whole year. It is great for our sport. I just have to keep running fast.
Next I am focused on Cross Country down in San Diego. A goal there would be to make the World Team.
* To get an idea of how far Women’s Distance Running has come, check out the following piece “Distance Women Barred from the Olympic Games” on page 21 of the 1976 U.S.A. Track and Field Trials Program