On Running: First Half Done
Well, I completed my first ever half-marathon (13.1 mile) race last Saturday. Originally, my plan was to simply finish it without stopping or walking. Though, a couple weeks before the event, I added the additional goal of finishing in under two hours, which I wasn't sure I could actually do. My race finish time however: 1:47:33.
This race marked the first time I wore a watch in a race so that I could actually monitor my pace. This really helped with my speed and will likely become a staple in my race day attire from here on out. The course was nice; a little hilly, but not overly so, and mainly backroads with very little traffic. The weather was nice and very cool as well, which I think really helped me (and others) run a quick speed, as I have never run that distance that fast before. Frankly, it did not really feel that difficult and I still had plenty of gas left in the tank afterward.
Nonetheless, I feel very accomplished. Not only did I get a finisher metal, but I also received a trophy for getting 2nd place in my division. I never thought I would get a trophy from running, let alone from running a Half-Marathon. Sixteen years ago, I was weak and could not run the mile in school. Six years ago, I was in a wheel chair and my legs were being held together with metal. Six months ago, I didn't run at all, because my knees hurt and I thought I was no longer capable of actually running at all without injuring myself. Now: trophy. In a way, I feel sort of like Rocky. Not in the sense that I feel like an accomplished athlete, but rather Rocky from the first film: the man who knew he would never be great, but wanted just to rise up and go the distance, just for that brief moment of personal glory. I know I'm not very special in terms of my running accomplishments, but just to be able to do some of these things decently means the world to me.
Of course, now that I have a half-marathon under my belt, I now want to tackle a full-marathon. Even though I've convinced myself that I could do it, I know it would not be a good idea right now and am going to try very hard to refrain myself. There are so many people that get bit by the running bug each year. They train way too fast and do a marathon with only a few months training. They hobble through, barely making it just to say they did it. I don't want to be "that guy". If I'm going to do a full-marathon, I want the timing to be perfect, and I want to be an even better machine than I am now. I don't want to feel like I've prematurely put myself into a marathon just to try it, I want to EARN my way into a marathon and know without a shadow of a doubt that I am primed and ready. I want to give the race the respect it deserves.
Besides, It's starting to get cold outside, and I'll probably have to cut back on my training a little bit anyways. Maybe next year...