ING Half Marathon

I've finally given up on my home-grown blog at flipya.us (not that I updated it that often anyway) and moved to this infinitely easier one.  Because while I do enjoy running, and I do enjoy sticking my thoughts out there, I don't feel like spending too much time doing it.

As has been said many a time, I'm posting this for me - to remember, to train, to dwell on later; and if you get something out of it - fantastic.  If not, hopefully I will at least . . . .

For a variety of reasons, laziness being the primary one, I have skipped posting anything about my training leading up to the ING Georiga half marathon on March 29th.  Maybe I'll talk about it in comparison to other training I do in the future, but it seems kind of silly to go back now, because...

I finished my first half marathon!!!!

What a fantastic race.  Major kudos to the race directors for this one.  It was beautifully organized, plenty of food, water, gatorade, great crowd support - I just had a blast running this one.  The only negative was the temperature - it was 40 degrees and windy, which was miserable for the hour before the race started and just unpleasant after it ended.  On the plus side, it is impossible to be tired at 6:00 AM when you're that cold!  Also, it was great weather for running once the race actually started.

As I said, the crowd support was fantastic.  I hope everyone out there supporting the runners realizes just how much it matters to have someone cheering.  Not just the ones in costumes, with instruments, with signs, with music . . . it's also the kids sticking their hands out for a high five, the woman walking her dog that keeps stopping to clap and exhort us on . . .what a major lift.  

    

I was shooting for a 2:11, 10 minute miles, or that is what I told everyone.  Naturally, I had a personal goal I kept a little quieter about; I was really hoping for 9:45s.  Well, how 'bout me, I crossed in 2:02:43, a 9:22 pace!!  I was ecstatic when I crossed the finish line.  I took about five steps beyond the finish line and this smile spread across my face that I honestly could not stop.  It was a great feeling.  (Of course five minutes later, I was thinking, "If I could only have cut 2 minutes and 44 seconds off my time, I could have had a sub two...." 

 Sad, so sad.