Well, I did it. I completed my first half marathon. And in 2 hours 20 minutes. Which is about 20 minutes faster than I planned on finishing. My friend went with me and finished his half marathon walk as well.
There were quite a few people there, as I expected this to be a relatively small race, which by comparison it is. There seemed to be about 3000 people or so. At 9:00 AM, the half-run started. I was lined up at the 11:00 minute pace mark, and expected to trudge along at that pace quite well. After about 10 minutes, when I passed my first mile, I realized I was going way too fast. I tried to slow my pace down, but once you start setting a rhythm with your running, it is hard to slow down. Instead of running with my heart rate under 150 the entire run, I kept it in the 160 range for the first half, and the 170 range later on.
The run went pretty smoothly for me, though, and I ended up pacing myself with another runner for the first 6 miles, but she had a cramp and had to slow down a bit and I lost her. At Mile 9 I started getting a bit tired, which I expected, but knew I only had 4 miles to go. When I just finished passing the final water station at Mile 11, I got really tired. Guess that is why I should have started out a bit slower. I took a couple of walking breaks on Mile 11-12 to try and recover. Those helped a bunch.
Then Mile 12 hit. I must say that Mile 12 to the finish line was harder than the preceding 12 put together. I knew it was only a mile, and even started to recognize landmarks that confirmed it, but those last few steps took a long time. My calves were burning, and my feet were hurting from the pounding for 2 hours.
As I rounded the finish shute, my friend Rand and his son were there shouting my name and cheering, which made all the difference in the world. I made it through and when the finish time was called out at 2:20, I was shocked. I didn't expect to get in that fast. I am sure my legs are going to pay me back for the punishment I put them in tomorrow, but I don't care. As I crossed the finish line, I got all choked up and felt quite a release. I about fell over on the lady taking my timing chip, and it seemed that the water was a mile from the finish line, but my friend was there cheering me on, and I was quite amazed that I finished. I am now officially a half-marathon runner, and will be a full marathon runner soon enough.
The only down side was that I parked a mile from the finish line, and had to hoof it to my car, which was none too pleasant, I tell you.
Stats
HR - 166/178
Mile 1 - 10:25/5.8
Mile 2 - 9:56/6.0
Mile 3 - 9:56/6.0
Mile 4 - 10:34/5.7
Mile 5 - 10:14/5.8
Mile 6 - 10:24/5.7
Mile 7 - 10:40/5.6
Mile 8 - 10:18/5.8
Mile 9 - 10:34/5.8
Mile 10 - 10:48/5.6
Mile 11 - 10:56/5.6
Mile 12 - 11:26/5.2
Mile 13 - 11:28/5.2
Mile 13.3 - 4:42/5.2
Weight - 178
Pain - None
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