Nice morning, slightly cooler than it has been recently here. Most of the course was in parks that I regularly include in my long runs, so that was nice.
After the start I really made an effort to keep my pace down. Mixed results there.
Felt pretty good for the first half. Took a gu and brief walk at the half way mark.
At the 10 mile mark thought, "A 5K left, I can do a 5K." Of course, generally don't do a 10 mile warm up first - but I tried not to focus on that part.
After I crossed the 11 mile mark I was officially running longer than I ever had before. Shortly after that my calves really started to seize up. I keep telling myself, "My calves are loose, my calves are loose." I don't think I really fooled myself, but I tried.
Everything felt good for the last 1/2 mile. I realized that I was actually doing it and the end was in sight.
My (decidedly slowpoke) time was 2:27:50 for an 11:19 min/mile average. 36/39 in my age group. 394/423 overall and 163/182 overall women.
I was soaking in the tub later and thought, "Man! People do two of those!" So many congrats to the marathoners who do that twice. And a half marathon is 1/6 of an Ironman, so I'm not even going to think about that.
Anyhow, I felt good. A little sore and stiff afterwards, but otherwise OK. Looking forward to a fun 5K next weekend which will no doubt feel like a sprint in comparison.
Congrats groovyjen! Don't
Congrats groovyjen! Don't beat yourself up too bad. It was your first 1/2 marathon, so focusing on finishing is all that matters. Keep up the training and all you can do is go up!
Paul
That's awesome! Congrats on
That's awesome! Congrats on finishing your first one.
Proud of ya girl! Don't fret
Proud of ya girl! Don't fret about your time, it just doesn't matter. The important thing is that YOU did it. It's your's.
groovyjen wrote:I was
[quote=groovyjen][s]I was soaking in the tub later and thought, "Man! People do two of those!" So many congrats to the marathoners who do that twice. And a half marathon is 1/6 of an Ironman, so I'm not even going to think about that.[/quote][/s]
There are people who finish 5ks (or don't/can't even run anyways) who'd say the same thing about 13.1. It's all relative. Don't mind what others have done. It's about what you just did.
Congratulations! You are a
Congratulations! You are a half marathon finisher. Be proud.
Congrat, groovyjen!! be
Congrat, groovyjen!! be PROUD of YOUR accomplishment! it's a BIG one and it will take you to the next step. HOORAY for YOU!!!!
Groovy, jen. Sounds like a
Groovy, jen.
Sounds like a great day to me. Congratulations!
Congrats!!! I think any
Congrats!!!
I think any finish is an accomplishment to be proud of.
Thanks everybody! Saturday
Thanks everybody! Saturday was also the first 5K for both of my parents - so a red letter athletic day for the groovy family (I posted about my Mom doing her first triathlon with me in August. She has since done another super sprint).
I think my next thing will be an olympic distance race in the 2010 season.
groovyjen wrote:Thanks
[quote=groovyjen]Thanks everybody! Saturday was also the first 5K for both of my parents - so a red letter athletic day for the groovy family (I posted about my Mom doing her first triathlon with me in August. She has since done another super sprint).
I think my next thing will be an olympic distance race in the 2010 season. [/quote]
you guys rock!!!
Congrats Groovyjen to you
Congrats Groovyjen to you and your whole family! I can't think of anything more awesome than a whole family going out to race on the same day, that is truly the coolest thing. You should be very proud of your achievement, and now you can spend the winter looking forward to and training for your Olympic-distance event next year. COOL.
:)
Congrats groovyjen, it is
Congrats groovyjen, it is one more in the line of many accomplishments with many more still to come. Good job.
Congrats! Be proud!!!!
Congrats! Be proud!!!!
Enjoy it and pay attention
Enjoy it and pay attention to any little tweaks you might be feeling, ......it's a great feeling to finish a half marathon, well done, it' s a great achievement, pay attention to your body.
Congratulations groovyjen!
Congratulations groovyjen! I'm sure it won't be long until you start thinking about doing a full marathon ;)
A 13.1 mile race is much
A 13.1 mile race is much harder than I thought it would be. I was in more pain after my first half marathon than I ever thought possible from a race. My brother and I laid in the grass as I wondered if my muscles would ever recover. We did a 5k, 5mile, 10k, 10mile, and 2 triathlons that year before the half marathon, and after the 13.1 miles, I quit. No way was I going to punish myself that much again. By spring I decided to do a marathon, and to my surprise it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be (in comparison to the half).
My point is, you just cleared a HUGE hurdle by my standards. Way to go.
Great Job to you and your
Great Job to you and your family!! Congrats!! ;-)
Groovy Jen, that's awesome!
Groovy Jen, that's awesome! I am so proud of you. What a great feeling, huh? I am doing my first half mary in November and I can't wait. Maybe that 6 mile run at your first oly will feel like cake after 13.1? Hope so!