My First Half- Marathon Part 1

Today, I ran my first half-marathon in my goal time of under 2 hours.

The morning started off pretty rough due to the lack of sleep. I went to bed at 1 am, then woke up at 2 am I didn't turn off push notifications and again at 6:00 and 6:30 am because I set the wrong alarm! Oh well, at least I got a solid 4 hours. I ended up dragging myself out of bed around 7 am so I could have a carb-filled breakfast before I headed downtown. Thankfully, my mom was kind enough to cook me hot noodles with veggies - which kept me warm despite the frigid weather!

With the temperature hovering around 9 degrees, I parked my car and headed to bag check. I was about 1/2 an hour early, but there was a line up, so I figured I should just check my bag as soon as possible to avoid missing the race. Unfortunately, that also meant I had to take off the many layers that were keeping me warm! For that half hour, I didn't know what to do! I was so cold, but I did not want to waste energy running around because I knew that if I did, I would not make it to the finish line. But being the clever person that I am, I made my way to my starting corral, and tried to stand down wind/behind big-tall people, which worked quite well. (:

Before the race, I loaded up on Prayer and Pre-event Gatorade, because I knew I needed all the help I could get, considering my "training" had never exceeded 5-10k, and the fact that I take things easy when I run alone.

As the event started, I made sure that my chip was securely fastened to my shoe, and that I made contact with the pads that sensed the chip! And I was off!

During the race, although I had my ipod with me, I decided not to listen to music since it would ruin the running experience. And I'm glad that I opted for that, because I would have missed the sound of the collective clatter as thousands of peoples shoes hit the pavement, and the cheering from onlookers/supporters. Additionally, Runners know that listening to music throws off your pace, and helps your brain keep track of time - neither of which I needed. However, I did keep a pace band with me, so that I would know how I was doing at the half way mark. Speaking of which, I was able to maintain a fairly steady pace for the first leg, knowing that my body was capable of finishing 10 km but at the same time knowing that I would have to run ANOTHER 11.1 km after that with even MORE phosphate and lactic build up.

Thankfully, the burn did not reach a level, and I can guarantee that it was an answered prayer. I took each 2 km leg at a time, only slowing down to refill on electrolytes and sugars through my new favourite energy source (Clif Gel shots or bloks).

And I can proudly say that I finished in 1:55:11:1! Hurrah!


Stay tuned for part two!