Harvest Half Marathon - Check that off the list!

This summer, while I was in Toronto I did a bunch of running to help me stay in shape while I was on vacation and away from the gym.  I had a few really good runs, that made me feel motivated.... so when we got back to Calgary I signed up for the Harvest Half Marathon that my Body Pump teacher mentioned in class a few times.  Then I actually got an app on my phone with a training plan and set off to attempt to train for and run a half marathon.  Now this is not the first time I have thought about a half marathon.  Twice before, when I lived in Toronto, I tried to train for one, but both times injured myself and never made it to the actual race.  This time I thought would be different, I am in much better shape, and I had lots of time to train before October.  Well, I was doing very well and then I hurt my hip.  I did one of my long runs (early on in the plan) and my hip hurt, a lot, for over 2 weeks.  I couldn't really run at all.  I thought, well here we go again, I am just not meant for this volume of running or this distance.  I took those two weeks off and just did spinning classes and my body pump classes and tried to decide what I would do about the race.  I couldn't get my money back, so I thought that maybe I would just alter the training plan a bit so that the volume of running wouldn't be quite as extensive and then I could still spin and do pump and maybe that will make up for the missing running.  I still ran 3 or 4 times a week, just not as long mid week, but doing the long runs as planned on Sundays.  This seemed to be working better for me (mentally and physically).  However, towards the end of all this, I was just really tired of running and couldn't wait to get the actual race over with. 

Well Saturday I did it!  I ran my first ever half marathon and it was not awful.  Actually it was pretty good.  I was extremely nervous waiting for it to start, having no idea what to expect really.  Once we got going, I tried really hard to pace myself and take it easy so I would make it all the way.

This was a great little sign to see!

(At this point I was still feeling great, and this little distance marker gave me a boost and such a happy feeling! It was awesome to see people around me running and giving each other high fives! A good marker for everyone!)

I took this picture because this was a distance marker I needed to see.  I was started to get mentally drained and seeing 15 meant I was so close to the end, just had to make it through one giant hill and 6 more kms and then I would be done!

 

This was something else I really needed to see... Charlotte (and Lindsay)!  They came to cheer me on in a few different places and this particular spot was at the top of a giant, steep hill near the 18km mark.  This was the perfect place to see them, with balloons and horns and smiling faces... it was exactly what I needed to motivate me for the last 3 kms, especially after the killer hill!

I did it!

(The last 3 kms were hard... but there was something about seeing the giant inflatable finish line that allowed me just that last little burst of energy (and I think a desire to just stop running) to "sprint" the last 100 meters or so.  I felt good finishing strong and actually felt good just finishing! Seeing my two beautiful cheerleaders waiting for me was very emotional.  It was quite an experience.)

(I also finished with a time I was proud of.  My goal was to be under 2:30, and I finished in 2:19:25! Not the fastest runner out there, but a very happy number for me!)

 

Two days post race the most common questions I am getting are "how do your legs feel?" and "will you do it again?".  Well, my legs feel surprisingly good.  I am, of course, a bit sore... mostly my hamstrings and my shins.  Stairs were not my favourite things yesterday, but are better today.  I was expecting much worse, so am glad that I can actually walk normally.  Will I run another half.... I just don't know.  Right now I go back and forth. I am still on that post race high, so I keep thinking, yes, I will do this race every year.  I am a competitive person, so want to challenge myself, see if I can better my time, and I like to have a goal and something to work for.  However, when I think about all the training again, I think, no, I won't want to do that again. So right now, who knows.  I won't say never, but I'm just not sure.  What I do think I will take on next year is a few 10km races.  That seems like a much more "fun" distance, and from this race, the first 10km were really fun.  I was running well, singing along to my music and really enjoying the atmosphere.  That might be a distance I am more comfortable with, and the training is not as intense.  We'll see what the next year brings!