So I’m doing my 3rd Half Marathon a week from today. I did one in April of 2017, then last April. I am quite calm about it overall, as I believe I am quite well-prepared for this event. At the same time, I would never take it for granted. After all, it is a 13.2 mile race.
My first half marathon, two years ago, did not go as planned. I ended up suffering from what my buddy Dave calls “Happy feet.” I was so excited to be in the race, and fired up by the crowd, and all the energy, that I ran way too fast. This was fun while it lasted, but by mile 7 or 8 I knew there was a problem, and by mile 12 I was basically burnt out. I ended up walking the last mile.
This is NOT the outcome I was hoping for. I was proud of my running, the fact that, at the time, I had been running regularly for 9 years without a coach or running partner. That turned out to be exactly what caused the problem: I was inexperienced running with other people and therefore allowed my own excitement to get away from me. I paid the price in the form of my own personal embarrassment.
Last year was quite a lot better. I was mentally prepared. In fact, I was conservative about running. I wanted to make sure that I lasted, so I actually ran slower than I probably needed to. The last few miles, I put on the gas, and I ran to the finish line with extra still in the tank. I beat my previous time, but, surprisingly, not by a whole lot (the previous year, although I walked the last mile, my overall time benefited from how fast I ran the first half of it, so my overall time was still decent).
This year I’m hoping for a mature and graceful improvement over the other two. It also helps that I’m 30 pounds lighter, the result of my successful intermittent fasting campaign. I am hoping to have a strong race, with a strong finish, and also feel great overall afterword.
Wish me luck!