I did it! Earlier this month I completed my first half marathon. This is the culmination of all the running I have been doing for the past 10 years. My journey here has had its challenges from weight issues and prescription painkillers to a global pandemic. This is, essentially, a bucket list item for me so where do we go from here? What does the future of running look like for me?
One of the questions I get a lot is “how was it?”. The answer is obvious. It was rough. The first one is always rough. The farthest I had run, prior to the race, was 10.8 miles. I lost a week of training two weeks prior to the race because I caught a nasty cold. Despite having lost that week to illness, my confidence remained high.
I made it nearly six miles before I had to slow down for my first respite. In fact that happened a few more times over the next mile and I became concerned. About a mile later I realized that we had been going uphill for the past mile and a half. A lesson learned for next time.
Next Time?
Which begs the question. Will there be a next time? Afterall this was my ultimate running goal. I’m leaning toward yes but I won’t make a final decision until January. It does happen to fall on Star Wars Day next year so I probably have to do it.
I’m going to take it easy the rest of the year whilst I decide. I’ll keep my running distances between four and six miles and I’ll only push it if I’m feeling especially motivated. I think, if I can take off another 10 pounds, I’ll feel more inclined to do it.
Will I do a Full Marathon? No. After running 13 miles I cannot imagine running twice that, especially since I will be hitting my mid 40s next year. I have no idea how full marathon runners do it.
But I did have fun.
/cheers