On May 26, I ran my first half marathon here in Madison. I had spent the last 5 months working on my running endurance and speed. My longest run before the event was 10 miles, and I went into the event feeling good about being able to complete 13.1 miles, but I didn't know how fast I would be able to do it.
Last fall I was running a 14 minute mile. That's right, you could walk faster than I could run. I couldn't run more than about 1/2 a mile without feeling winded and cramped. Over the course of running more frequently, I could sustain a 10:45 minute mile for the duration of 10 miles, although I was apprehensive I could do this on race day.
With that being said, I wanted to give myself a half marathon goal time. I told myself that if I ran the half marathon in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes, I would be happy. I told myself that if I could run my half marathon in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes, I would be ecstatic.
On race day Craig and I made it downtown around 6:15am, to meet our APG crew. I was very nervous yet excited. We made our way down to the start, and off I went.
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| APG Runners! |
The last 3 miles, I was on my own. I knew I had begun to slow down, but I wanted to keep a steady pace. I went a little fast out of the gate, so I was hopeful I had some flexibility to still meet my 2:15 goal.
I ran the last few miles with a man from Milwaukee, and he helped pass the time when my toes weren't so happy. Once I reached Capital Square, I got my medal and saw Craig glowing with pride. It was an awesome moment. I went from the girl who couldn't run .5 miles, to someone who just ran 13.1.
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| Craig and I Post-Race |
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| WAHOO! |
Cheers,
Samantha
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