Thursday 18 September 2014

My First Half Marathon

I'm writing this a few hours after completing a half-marathon in Creston, B.C.  The run actually felt great and the weather was perfect for it.  I chose this particular run because of the time of year (cooler), and the fact that it is flat.  In the Kootenays, flat places are rare.  I have some arthritis things going on in my left knee and it complains a lot during steep downhills, so I thought a flat run would be best for my first "big" run.  For the first time I carried and ran with an ipod playing music.  I knew that I'd be running alone and thought it would be good to have some amusement.  Usually, I like to listen to the birds, the rushing rivers, and the forest sounds, but this run is partly through a large agricultural area.  By km 3, I had to take the ipod out of my small pack because the shuffle kept getting pushed by something in my pack and it was very distracting.  I then carried the ipod in my zip up pocket in my shorts.  At about km 14 Annie Lennox was singing about "being 17 again" and I laughed because there is no way I could have run this far at 17.  I would have refused!  Training took place on a slightly more difficult course so it really paid off in the run today.  I felt tired at km 19, but not exhausted,  and the hard work paid off. My ankles felt a little wonky.  They recovered.   A big thank you to Rick, my running partner this summer.  I was able to relax enough to simply enjoy the scenery and the sunshine.  Miro, I managed to avoid stepping on a snake while running along the gravel shoulder, although I did see one that a car had driven over.  It was so good to have my coach Janis out there running as well. She is such an amazing cheerleader for ALL runners!  Thanks to Janis for getting me started.  Look what she has created!  Thank you to Dave as my driving support and bike rider who came by to cheer me on.  Even though I was one of the last finishers, I felt good that I more than met my goal (goal was 2 hours 30 minutes) and I was the second oldest participant in the run.  Not sure what my future plans are, but I do notice that I titled this my "first" half marathon!