The Day After....

I sit here in my bed, every muscle below my waist reminding me of the 13.1 miles I ran yesterday morning. It truly is the greatest feeling ever, isn't it?

I ran the Berry College Half Marathon.I started training in October of 2011, thinking I would be more than set. In truth, I wasn't completely prepared, but then again, are we ever? The race day dawned bright and beautiful, albeit cold. The weather reports all week had warned of 90% chance of rain, and in the end, the 10% that I desperately wanted won out. It was 40 degrees at the start of the race, a perfect temperature to run a half marathon.

The first three miles passed fabulously. I have a tendency to start out fast and burn out early on. So when I passed the first mile marker, I was pleased. When I was still running at the second mile marker, I was happy. At the third mile marker, I was elated. I usually wuss out by then and let myself walk. ;)

The first water stations were at mile 3.5, so I walked through that, sipping water and trying not to breathe at the same time. The rest of the race was a mixture of walking and running. I would have LOVED to run the whole race, but that was just not doable with my physical fitness at the time. But I am definitely training for more.

Miles 1-6 went great. I felt good, my muscles weren't hurting, and the scenery kept me distracted. Mile 7 came and along with it, the hills. I know, I know, I signed up for a race in North Georgia, in the foothills of the Appalachians, and I was surprised at the hills? I don't claim to be the brightest crayon in the box. :) Miles 7-10.5ish were up and down hills. The ups were steep and difficult, and the downs were over far too soon. I discovered that while my lungs hated running up hills, my knees did not enjoy running down them. Around 10 and a half miles, the terrain evened out, but my legs were burnt out and it was hard to finish.

My race preparation had me do my longest pre-race long run as 10 miles. The adrenaline of the race day would carry me over the final 3.1 miles. I disagree whole heartedly with this now. My next training session for a half will have me doing long runs that are 12 or 13 miles. My brain could handle 10 miles, remembering that not only had I completed 10 miles before, but I had thrived. Every step after mile 10 was new territory for me, and my brain felt like each step was harder than the last.

In the end, I finished at 2:43. I had set a goal of 2:35, but did not make it. I'm not upset with that, though, and instead see it was a challenge. My next half WILL have me beating that 2:35 wall.

In October 2012, I am hoping to run the Diva Half Marathon in Long Island, New York. Over the next 34 weeks, I will be incorporating easy runs, tempo runs, speedwork, and long runs into a training plan that will prepare me for New York. My goal for that race? A daunting 2:30.

And this blog is here to help me remember every step of the journey.