Run, run, run, run, run, banana, run, run, run (#4 contd.)

A few weeks ago I ran my first half marathon in Savannah, GA and finished in 02:10:20.

I am not a natural runner and I do not find it easy.  Runners World has awesome training guides for all levels of runners  and I was amazed at how effective it was when I did follow it – adding the miles each week was a very natural easy way to run increasingly long distances.  It was truly amazing to realize that with enough work I can train my body to do pretty much anything.  I didn’t love the structure of following a schedule – I resented its rigidity and often rebelled.  I also didn’t like that all exercise had to be running – I enjoy variety and missed hiking, swimming and other exercise classes.   I had good intentions of training all the way up until the race but unfortunately life (more specifically work) got in the way.   The furthest I managed to run before the race was 8 miles so I felt extremely unprepared – I was pinning my success on the fragile hope that adrenaline would take me through the additional 6 miles that I hadn’t trained for.   The night before the race I was very nervous – the gravity of what faced me in a few short hours was weighing heavily.   My favourite good luck message was from my sister who, as ever, showed love and humor with a text that simply said “run, run, run, run, run, banana, run, run run”. After some carb loading the night before and a broken nights sleep full of super weird dreams, we were up at 5am and off to the race.

The race itself was incredible.   My eyes welled up as we set off as the reality set in that this thing I had been planning for months was actually happening and that my dear friend Nicole was there to share it with me.  There were all shapes and sizes running the race and I was particularly touched by the many people who wore shirts with the names of those they were running in memory of.  The people of Savannah, GA knocked it out of the park with the love and support they showed the runners – it was completely unexpected and overwhelming.  As we were waiting to get the bus people would let “runners get on first” and numerous strangers wished us luck.  There were local bands playing every mile, there were high school cheer squads, and there were people alongside the road with signs and cheers and high fives for the entire length of the race.  People had some pretty funny signs and my top 3 were:

• “This is long and hard so do it faster (that’s what she said)”
• “Make this race your b*tch”
• “13.1! (because 13.2 would make no sense)”

The actual running came much more easily that I had expected and I felt physically and emotionally on top form throughout.   I had set a goal of 2:30 so was ecstatic to finish in 2:10 and change.  I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink for a month leading up to the race so the first post-race beer tasted like heaven and we went on to celebrate in style with a rowdy day and night out in Savannah, GA.

Of all the wisdom that was spouted by proper runners leading up to the race this little nugget was dead on:

"Run the first part of the race with your head (slow and steady), the second part of the race with your personality (have fun and go for it) and the final part of the race with your heart (because that is the only thing that will get you through)."

You can see me finish around the 12 second mark in the grey t-shirt on the right.