Let me first say that I don't like running...
But that being said, I ran my first half marathon this past Sunday, 11/6. It was the US Half Marathon (http://ushalf.com/) here in San Francisco. Not sure why I thought running 13.1 miles was a good idea at the time, but a year ago I made a pledge to make some changes in my life. One was to get back into shape but I didn't think that just promising to go to the gym was enough. So I set a goal of running the Bay to Breakers AND a half marathon within a year. Well now I can say Mission Accomplished!
But that being said, I ran my first half marathon this past Sunday, 11/6. It was the US Half Marathon (http://ushalf.com/) here in San Francisco. Not sure why I thought running 13.1 miles was a good idea at the time, but a year ago I made a pledge to make some changes in my life. One was to get back into shape but I didn't think that just promising to go to the gym was enough. So I set a goal of running the Bay to Breakers AND a half marathon within a year. Well now I can say Mission Accomplished!
I ran the Bay to Breakers (7.46 miles) in 1:29, which wasn't bad considering the only training I did was to run 3 miles FOUR days before the race! Like I said, I don't like to run, but I was working out about 3 days a week so I was in pretty good shape. My time could've been a little better but my left knee started killing me once I got into Golden Gate Park. But I made it to the finish, sore knee & all.
For the half marathon, I decided that a good way to train was to start playing pick-up soccer. I was playing 3x's a week & I made the most of it. I made sure to run as much as possible during the games. All the running back & forth definitely helped with my endurance & stamina. But since I didn't like actual running, I maybe logged a total of 13 miles in training for the half marathon.
But I was still working out 2 - 3x's a week & I was pretty fit come race day. My goal was to finish with the hope of maybe finishing under 2:30 but since I had never run more than 7.46 miles I wasn't sure what kind of time to expect. I had a pretty good pace to begin with & made it up the first hill at the 3 mile mark (Warming Hut) without any issues. The next hill a mile later was tough but I made it to the top without stopping. But a half mile later was another hill & about 3/4 of the way up I had to walk to the top.
Once at the top, I had to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Things were going fine until we hit a few bottlenecks on the bridge. We had to deal with the runners coming back across the bridge & that cost me almost 10 minutes. What also didn't help was the fact that I started cramping up (my right hammy & both my calves). It wasn't that serious so I was able to soldier on.
The final hill was a straight climb for half a mile to Mile 7, from there it was all downhill & smooth sailing, or so I thought. Around the 9.5 mile marker I started cramping up again & walked to stretch it out. I made it another mile before the cramping came up again. From there on out I had to walk/run to the finish line. This sucked because I really wanted to finish strong. I was able to cross the finish line running but I was in pain. My endurance & stamina wasn't an issue, as I felt I could've kept on running but my legs wouldn't let me.
I had a great experience for my 1st half marathon & am looking forward to the other half marathon in April so I can get a complete medal. Will I be doing half marathons on a regular basis? Probably not as I don't like the idea of running for 2+ hours straight. But I wouldn't mind doing some 5K's & 10K's as I know I'll be done within an hour.
For the half marathon, I decided that a good way to train was to start playing pick-up soccer. I was playing 3x's a week & I made the most of it. I made sure to run as much as possible during the games. All the running back & forth definitely helped with my endurance & stamina. But since I didn't like actual running, I maybe logged a total of 13 miles in training for the half marathon.
But I was still working out 2 - 3x's a week & I was pretty fit come race day. My goal was to finish with the hope of maybe finishing under 2:30 but since I had never run more than 7.46 miles I wasn't sure what kind of time to expect. I had a pretty good pace to begin with & made it up the first hill at the 3 mile mark (Warming Hut) without any issues. The next hill a mile later was tough but I made it to the top without stopping. But a half mile later was another hill & about 3/4 of the way up I had to walk to the top.
Once at the top, I had to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Things were going fine until we hit a few bottlenecks on the bridge. We had to deal with the runners coming back across the bridge & that cost me almost 10 minutes. What also didn't help was the fact that I started cramping up (my right hammy & both my calves). It wasn't that serious so I was able to soldier on.
The final hill was a straight climb for half a mile to Mile 7, from there it was all downhill & smooth sailing, or so I thought. Around the 9.5 mile marker I started cramping up again & walked to stretch it out. I made it another mile before the cramping came up again. From there on out I had to walk/run to the finish line. This sucked because I really wanted to finish strong. I was able to cross the finish line running but I was in pain. My endurance & stamina wasn't an issue, as I felt I could've kept on running but my legs wouldn't let me.
I had a great experience for my 1st half marathon & am looking forward to the other half marathon in April so I can get a complete medal. Will I be doing half marathons on a regular basis? Probably not as I don't like the idea of running for 2+ hours straight. But I wouldn't mind doing some 5K's & 10K's as I know I'll be done within an hour.
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