This weekend is the half-marathon point in out training schedule. I’ll be running the Battlefield Half-Marathon in Eastern Henrico County. Angela is registered for this race as well, but unfortunately, she has to work all weekend long. So, we are starting the first-annual Angela’s Birthday Half-Marathon, scheduled for Monday at 7:00 am. This will be a 13.1 mile tour of Richmond’s West End (now referred to by some as mid-town Richmond, due to the Western Sprawl that is Henrico and Goochland Counties).
So, in the span of two days, I will now have run a marathon. I’m either a very foolish person with no regard for my legs or a very loving husband, willing to endure pain for my wife. I’m most likely a fair amount of both. At least I’ll have an extra day this weekend to recover from my foolishness.
My race on Sunday morning is a traditional half-marathon, with volunteers manning water stops, signs marking each passing mile, and a timer at the finish line to call out how I’ve done. Angela’s on the other hand, is the two of us running in a series of two-three mile loops centered around my truck parked at a nearby intersection.
Update 2005–9‑4: I finished my race in 1:52:39, according to the RRRC website. My own numbers were about the same. That’s an average pace of 8:36 minutes per mile, which is really fast for me. I’m not as proud of the results as that may sound, though, because I really pushed myself harder than I should of, and to what end? I had never run a half-marathon before, so it’s not like I was trying to beat a previous time. There was no way I was going to place in anything (I was barely in the top half, 146 out of 215 runners, and number 6 of 8 in my age/gender group). Basically, rather than use the experience to learn how to run this distance, I learned exactly how not to. I’m going to have to work on pacing myself better if I have any hope to surviving the marathon.
Overheard while running the race at about mile 5–1/2:
Minnesota Guy: Yeah, the people who run with those huge fuel belts with like eight or ten bottles, or even those big heavy bags, they look like compete geeks. It’s like they’re running with a full water stop for the whole race.
J.R. (Girl From Training Team): Yeah.
Yes, Minnesota Guy (who sounds just like Garrick Van Buren), I am a geek. I run with a Camelbak with the exact amount of fluids I’ll need to finish the race. I’m also right behind you. I may not be that fast, but I also know that it is not the 2lb pack I’m carrying that is slowing me down. Especially since I’m sweating enough to loose about that much during the course of the race anyway.
Success! We both ran 13.1 miles today in the First Annual Angela Dyer Birthday Half-Marathon. It was great day to be out running, although since we got a late start, we didn’t finish until 1:00pm, when it was about 85°. I’m really proud of Angela, though, because she stuck it out and ran the entire time.
Hey J & Angela…
Great job… I’m so proud of you guys… That’s so great that you guys are rocking along w/ the running. You’re inspiring me to get back out & run as much as I can… I’ve been all over the map in my personal & professional pursuits & have not put much time into running like I have in the past… I’m going to do my best to get out & there & run as much as I can… and run smart… Thanks for the inspiration.…
-dc
Dave, I read a nice little article the other day in Men’s Health about the many benefits of running & cardio. The point was to prioritize your life. The quote was that 30 minutes of running trumps a sitcom. I know that you don’t watch TV, but that’s the idea.
We’re both struggling with it, too. Sleeping in is so much nicer than running at 6:00 am, but we still try. I’ve really been trying to find new streets to run on as well.
Anyway, I’m really glad to hear that you’re back into it. You’re always welcome to come run up here, especially if you feel like doing 26.2 miles come mid-November.