Half Marathon

Today I ran the Vermont City Marathon as part of a two person relay team. I wasn't going to run the race at all this year. Last year, I had a really tough race. It really shook me mentally. That combined with a foot injury that I have been nursing for the better part of nine months has left me running much shorter distances. Mostly four to six miles for most of the winter. I had only recently started to develop some type of a training plan targeting some vague future goal. Two weeks ago I ran a seven and was experimenting with some pacing/ training ideas for the following weekend. That Monday when I got to work I saw and email sent out by a coworker to the whole faculty. She was running the marathon as part of a two person team and her teammate was injured in a car accident. She needed a new partner to run the 13.1 mile leg. I thought about it off and on all day. Eventually, I sent her an email telling her that I could run it. I explained that if she was looking to race it and needed speed then I wasn't in the shape for that, but if she just wanted to have someone run it then that I could do.

In reality, as it has been closing in on the race weekend I was missing doing the race. I have run that race every Memorial Day Weekend for the last three years. In the years prior to that I was water support for someone else, and once ran it  as a part of a five person relay team. It was really weird to have no connection to it at all this year. The girls were really sad. They have apparently become rather attached to my medal collection as they have started some of their own.

I have to say I had a lot of fun doing the relay. It was weird to be at the start of the race and not start (I ran the second half). I hung out with Erin's (my teammate) husband Matt, their two kids, and a friend of theirs who's fiance was running the half too. I cheered for people and wandered my way down to the relay exchange. Waiting out the two hours until I took over.

It was perfect weather for running cloudy and mid- upper 60's. I felt sort of bad as I was now passing a steady stream of marathoners as my legs were much fresher than theirs. Physically, I felt really good and had a good time for the first seven miles or so. I did have some slow down, as I had not trained as I would have to build the endurance. In the end I clocked myself at a 1:58. Not a very fast half for me, but under the circumstances of my lack of training I was happy. I definitely have never entered Waterfront Park feeling as peppy as I did. I even walked the mile home.

I did miss running the full thing. I also really missed all the people that come to cheer and hand me waters. For the last few years we have had a family cookout after the race. This year I came home to an empty house, and then had to go grocery shopping. Which is not anywhere near as nice as people cooking me food and bringing it to me. That treat alone might just be worth enduring the 26.2 again.