My First Half-Marathon
Results
Overall: 30th place
Men: 24th place
Official Time: 1:50:37
Background
I've only been running for the past 9 months or so. I started my running journey on the treadmill last winter. I initially encountered pain in my right foot after a few sessions. It went away after buying a new pair of shoes. I haven't stopped running since then. Once spring arrived, I started running distances of 10-15km on the weekend outside. It was then I realized that running a half-marathon was possible.
To achieve this goal, I started training in May. I ran three times a week (one long run on the weekend and two short runs on the weekdays) and did cross-training (swimming/biking/strength training) twice a week. Right before Father's Day, I fell off my bike really hard. I bruised my right rib and sprained my left wrist. I was out of commission for about three weeks. Fortunately it didn't take me long to whip myself back into shape afterwards. I continued my training until about two weeks prior to the race. It was then I started to taper off, so that I could slow down and rest up before the race. This was difficult for me at first because I feared that I would lose my fitness. I had to remind myself to trust the process and that everything will work out fine.
Before the Race
They say you never get a good night's sleep before your race. I can agree with that. I slipped into bed at 8pm. I had difficulty sleeping for the first two or three hours. My body was tired but my mind was still awake with a mix of excitement and anxiety. I then decided to get up and read a book until I fell back asleep.
I woke up at 4:30am. Quickly dressed myself in my running clothes that I had set aside on a chair beside my bed. Ate a little bowl of plain Greek yoghurt mixed with blueberries, homemade granola with nuts and protein powder, cottage cheese and honey for breakfast. Went straight to the toilet afterwards. Got my things together and left at around 5:20 for the starting line. I arrived there at around 5:45am. Managed to get a parking spot in little time. Got out of my car and left most things in there. Went inside the building to put away my car keys safely in an envelope labelled with my bib number. Chatted with a couple of racers. Did some dynamic warmups and stretches to loosen myself up. Went to the porta-porty one last time before lining up at the starting line.
During the Race
Splits
| Lap | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 18:01 |
| 2 | 7:27 |
| 3 | 9:15 |
| 4 | 8:26 |
| 5 | 9:15 |
| 6 | 8:45 |
| 7 | 10:26 |
| 8 | 7:58 |
| 9 | 8:28 |
| 10 | 8:35 |
| 11 | 7:42 |
| 12 | 6:10 |
Note: The first lap seems long because I didn't spot the first mile marker. It was taken at the second mile marker.
Terrain
For the first 8km or so, it was mostly flat and downhill. Then it started going uphill via a series of rolling hills. It was a hilly course.
Fuel and Hydration
I took three Gu energy gels with me (two salted watermelon and one tri-berry) and stored them in the back pocket of my running shorts. I only needed to consume two of them to make it through the course. I also took advantage of the aid stations when I needed them. There were 4 or 5 of them.
Weather
Such a beautiful cool morning with the sun peaking out from the horizon. The land was covered in mist and dew.
Overall Thoughts
I had a wonderful time at this race. It was well-organized by the race director, sponsors and volunteers. I knew for a fact that I would finish it. But what I didn't know was that I would finish in under 2 hours. I was blown away, considering this was a hilly course. I like to imagine that my time would be much faster if I ran a flat course instead. I'm so proud of myself. All the work I did to prepare for this race paid off beautifully. I felt like I was performing at my best. My hope is that this will be the first of many running races in the years to come. I'd like to run a full marathon before I turn 40.
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