Respect the half.

So I was thinking today that I have not given the half marathon the respect it deserves, nor have I given myself the credit I deserve for completing this race. I have been so focused on training for the full marathon that this half seems like a side note...like a well I am doing a full so I might as well do a half.

According to runningusa.org in 2011 1.61 million people finished a half marathon (assuming these are US statistics and the US population is 314 million give or take) that means that .5% of the US population have completed at least one half marathon. I would think that number will increase again in 2012, but still a small number of the population.

And I can count myself as one of them. One of the few people that have run 13.1 miles. No it wasn't easy and yes I would do it again.

I should be more proud. I should give myself more credit for this amazing accomplishment.

Just last year I never would have thought I could have crossed that finish line after 13.1 miles...I can remember when 30 seconds seemed impossible now three and a half hours is just another long run. I am slow. But slow is still faster than the other 312,390,000 that have never done a half marathon.

The first official 13.1 - completed and official!

Well it finally happened. I have officially and forever become a half marathoner. I am now entitled to wear the shirts and sort the official car magnets and can join the smallish segment of the population that have completed a 13.1 mile road race. 

Hot damn.

Wait let me say that again HOT DAMN!

I am still at the very end stages of my marathon training. In fact this was my last official long run. It was a beautiful morning and I had the privilege of running with some of the most talented and gracious people I know. I chose to run this race because my marathon is out of state and I won't have any runners with me that I have trained with or that will want to 'run' at my snails pace with me. (No worries. I plan on downloading an audio book and zoning for the hours and hours and hours it will take me to finish)

Back to the race. The marathoners left a half hour prior to the start of the half marathon and at 8am we were off! I ran the first half with one of my partners in crime running buddies who helped push me in a quickish pace. The second half I was cheered on by so many awesome volunteers and fellow Y runners that were not competing in this particular race. It was awesome. And sunny and cool and mildly windy (I have the windburned face to prove it). I did slow the second half, but still maintained about a two minute faster than training pace run. 

The last two miles were evil, awful, painful and my intestines were very unhappy with me. I thought I was going to puke. Or worse. I was even looking for places to make a dash if it came right down to it. Thank goodness I had tissue just in case such need arose. I just kept pushing and got to the last couple of tenths of a mile to the finish and crossed sub three hours. Oh yeah I said sub three hours. I know not Olympic pace but I thought I was going to go 3:15 or more. 

Okay wow I crossed the finish line. Now where are those porta potties? A few hellos a brief thought of puking - oh did I mention I passed a few old people on my way across the finish line. Oh yeah I said I passed people. I did get beat by several marathoners - full marathoners and a power walker (this is the second time I have been beaten by a freakin power walker), but I PASSED PEOPLE!!!!

I now have a medal, a number and an official time. And I am excited. I am still terrified for the full marathon, but am looking forward to this taper thing and praying it works wonders. 

Here are a few things I learned today:

Not only did I finish about 15-30 minutes faster than I anticipated with a surprising sub 3 hour 1/2 marathon finish while still in training for my next race...when I went back and looked at some of my split times and I found something else surprising. 
- My fastest 10k (granted I have only done 1) was 1:20:43 today my 6 mile split was 1:13:50.
- My fastest 15k was 2:09:41 in 2011 and 2:16:42 in 2012...today my 9 mile split was 1:55:38.
I was excited when I realized that I was in fact pushing it a bit today and while still in my last week of training. Thank you everyone for your encouragement of this slowish runner...I may have to keep going with this and do these races again next year and see how much farther I can go :)