Half-Marathon Journey
On March 25th, 2023 I ran my first Half-Marathon. Not only was it my first Half-Marathon, but it was my first trail race as well. As well as being my first race that was over 2000ft of elevation; most of my races in high school were on a track or consisted of moderate hills. Needless to say, I was a bit out of my element and in over my head.
So what prompted this incredibly bad idea? Its a rather short story spanning two years. A friend of mine asked me to run a race called The Beer and Bagel Run, which consisted of a 4ish mile course across a Christmas tree farm. At the conclusion of the race were bagels, beer, and chili… I guess they left the chili part out of the name to avoid it becoming a BBC run… The course was beautiful and the race was awesome but it had been quite a few years since I ran anything longer than 2 miles let alone 4 miles with hills! So my time was a 44:14, which to a washed up high school state medaler and self-proclaimed athlete, was awful. However, it was a much faster time than sitting on the couch would have gotten me! My perceived awful time did accomplish one thing though, it ignited the itch to run and to train for endurance events. There was still a problem to overcome. One reason I had not been running for the past few years before 2021 was a persistent numbness in my right leg as I approached 2-3 miles of running. I regret to say that this problem squashed the bug as soon as it came to be.
Fast forward a year and its time for Beer and Bagel 2022! I was asked again by my friend if I wanted to run this race again and at this point I hadn’t run a single time since the last beer and bagel race in 2021! So I was quite nervous about the numbness in my leg starting again right around mile three, but I chose to send it and be bold! Thank God that I did. I felt phenomenal the entire race albeit a pretty high heart rate with the hills and lack of preparation. I clocked in a 30:21 which just comparing it to the year before, was breathtaking to me especially since I had not trained a single second for the run. This relief from the numb leg “problem” and overall positive performance was the impetus I needed to get into the endurance spirit! As well as watching my cousin run an Ironman in Kona and volunteering at the event which allowed me to talk to the finishers as they crossed the finish line and walk to the aid station. That whole experience is a post in itself which I hope to get to in the future.
After the B&B 2022, my friend and I both decided that we would tackle a half marathon next and he was going to determine which one! Not too long after, we were signed up for the Big Woods half marathon which I signed up for and did not research the race at all until the turn of the new year, 2023. When I looked into this race I saw that this was going to be a hilly trail run that was described as “not your mothers half marathon” and “technically difficult.” All I had done thus far was run on flat paved roads and the short inclines around my neighborhood and now for the next 3 months, I would need to include many more runs with elevation while increasing my overall volume of distance to levels I haven’t done since I was 17 years old, 10 years ago.
The only way I crossed the finish line on March 25th was the blessings of consistency. The consistency of my friend to keep pushing me into running events and training for long runs on Saturdays. The consistency of my training that not only was beneficial to my race, but to my overall health and chronic health issues that are a whole different story (but relates to consistency as well). As well as the consistency models that I had around me, including my cousin training for Kona and all the finishers in Kona that even after they completed their race and were utterly spent, they would encourage me to begin my fitness journey so that they may one day welcome me at the finish line in Kona! Although my current aspirations are not to run an Ironman it was something I would ruminate on each and every run training for this race and has made such a difference in my mindset.
Conclusion
Now to continue being consistent in all things of my life, including this blog! So to any who come across this post, please know that if you are concerned about starting a new hobby, job, or task the best way to accomplish your goals is to be consistent and to surround yourself with models of consistency so you can be immersed in it. My results from the run are at the link below and I plan to write a full start to finish though dump from the race and post it here shortly!