2:02:00

Initially appeared on vox.com on 10/22/2009.

(Disclaimer: I've said it before and I've said it again - I do not consider myself a "real runner," so if my finishing times are laughable to you - please move on, there's nothing to see here.)

Today I am gloriously sore.

This past Sunday was the culmination of several months of training; I finally completed the Grand Rapids Half-Marathon in 2 hours and 2 minutes.

In truth, although my official goal was to try and finish in 2 hours or less, I've had the sinking feeling all along that I wasn't going to make it.  While training, although my longest long run peaked at 15 miles, it was essentially just plodding along at a 10:30 to 10:45 pace.  When I did my last "fast" long run at 10 miles two Sundays ago, the pace was at most just a little over 9:30.  And while I was able to sustain a 9:00 pace consistently for 4 miles or so, I just knew I wasn't going to be able to hold 9:09 for two straight hours. 

With that in mind, I dejectedly but unofficially reduced my "realistic" target time to somewhere in between 2:05 and 2:10.  Imagine my surprise at coming in 3 minutes faster and just 2 minutes over 2 hours. 

The race started out as planned, with me doing the first few miles at 9:45 and slowly increasing my pace by 15 seconds for every mile after the 4th or 5th.  Sound strategy (or so it seemed), as I did not want to come out too fast and "hit the wall" at around mile 10. 

Now I've heard about the "adrenaline" effect of running in a big race, but never having felt it before (despite the few 5- and 10ks that I've run to date), I didn't know if it was a myth or just something that "true" runners experience.  Imagine my surprise then when, upon reaching mile 9 with my pace at a healthy 9:15, I realized that I wasn't even close to getting tired.  Stealing a look at my trusty Garmin 305, I realized that I "only" needed to run the remaining 4 miles or so in 34 minutes to reach the magic 2 hour mark.  I decided to give it a go and run the rest of the race as fast as i could. 

On reviewing my splits, it seems that I finished the last 4 miles or so at a roughly 8:48 pace, which means that I could have completed a 5k in 27:20 - just 11 seconds shy of my PR - at the end of my Half-Marathon!  This is frankly something I didn't think I was capable of, and it makes me wonder if I shouldn't have started out a little faster and tried a little harder... although, as my battered legs can attest, I'm not quite sure I had any more effort left to exert.

To be honest, this was not nearly as dramatic as it could have been.  There was none of that "pain is only temporary, but glory lasts forever" crap going through my mind, just a simple "Wow, I am really doing this, let's see how long I can keep it up" sentiment. 

I suppose that's what the "runner's high" that I keep hearing about really is - a sense of well-being that makes you go beyond your preconceived limits.  Unfortunately for me, it doesn't seem like those limits were meant to be crossed, hence the current inflammation of every piece of connective tissue from my toes to my butt, which shows no signs of abating at all soon.  Owwww. 

Still, what this makes me realize is that what once seemed like a pipe dream - that is, eventually running a full 26.2, may actually be doable.   For now I'll just have to subsist on a steady stream of Ibuprofen and wait for the pain to pass.

I haven't committed to anything yet, but I'm already browsing for a full marathon in the spring.  Mayhap one will look interesting enough (and fit into my schedule) to join.  Target time: 4 hours.  Realistically around 4:15, but we'll see.

Ever the supportive wife, Gianina bought me a "13.1" magnet to stick on my car a few weeks ago, which we finally got to put on.  I hope to be able to put a "26.2" on there soon.