1:53:27

I came. I ran. I finished.

Congrats to all who ran (big high fives to Landon and Greg for awesome full marathon runs) and thanks to everyone who cheered, volunteered and watered us.

More later. Especially about the dessert (there are photos).

Bring on the Half Marathon

What am I waiting for? The Akron Half Marathon 6.5 weeks away, so I started my half-marathon training plan this afternoon with a 6-mile workout that included

On the track:

• 2 miles warm-up
• 2 x (1:00, 1:30, 2:00) high intensity, :30 jog in between + end recovery lap

Outside/semi-hilly terrain:

• 2 miles 9:00/mile pace

It was the first time I have ever done interval training and the first time my workout ever included anything other than the instruction “just run.” I’ve been itching to get some speed back (I was running too fast at the beginning; now I can’t get my pace back up!), and the interval training integrated into the half marathon plan I’ve borrowed from Runner’s World might be the key to getting my groove back.

And boy did I fly! The middle segment covered 2 miles, which I finished in a little under 13:00 (even with the resting jogs and recovery laps). Running at that speed, I could actually feel my stride coming back and my knees lifting—I wasn’t running flat-fronted anymore!

I must admit, however, that I wouldn’t have been able to push through the speed set without the two-mile warm-up. Duh, you say. Aside from my two weeks of sciatica recovery, I have never been hip to the warm-up—in running, swimming, cycling, anything. And it wasn’t that I thought it was a bad idea. I guess I just didn’t appreciate the warm-up for what it was supposed to be (a.k.a. I was lazy). So, I’ve long skipped the warm-up and just launched into whatever it is that I was doing. Silly me!

What surprised me most was that I actually got myself to run today. I wasn’t tired on Sunday after the race, but Monday and Tuesday were a little rough. Maybe it was all the excitement of reliving my first triathlon over and over again. That must have been it. But I think the allure of my first half marathon got me to the track today and then out on the street. And so it begins…

My Kent Half Marathon

Sunday was yet another down day for me and while I’m still congested and a little achey, I woke up pretty energetic this morning. And I’m certain that had nothing to do with taking a vacation day today!

Since I’m too wimpy to tough out the outdoor elements, I headed to the rec. center around 9 a.m. (I had a 12:30 p.m. class anyway), but ran with my Boston Marathon bloggy buddies in mind.

I’m still recovering, so I didn’t want to push myself beyond my capacity. It was meant to be a leisurely run; I just kept going and going and going. And by the time I hit ten miles, I looked outside (the wind was beding the trees over sideways), thought about the crazy weather in Boston and ran the additional three miles in honor of those tough people who did brave the elements today.

And that’s how I ran my first (unofficial) half marathon. Yeah!

But I was a good girl, running right around 8:00/mile for all 13 miles. My runner’s high ran fast through my veins for at least 1-2 hours afterward, carrying over right into my class where I had to do an impromptu magazine pitch and did it well. For anyone who knows about my speaking anxieties, you’ll know what a feat that was.

The real lowdown, however, is at the Boston Marathon: uber congrats to Salty One and Papa Louie for their inspirational races and brave performances in some crazy stuff! Way to go! I'm eager to hear the race reports from Boston.

OK, I’m In

Whether it was the sunny day or just Landon’s ever-persuasive powers over me, I’ve decided to target the Cleveland Half Marathon on May 20 as the next to next race on my schedule.

I would like to find a 10K to run in the meantime, but I’m running against a scheduling conflict: I’m taking a Saturday class this semester, which meets from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Saturdays through April 21.

It was a big bummer when I thought I wouldn’t be able to do the Julie Zajac Memorial Run on April 15 in University Heights (I’m attached to a really neato calendar from some year past and it throws be off all the time). Julie went to John Carroll, so I was really sad that for the first time I’m qualifiably a runner and wouldn’t be able to make the run. But my computer calendar tells me I can make it! Thanks Bill Gates!

The Julie Zajac run, however, is a 5K. Any 10K suggestions?

Amidst all of these running decisions, I managed to get in a good swimming workout. It was an abbreviated session (as usual with work lately), but I tried out my triathlon suit in the water for the first time.

By the time I stopped swimming competitively, suit tech had just moved past the high-neck/back-zip style and onto the likes of paper-suits and other early- to mid-90s swimming fashions.

The high neck always freaked me out because of my paralyzing claustrophobia (I always thought I was going to get stuck in the suit if I wasn’t being strangled), so it was an experience to work with this suit today.

It was also the first time I tried Speedo FASTSKIN and any suit with legs. The material is supposed to absorb a minimal amount of water and dry quickly. I didn’t get a chance to hop on a bike at the rec. center (I get the sense that they wouldn’t want me running around, tracking water all over the place), but it was strange to feel the subtle evaporation of water from the suit when I climbed out of the pool.

But I would like to get a better sense of how it works when I’m running. And how I feel about wearing it in public.

Yet when I jumped in the water, I felt like the only appropriate thing to do was swim:

- 100 yards butterfly to start
- 500 yards free
- 500 yards free
- 200 yards free

Only 1,300 yards, but I will get back to my old distances in time. My recent focus on running has left less time for swimming. But only a few more weeks of the spring semester will take up my Monday and Wednesday afternoons. I cannot wait to have my five days back!

Speaking of Wednesday afternoons, I will try to run between work and the 6:15 p.m. class tomorrow. My motivation around that time of day tends to range from "conquer the world immediately after I run 10 miles" to "take a nap immediately after I wake up from my nap."

Let’s just hope for the former: I have a half-marathon to run in 60 days.