My First Half Marathon

It all started on earth day 2018 where I participated in my company sponsored 5K run and I did extremely bad. I play Badminton often so I thought I should do OK in the run but it was not the case, my finish time was around 37 min. I was not into running back then and that run has made me realize to start running often.

After deciding to start running I started to run 5K almost three times a week. Initial runs were hard I used to stop after a mile and walk for the next quarter mile and then run but slowly I kept improving to a place where I was able to run the entire 3.1 mile without stopping with a 10 minute per mile pace.

Now that I can run 5K I started registering for the running events to see how I perform. I registered for a 4-mile run on July 4 and finished within 40 minutes. This gave me great confidence. Also, there was a running group in our company where people run half marathons and share how they practiced for it. This triggered me to practice for half marathon.

After completing the 4 miles run, I registered for a Labor Day run of 5 miles. I have practiced for this run by running the entire 5 miles 3 times. I was able to run the course without much stopping. Initial runs I used to stop at 2.5 mile and walk quarter mile and then resume the run. My pace was about the same around 9-10 minute per mile. What I have realized running long runs is to not stop often and keep the heart rate always going till you finish the run. This will not allow the mind to feel the soreness of muscles and pain. And I finished this run within 50 min as well.

I used to get shin splints often as I did not give much rest between runs. I fixed that by stretching before and after the runs and being hydrated. I am a skinny guy trying to gain muscle but also wanted to do a half marathon so that I can quit cardio for a while in a sense of achievement and focus on weight training. I know it’s a horrible idea, but I realized gaining muscle is an ongoing process and needs more patience for the results than running. However, I realized doing leg workouts helps immensely in running with also boosting testosterone which is hormone responsible for building muscle, so I started hitting gym whenever I can. My gym part would be funnier I would dedicate a whole new post for that.

In August 2018, I ran a 5K for another running event within 27 min. After that I didn’t run much because I didn’t have any deadline or something approaching. So, I registered in December for half marathon in march, back then I thought I have 3 months for practice and running 2 times a week with a good running plan would put me in good shape for the run. But I started procrastinating saying myself that the race day is far away and finding one or the other reason to skip practice. Also, I am a guy who doesn’t like cold weather which was also one of the reasons. The only run I did in that time frame was a 5K run organized by our company in the holiday season and I performed fine completing it under 30 min.

As the time passed by it was February and I hardly did any practice for my half marathon, but I was going to badminton 3 times a week and hitting gym when I can, so I was still getting some workout done. 3 weeks before the run I thought of differing it to next year but there was some hope in my mind that I can still do it. So, I decided to give it a shot. 2 weeks before the race day I ran 8 miles without much stops which gave me great confidence that I can do it. 

I decided to run the following week to make sure the previous one wasn’t fluke. I ran 10 miles and I did good considering I didn’t practice much. So, I decided to give half marathon a shot and the main goal for me was to complete the run rather than the finish time. One of the reasons I did good in my practice runs was MUSIC. I was listening to fitness and motivational songs in my run so that my mind was not thinking about the pain and soreness. I wasn’t doing that before in my runs. Also, I purchased runners’ belt so that I don’t have to worry about carrying keys and phone.

The week before race day I was loading upon carbs eating waffles, pan-cakes, oat meal, rice, potatoes to fuel myself for the run. I tried to drink more water than usual which helped me in my race. A day before race I was slightly worried if I will make through, but I didn’t give much thought as that would hurt my confidence. On the race day I woke up 3 hours earlier than race time to have breakfast so that it would be enough time for the body to use those when the race starts. I had oat meal and waffles and made sure all my logistics are in place for the run. I collected my bib a day before to avoid hastiness on the race day. I reached the start line half hour earlier which gave me enough time to stretch and warm-up to get my heart rate up before the run.

I was maintaining 10-minute mile pace till 5 miles listening to music and enjoying the weather. I gradually slowed down after that, but I made sure not to stop till I reach the finish line as that would allow me to experience more pain and soreness. This allowed me in maintaining pace below 11-minutes. Listening to fitness and motivational songs greatly helped me on the race day. I could barely walk after finishing the half marathon, but I had a sense of pride in achieving something which I committed to rather than quitting it completely. This run gave me more confidence to run more half marathons and I would like to run the Lexington Half in November to complete 2 half marathons in a year and receive a Double Dipper. For now, I would focus on weight training.