2013 Little Rock Half

Back when I turned 27, I created a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30. See the link up there ^. I started running in January 2011. I ran my first 5K in March 2011.

Before I started signing up for races, I absolutely hated running. I was using the Couch to 5K program and on running days, I dreaded it. I would make myself sick to my stomach thinking about it. Then I ran my first race. My time was horrible at 38 minutes but I finished it and I didn't walk. I had a lot of friends there that ran that day (who had just ran the LR half the weekend before, mind you) that ran it in less than thirty minutes. And when I say less than thirty minutes, I mean like less than twenty-five minutes.

Not only did I get bit by the running bug, I got bit by the competitive bug. I am not a competitive person. In any form or fashion, at all. I didn't want to compete with others as much as I wanted to compete with myself. I began to set goals and try to beat previous times. When I made my 30 before 30 list, I thought, "I'll add a half marathon to it."

I ran my first 10K in October 2011. It was the Survivor's Challenge and I ran it in honor of my father-in-law, who at the time, was a two time cancer survivor. He's now a three time survivor. The day after that race, I signed up for my first half marathon.

I ran it in March 2012. My only was to finish. I did finish with a time of 2:49. I wasn't thrilled with that, but I finished. When I signed up for this one, I decided this was my year to have a time goal. My goal was under 2:30 but my ultimate goal was to get 2:15 or under. Things happened (a complication with a leg surgery) and I didn't begin my training until the last week of December. I almost threw my time goal out of the window, but I didn't. I created a schedule for myself and I stuck to it. I ran every day, but maybe five days total, from that last week in December to March 2.

 

 

 

 

The race was this past Sunday, March 3. I also get so nervous before a race, even a small one. I had several friends there running and it helped to know that other people would be with me (well not with me because let's face it, I'm slow, but there on the course somewhere with me). It was really cold. It's no secret that I hate cold.

The race started and I got warmer, thank heavens. The only issues I had were trying to get around all the walkers. Again, because I'm slow, I get put in the open coral. The course is a really great course. A few inclines, but beautiful scenery. You get to run past the Capitol and the Governor's mansion, across the river, under an American flag, past firehouses, etc, etc, etc. So it's really nice to have pretty stuff to look at. I finished in 2:27:45. So I was under my time goal but I didn't make my ultimate goal. I did, however, shave 22 minutes off my previous time.

 

I'm not making excuses but I really believe if I hadn't had to waste so much energy passing people, getting stuck behind them going almost at a walk, then having to speed up to pass them, I might have done a few minutes better. Would it have been enough to reach my 2:15? No, but I do think that it might have gotten me a little closer and I would have pushed myself more to reach it. Next year! :)