My First Half Marathon

I finally did my Half Marathon on April 27, 2013; it was the Singer Island Half Marathon. I actually was worried I would not do it because I again had some knee problem that cropped up a few days before race day. I did not run for the three days leading up to the race to give the knee issue time to resolve itself. On race day it did not bother me at all.

Like the 5K race, I started to the rear of the group so I would be sure to start out slow. This race for me was pretty much to get a feel for the distance and get used to racing. Even though the Marathon I want to do is not until December, this race would give me some idea of what I may expect.

My time was 1:54:42, about what I expected. I told my wife and son to expect me to finish in 1:50 so estimated pretty close. Average pace was 8:45. Having to go over and back on the bridge twice slowed down a lot of people, me included. Below is a short video my son made of me at the race. Race Results
 

First Race

Wanting to do a 5K race before my Half Marathon I searched our area for one that would be close to home and would be considered a smaller race. I did not want to race with hundreds of other people in this race that would be my first in about 7 years. I felt running in a smaller race would allow me just to run at my own pace or race my own race without getting caught up with the big crowd.

I found one just a couple weeks out that was close to home (Standown House 254th Transportation Battalion 5k Run/Walk) and the money went towards a cause I was for. I signed up on line and was committed and I had already signed up for the Half Marathon

At this point I have really done no speed work, maybe just some faster tempo mixed in with my regular runs and a couple days running the bridge on the Half Marathon course. My longest run was 8 miles. The half marathon was 4 weeks out from here and I planned to do at least one 10 mile run before then. So in reality this 5K would be a speed workout for me. So the bottom line is I had four weeks till half marathon and two weeks till the 5K.

A couple days before the 5K my right knee started to hurt, felt like it was just below the knee cap area, my first injury since I started running in December. Great, my first race in a couple days and this happens. Well I did not run at all till the morning of the race. I got up extra early and did an easy test run to see how it felt and it appeared to be OK.

So what the heck, I went to the race with the thought that I’ll start the run and if it hurt I’d just stop. I lined up at the back of the group at the starting line so I would not be caught up in the initial rush and go out too fast. Ran slow and the knee felt fine so I gradually speed up at each mile and finished with a time of 24:13 if I remember correctly. That was much better than I anticipated. I actually got 3^rd place in the Grandmaster Division.

 

Looking back I could have finished faster but this was a test race and I did not want to push it, especially worrying about my knee. For someone looking for a PR in a 5K this course would be great. It’s flat and easy to run.

My First Races in 6 Years

So I have started running again, I’ve been back at it since December 2012. Not wanting to overdo it at first, I just started off walking, then walking and jogging till I progressed to the running only stage. I took my time as I am looking long term and wish to put off any injuries if possible.

From December till now (6/4/13) I have lost 18 pounds of useless weight and feel so much better. I am trying to eat good but still fall for the junk food now and again but overall am doing good with the diet. When I say diet I am not trying to lose weight, I am eating the same amount if not more; it’s the exercise that has burned off the extra weight.

Here in South Florida all the good races are in the cooler months and I wanted to get in at least one race before it got too hot. I found the Singer Island Half Marathon coming up on April 27 and this would probably be the last long race before summer in my area so decided to sign up.

I figured I would not be completely prepared but would use it for practice so I can get the feel for races again – also it would be the longest race I have run.

But soon after signing up decided that maybe I should try a 5K tune up race first to be better prepared for this supposed practice Half Marathon. More on that later…

My Beginnings - Running

They say running can be addicting. If it is that may explain why I keep coming back to it. I have been running off and on since 1972 in High School when I ran the mile on the track team. I did not do very well back then partly due to our team not really having a coach and I had no idea how to train for running the mile let alone any other distance.

Later on when in the Marine Corp at New River Air Station in Jacksonville, N.C., I took up running again and ran a couple 10k races, again not really knowing what I was doing. One day a friend told me about someone he met that was doing something called Triathlons (this is 1984) where you swim, bike and ran during one event – do what?

Not long after that I had to take a co-worker to the hospital to get something removed from his eye. I was sitting in the waiting room and spied a Triathlon magazine on the table. I grabbed it up and started reading; I was amazed that this was indeed a real event. I had to do this Triathlon thing. From that day forward I finally started to learn what it takes to go further and faster and devoted myself to it. Then I found a Triathlon that was scheduled a few months out in New Bern, just a short distance from where I was.

Triathlon 1984

Triathlon 1984

I did that Triathlon and did pretty well but did not place, never the less I was hooked. What really amazed me is that with the combination of all the swimming and biking I was doing along with the running I was able to get my 5k times down to the 16 to17 minute range. I was only running about 25 to 30 miles a week.

Over the next couple years I raced in various races in North Carolina and Florida when I came down here on vacations, actually ran with my dad at that time as he was doing races as well. A move to San Diego County in California was a big boost to my training and racing, it’s just a great place for sports.

Fast forward to today, over the years I was on and off with my running due to life sometimes getting in the way. It was just hard to keep up with it. So here I am back into it again at 57 years old and I feel like I’ll be around for a while this time, at least as long as I’m injury free.