Is it the end of a book, or the end of a chapter?

It is the end of a chapter, so I’ll close that question out now.

So I ran my half. I’ll get to the down and dirty deets before I delve into feelings and stuff. My time was 2:41. I was aiming for 2:30, but the humidity was high and my shins started to hurt around mile 10, which was when I lost my pace. BUT I FINISHED, which is obviously the most important part.

^Me & my Daddy after the finish line. The source of my good looks and my interest in running (obviously).

The course was easy. Nice and flat and in areas I’m familiar with (I used to live in Philly, btw, not sure if I ever mentioned it). When I say easy, I mean that it was as easy as a 13.1 mile run could possibly be, which, as it turns out, is still pretty hard. I had been already having problems with shin splints, which bothered me from about miles 10-12. That, combined with the humidity, put me in a terrible position for finishing. But I did finish.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll team put on an excellent race. The expo the day before was very well-organized, with lots of awesome stuff available for purchase, and made getting my race packet very simple. They also provided great information on where to park the day of the race, and how things were going to be set up at the start, along the course, and at the finish line festival. I was able to find everything very easily that day, which definitely helped allay some of the anxiety I was feeling. P.S., I was absolutely a nervous wreck. As for the course itself, the water stations were great, always full with water, and full of helpful volunteers. I didn’t stop at the Gu or Gatorade stations, because Gatorade upsets my stomach and I brought my preferred Gu flavor, but those seemed to be well-stocked and full with volunteers as well.

As for the swag, that was pretty awesome too! The Brooks tech tee that was given is very high quality, super soft, comfortable, breathable, and true to size. The medal was also very nice (as you can see in the above photo), and felt nice and heavy around my neck, quite symbolic of my giant accomplishment, if I do say so myself.

i had a great swell of emotions during the half. The adrenaline and excitement got me through the first 10k and a little bit beyond. I was tired from mile 7-10. And, as I sad earlier, 10-12 was filled with pain and a little bit of disappointment as my body for not being in its greatest condition. But around 12.25 miles, “Born to Run” came over my iPod, and that helped me power through that last mile and finish strong. I crossed the finish line running and smiling. What else could you ask for in your first major distance race?

So what’s next for me? First up, a full week of rest. I just got back from vacation in Vermont, where I hiked and kayaked and walked around all day, so now it’s time to recover fully from the race. Then, the journey begins again. Like re-reading an old favorite book, I’m going to train for another half, and hopefully, will follow with a full in 2016. So it’s ending now, at least for another 7 days, after which, it starts all over again. I bought new shoes, will have a new plan, and hopefully, will get down to a 2:20 (my goal time) next year.

Until then…

-Kerry

The old (Nike Vomero 8) and the new (Brooks Adrenaline 14). Time for a new chapter 🙂