The Half

I've put off writing about my half-marathon because I'd hoped that I would have some better pictures coming in, but they haven't surfaced, so you'll have to make due with what I have.

Luckily I wasn't alone: Everette came out and we ran together, along with Cliff, Jenny and Tai who where there for moral support/touring the island. Everette and I had an ongoing routine of worrying about the race than calming the other down. Her main worry was she had just got back from China and this was her first run in a month, while this was my first half-marathon ever and I was worrying about what to eat, how much to sleep and how I was going to entertain myself for however long it took.



My time? Two hours and seven minutes (really it was two hours and six; I dallied for about 30 seconds after crossing the finish line before I got my time officially scanned). I was incredibly pleased with this. I'd imagined it taking three hours or something, because my goal wasn't to make a great time, only to finish.



I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be. I thought my muscles or something else might strain, but they were surprisingly fine during and after the race. It makes me want to try an honest to goodness marathon length (42 kilometers/26 miles), though I don't know when I would be ready for that.

The half-marathon is a big annual event for my island, so we enjoyed dinner and drinking under the stars as the evening wore on. Everette and I were bushed though, so everyone headed back to my place, where we played video games until we all zonked out.

I recuperated for about a week after (meaning walking, no running). Now I've started Judo and hopefully can start some swimming in the next week in addition to the running. The more I exercise, the more I enjoy the effects it has.