Yesterday I wrote about how I had increased my run mileage too fast, and had gotten injured. It was less than six weeks before my first half marathon race in Pittsburgh.

Having made the rookie mistake that I wrote about, what I did next, was smart.  I stopped running for almost a week. Then when I started running again, I kept my mileage quite low.  I just wanted to get to the start line, without being hurt.

Although I had gotten injured after completing my first ten mile run, the run itself was a huge mental boost.  It had given me the confidence, that I could actually run 13.1 miles.  That confidence meant that, in the weeks leading up to the race, my longest run was only eight miles long.  I gave myself a full two weeks of taper, and achieved my goal of getting to the start line healthy.

The race itself was fantastic.  I had never seen so many people running together before; it was a sea of humanity.  There was loud music and huge crowds of supporters.  It was amazing.  The run itself was a bit of a blur, as I absorbed the spectacle and just kept running. I do remember running the last half mile towards the finishing line and seeing this tall skinny guy, go flying by me on the other side of the road… it was the guy who finished third in the full marathon race!

I crossed the line elated.  I got my medal and found my family.  Our son had also raced that day. He had easily beaten me, even though he was relying on his fitness from playing baseball to get him through the race.  As it happens, he would also beat me in this same race in 2015; this time by about 30 seconds.  That was the last time he beat me.  We did race together a few more times, which was wonderful, but he has since moved on to other sports.

I didn’t exactly have a smooth training period for my first Half Marathon, but I finished it and was so happy.  I was hooked… endurance sports had entered my life.