The Miscellaneous Ramblings of David C. Evans

Today I completed my first official 13.1 mile half-marathon.  Why do I say official you may ask, because at various intervals in my past I am sure I have covered this distance and maybe a little further but without the formal setting for confirming this.

Anyway, the morning was a cool if not rather brisk 50 degrees, which for Florida is a little chilly, even if this is the end of November.

Starting at 6:00am it was obviously still very dark and to be honest it took a few moments to get your night vision after being blasted with a huge video screen right at the start of the run.

The first couple of miles it felt like you were playing Frogger because of the bunching that occurs early on, mixed with slower-paced runners and many individuals who simply walk the course.

Going into the run I was prepared to slog it out for a full 3-hours if need be having done plenty of endurance runs keeping my pace to an even 15-minutes/mile or 4MPH.  A fast walk for some but a decided jog for me with little legs!

Being so dark early on I had no real idea as to my pace and with the huge variation around me it made it all that much harder to gauge.  Hopping on and off curbs and sidewalks and running all sides of the road just to make progress.

By the time I encountered my first street light I was average in the region of 9:30-minutes/mile which is some 5 and a half minutes faster than I was originally prepared for.

Feeling good I stayed with a slightly slower 10 to 11-minutes/mile pace for the remainder outward journey.

At the turn still feeling good I stuck with the pace and enjoyed the glorious sun rise that was now within view.  Truly remarkable!

With 10-miles under my belt we entered the only grdients of note on the course.  Now with not so fresh legs this proved a bit of a strain as I dug deep and made my way to the top of the 3 or 4 hills.

As I entered Cocoa Village once more there was a sense of satisfaction starting to wave over me that I had done it!  Premature may be, but the end was in sight (so to speak!).

One more turn and into the corral and onto the finish giving it every last drop I could muster in my now VERY tired legs.

All said and done I had finished in 2:17:21 with a 10:30-minutes/mile pace.  4 and half minutes faster than planned!  I was impressed, especially as I walked the first 4-minutes!

Coming away from this run I realize that I have more training to do both strength and distance running in order to be ready for my first full Marathon.  When will that be?  All being well, maybe some time in 2010.