13.1 Half Marathon

On a Sunday like today, just a week shy of this same time last year, I completed an official half-marathon.  That same race is coming up next Sunday.  I ran the 13.1 miles on a cold Sunday morning a year ago with the many thousands of others that had gathered downtown to run this race through that part of the city.  It was an experience I won't likely forget anytime soon. 
I woke at about 4:00 that morning to have time to eat the small breakfast I knew would be needed.  I knew I would also need that time to make the drive downtown, find parking, and be shuttled to the starting line.  After arriving it was time to wait for the race to start, but once it got going I was feeling fine.  I have to say, and it was proven in the pictures by the smile on my face while running, that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  I had trained and ran consistently leading up to the event.  During that time I suffered a heel injury and had to stop training for a month in August but then picked it up again and was ready by November.  The day of the race was unbelievable.  I never could have imagined the well-wishers lining both sides of the streets the entire route of the race.  They were cheering and held signs of encouragement all along the way.  Maybe that was what was making me smile so big as I ran but I think it had more to do with the sense of accomplishment I was feeling.  It was an endurance race and it was about not giving up and to keep trying when things didn't feel perfectly right.  I had done everything I could up to that point to make it what it should have been.  I trained and I was confident I had equipped myself for the task at hand.  And I did it.  I ran the full 13.1 - half marathon last year at age 55.
This Sunday morning is a week away from that same race of last year.  I have gone this entire year deciding I didn't want to train but I have kept running.  I've hit some spots during this year when I wasn't as entirely consistent as I felt I should have been but I've kept it up.  I had one of those inconsistent spells recently when I hadn't run since Oct 22 until yesterday when I ran three miles at the gym.  Then this morning dawned early.  The time change had me awake at 4:00am with no chance of further sleep.  I didn't think about it until later that it would have been the same time I had gotten up for the race last year but this time I didn't eat breakfast or drive or wait to start.  I cleaned the kitchen and had coffee.  Then, with the weather a mild 71 degrees and cloudy, I set my sensor for a four mile run around the neighborhood and hit the street.  Then what happened I can't begin to explain.  It wouldn't make sense to any sensible person but it felt fine to me.  Does that tell you anything about me?  I hit my four mile marker and kept going.  I took the longer route and lapped it again.  When I reached 8 miles I knew there was no stopping.  I wasn't going to stop five miles short of 13.1.  No way.  At that point I had a mantra going through my head.  One more mile.  One more mile.  It doesn't have to be fast, this is an endurance race, just keep going, one more mile. 
So this morning I ran 13.1 miles - a half-marathon at the age of 55.  Since everyone asks this question - my official time last year was 2:28:18.  This morning (and this is totally unofficial since my sensor can be off at times) was 2:29:57.  It wasn't a huge difference.
There were no well-wishers lining the streets this morning in my neighborhood and I hadn't particularly equipped myself for the task.  I hadn't even brought along my water flask since I was only planning four miles.  It wasn't an official race but then I didn't officially train.  Does that balance it out?  I think so.  And if not...I did it anyway. 
Rock on!
TT