If I can run a half marathon, you can.
The 2012 Publix Georgia Half Marathon will be my 10th half. When I tell people that, I'm usually given a reaction something along the lines of: "That's awesome, but I could never do that."
I'm here to tell you that you can.
I remember my college roommate Monica signing up for a marathon training class for a PE credit. I thought she was absolutely nuts. At some point in college, however, I started jogging. It was mostly an attempt to lose weight and I never went more than two miles. My two mile treadmill runs lasted for several years. I never really thought to increase my mileage or increase my speed. I never lost the weight.
Fast forward several years. Slowly, I began to focus on my health in general. I changed the way I ate. I lost 30 pounds, and I decided to see how far I could run. My two mile treadmill runs turned into three miles and eventually four.
Then I decided to go for it.
At the time, I was active on a fitness-based message board. There were lots of runners on the boards and I read lots of posts about marathons and half marathons. The idea appealed to me. So, without ever running a single race in my life, I bit the bullet and signed up for the Silver Comet Half Marathon in October of 2005. I had never run more than 4 miles.
I was scared, but I trusted my training plan (Hal Higdon's Novice Half-Marathon, which I highly recommend.). I convinced my father, who lives in Maryland, to fly down to Georgia and run the race with me. My weekend runs increased and before I knew it was race day. Two hours and seventeen minutes later, I completed my first 13.1.
It wasn't easy. To be completely honest, I felt like I was going to die in the last mile. But I finished. And I signed up for another..and another. It's become something I regularly do twice a year.
I'm not a natural runner. My form is horrible (I shuffle and kick my feet out to the side), I'm not fast. But I have determination. And I think that's the only thing you really need to complete a half marathon.
For more musings on running, visit my blog at inmytummy.com
What was your first half marathon like? Let me know in the comments, below!
