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I'm Officially a Half-Marathoner! (Read 537 times)

    Well I am proud to say that I completed my first half-marathon this morning at the P.F. Changs Rock n' Roll Arizona Marathon. I finished in 1:43:46 and was very happy with that time (My goal was to get 1:52). Even though I don't have any other race experience to compare it to, I don't think things could've gone better. Last night, I went out for pasta and had one dish of spaghetti and another of ravioli. I went to the Phoenix Suns game, which was cool, and then went back to my Dad's house in Scottsdale. I was asleep by 10:30 and slept great, which amazed me because I was so excited. Woke up this morning at 5:30 and had some mac n' cheese. Arrived to the race at about 7am. After I had familiarized myself with the starting area, I went to watch the full marathon start, which was at 7:40. It was cool to get a preview of what I'd be doing in less than an hour. I went back to my starting corral and started getting warmed up. Did a quick jog and stretched for 10 minutes. Before I knew it, the first corral was bring released. I was in the fourth corral, with a total of 28 of them. In no time, I was off. The bands on the course were great. There was no overcrowding because of the wave start and things were going smooth. It was entirely flat and the weather couldn't have been better. Hit the 5k mark, 10k mark, 15k mark without too much trouble. At around mile 10, my right calve was hurting a bit but nothing major. I thought about how close I was getting and the pain was gone. Oh and that brings up another thing...not being able to wear headphones. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed not listening to music because I felt like I was part of the race so much more instead of just being another runner. I was just worried that I would run low on motivation without the music, and that was never a problem. Wink That last mile was amazing. It started by crossing a long bridge lined with awesome fans. I was only 1/2 mile out now and the excitement was more than ever. I was cruising! As I came into that last stretch, my eyes found the finish line and I was now in full sprint. Finally, I had officially completed my first of hopefully many 1/2 marathons. I had my chip removed, got my medal and stretched. Had fruit and refreshments and met up with my dad. We walked around for a bit, watched a few more people finish, and left. What a great experience, I can't wait to resume training on Tuesday! Oh, and I ended up raising $1830 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here's the splits from my Garmin: Mile 1- 7:44 Mile 2- 7:56 Mile 3- 8:03 Mile 4- 8:11 Mile 5- 8:04 Mile 6- 8:13 Mile 7- 8:08 Mile 8- 8:04 Mile 9- 7:39 Mile 10- 8:04 Mile 11- 8:02 Mile 12- 7:52 Mile 13- 6:49 Mile .16 - 0:54 (It registered the run as 13.16 miles) Avg Speed - 7.6 mph Max Speed - 12.6 mph Sorry, this got kind of long. I'm still so excited about it. What a great way to spend the morning of your 18th birthday! Wink
    keep running!
      Congrats, Patrick! Fantastic first half marathon. I'd love to be able to run as fast as you! Enjoy your recovery and keep on running.

      When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

        wow, great run, and congratulations. I love the half, so I can see why you're so happy. Also, you killed your goal, nice job! and nice 13th mile, what's up with that?


        Maniac

          Great job...You certainly had something left. I ran the same race this morning. Started in Corral 6...Finished in 1:59:48....That's how you beat a goal for crying out loud...12 seconds to spare!! I'm very impressed with your time by the way. What do you mean "no headphones"? I wore them (I kept checking the website and at the Expo to see if they were prohibited) and I saw tons of people with them on. Did you not wear them by choice or did you see a rule that I didn't?

          Marathon Maniac #6740

           

          Goals for 2015:

           

          Run 3 marathons (modified:  Run 2 marathons--Lost Dutchman 02/2015 and Whiskey Row 05/2015)

          Run a 50-miler (Ran a 53.8 mile race 11/14/2015)

          Run 1,500 miles (uhhh...how about 1,400?)

           

          Stay healthy

          Teresadfp


          One day at a time

            Congratulations and happy birthday! Thanks for the report. You're a very fast runner! I'm hoping for 2:37 myself in September. Cool Teresa
              Great job...You certainly had something left. I ran the same race this morning. Started in Corral 6...Finished in 1:59:48....That's how you beat a goal for crying out loud...12 seconds to spare!! I'm very impressed with your time by the way. What do you mean "no headphones"? I wore them (I kept checking the website and at the Expo to see if they were prohibited) and I saw tons of people with them on. Did you not wear them by choice or did you see a rule that I didn't?
              Thanks and same to you! Wasn't it amazing how many people were there? About the headphones, I saw a rule somewhere that banned them for this race but it was confusing. After running and seeing everyone who had them, I think that it is aimed at those who are trying to win. It said something about being disqualified for using them. I think it just says that if you win the race and wore headphones, you don't actually win.
              keep running!
                Excellent job Patrick!! That's a great time too!! You should be very proud of yourself. And great job on your LLS fundraising efforts!! Keep up the great work. Sara


                Another Passion

                  That's awesome Patrick! Congratulations on a great first HM race and Happy Birthday dude! Way to go on the fundraising as well, the coolest aspect of your race! Wink

                  Rick
                  "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." - Juma Ikangaa
                  "I wanna go fast." Ricky Bobby
                  runningforcassy.blogspot.com

                    Congrats!! You did so great for your first time out! Big grin

                    Jennifer mm#1231

                      Thanks so much everyone! All the support on this site really does make it different from any other. Again, thanks and I really appreciate it.
                      keep running!
                        Happy 18th! Yes, your first half marathon is definitely a wonderful way to spend a birthday. Awesome job!
                        2009 Goals: Under 4 hr marathon reach and maintain 125 lbs PR in at least 3 distances 1300 miles Complete my first Ultra