A few months ago I told Erica that I was thinking about running a half-marathon with her. Before I had a chance to change my mind she had already booked a hotel and registered us for the Philly Half-Marathon.
Fast forward to last Sunday…Erica and I crossed the finish line together in front of the Philly Museum of Art on a perfect day for running. Our time was 1:57:45, about 2 minutes under our goal time of 2 hours.
Here’s what I learned about myself (and about running races)…
10 Things I Learned From My Half-Marathon
1. It’s easier to do hard things with other people – running solo on Amish back roads is peaceful, but there’s something empowering about running with a herd. It’s nice to look around and see other people working towards the same goal. (in running and in life.) It’s also nice to pass people and break wind in their general direction.
2. It’s easier to do hard things with a cheering section – they put our names on our running bibs so the crowd could call us out and offer specific encouragement, and you know what? It helped. Hearing someone yell, “c’mon runners! good job!” was great. But hearing someone yell, “Great job Bryan! Keep it up!” was awesome. If I ever have enough money to hire my own employee, their job title will be “Encourager” and they will walk by my desk every hour and cheer me on and hand out gatorade.
3. Cold distance runs are like Christmas Day for the Homeless – You wouldn’t believe how many people threw away their clothes before and during the race. Since most folks were walking to the starting line from their hotel in Center City Philly, they were wearing an extra layer to stay warm. Every couple minutes someone on the course would be shedding a sweatshirt or a pair of gloves and throwing them to the side. Not sure if the street folk know about this or not, but they can really make out well if they train and prepare.
4. I enjoy littering – There was something fun about grabbing a cup of water in stride, drinking 3 sips, and chucking it onto the ground like an angry deviant. When was the last time you enjoyed guilt-free littering? 1989?
5. I like lying to myself – I’ve always scoffed at people who set their clocks 10 minutes fast to keep from being late, but I found myself doing a similar thing during the race. I had been so focused on running 13.1 miles that once I hit the first mile marker I had a hard time believing my goal had changed to running 12.1 miles. So…I stuck with the 13. For the first 5 miles I kept lying to myself, “just 13 more miles at this pace, that’s all you have to run.” Once I was halfway I told myself “just 90 more minutes” even though I knew I was under an hour from the finish. For some reason playing mind games with myself seemed to help.
6. I’m glad I’m not in a fraternity – We ran by a bunch of frat houses in Drexel University and it smelled like beer. Probably because the streets were lined with frat boys drinking beer out of milk gallons at 8:00am.
7. I don’t want to see anyone else fall – At Mile 12 a 40-year old woman beside me did an absolute face plant. She must have tripped on something or just didn’t pick her foot up enough, because she toppled like a felled oak. We didn’t stop, of course, but it was a bit jarring. (and I did hear her saying “I’m alright, I’m alright” as we blew past her so don’t judge me.)
8. Don’t eat room service food unless you ordered it – Erica dared me to eat something off of someone’s discarded room service tray in our hotel, so I did what any of you would have done. I ate a breakfast potato that had been sitting in the hallway for 12 hours. (Not recommended.)
9. I love the (real) Finish Line – We ran past the finish line around Mile 6. No, not the place where your race is over, but the athletic footwear store called The Finish Line. I remember sneering at the storefront as we ran by…what a cruel play on words. The actual finish line was amazing though. You’re not just finishing 2 hours of running, you’re finishing up 3 months of discipline and training. I didn’t cry or anything, but it was more emotionally satisfying than I expected.
10. I love my wife – I already knew this of course, but running the half with her was so much fun, it was just one more confirmation of how amazing she is. She’s been running for a few years, so it was fun to jump into her world and do something that means a lot to her. We even held hands as we crossed the finish line like we were in a cheesy RomCom. That’s how we roll.
I’m glad I did it and I’m glad it’s over.
If you’re thinking about taking on a running challenge in 2010, go for it.
If you’re thinking about eating someone else’s old potatoes, you might want to pass.
and if you’ve ever learned anything from running, feel free to share in the comments.
Posted by Bryan AllainTags: Half-Marathon, Running
Congrats! Finishing a race like that is huge. Now you just need to do a marathon…or a triathlon. Those are a blast.
I agree about people calling out your name. Makes a huge difference.
If you’ve got an hour you’re looking to waste, the following is a link to my experience in the 2007 Chicago Marathon.
http://kennedyconnection.net/2007/10/15/where-should-i-begin/
Way to go, Bryan! I bet that felt amazing to cross the finish line together and fart on those behind you! I can’t believe you ate from one of those trays! hahaha nasty!
Great job guys! I figure that if I try to run a half marathon or quarter marathon or just ran to my car in the rain, there wouldn’t be enough running for everyone else who actually wants to run. Sooooo…have fun running everyone!!
Next, a sprint triathlon?
Nice! I can relate to this stuff. Nothing is quite so great as each mile marker ticking by. Great job!
Congratulations!
The both of you look too skinny. You’re burning way too many calories.
Way to go, both of you…what a great accomplishment.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes…if you can do a half, your obvious next challenge should be a sprint tri. If you’ll do one with me next year, I’ll gladly hold hands with you as we cross the finish line.
What I want to know is: are you still wearing that medal? I hope so.
ran my first 1/2 mary in december of 06 in memphis. at mile 7 i got passed by 2 girls, which in and of itself shouldn’t have threatened my masculinity. what did threaten and tarnish my masculinity was the fact that one of them was pushing the other in a wheelchair.
i did catch them and pass them at mile 12. seconds after i pass them i hear the sound of metal, rubber, and human female flesh slamming into asphalt. apparently the front wheel of the wheelchair didn’t quite make it over the raised trolley track we had to run over. those girls were rolling. literally. thought about stopping and helping, but didn’t (before you go for my speck, check your log). plus, there were ample crowd supporters there to check on them. at least that’s my story.
Ran the NYC Marathon this year – you should enter the lottery to see if you get in because there’s simply no other experience like it. Wrote about the feeling of the Marathon day here: http://zackmansfield.com/post/230936955/pain-is-temporary-but-pride-is-forever
Of course, the thing with training for a marathon is the training. Wrote about that here: http://zackmansfield.com/post/227962120/nyc-marathon-2009
If anyone’s even thought about running a marathon, you can’t go wrong with NYC. It’s simply amazing.
Great job on the half Bryan…
Congratulations! That’s so great! One of my goals is to run a half. I ran Cross Country in HS, and I trained for a half in college, but I stopped 1/2 way through my training because of studying and stuff. I’m determined to actually run one! And my husband said he’ll join me. Thanks for reminding me just how much I want to do this. And congrats again–that’s an awesome accomplishment!
I walked a 1/2 marathon with 5 of my girlfriends in St. Pete Florida on Sunday. Our time was not great but we had the best time. 4 of them wore tutu’s and wings and halo’s. I was being a purist and wore my regular walking clothes. At the finish line we chorus lined it across the finish, to the chant of Go Team for The Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, which we are all a part of. We raised our hands high and ran the last few feet across the finish. It was the best 3 and 1/2 hours I have spent in a long time. We talked and solved each others problems. We laughed, we posed for pictures, we just had FUN!!! Would I love to run a 1/2 in 2 hours like you? Sure, one day I will when I don’t have 4 friends that would rather have fun!!!
That’s pretty awesome. I’m personally no fan of running, so I admire anyone who can pull that off.
Congrats!! I’m so excited for you and proud of you!!
I ran my first half about 6 days before you and I feel the same way – I’m glad I did it and I’m glad it’s over! I was a good 30 minutes slower than you, though – way to rock it. All through my training, I told people I had no desire at all to run 13 miles, but I had a huge desire to TELL people that I had run 13 miles. You know as soon as it was over I put that 13.1 sticker on my car!!!
Training and running for this race really made me thankful for so many things in my life. 18 months ago (at 5′2″ and 300 pounds) I could never have run 13 feet, and God has been really faithful to me through all of that. Also, I trained with a group of about 4-5 women from my church. We were really able to encourage each other throughout the training – and we had time for long chats every Sat. morning as we ran. As excited as I was to finish the race, I think I may be even more grateful for that time.
And, weirdly enough, a few days after it was over, I was ready to run again. I’ve discovered that I love it! WEIRD. Never expected that to happen. I won’t do another half, but there is definitely running in my future. Do you feel bitten by the bug?
But hands down, the best part about running – quality time with my iPod. Gotta love it.
Great job on breaking the 2hr mark. I have yet to do that except in training. 2.5 weeks to go before I run my 1st marathon.
My goals are to qualify for Boston before 40, 2.5 years to go for that. Also to do a tri. Got a ways to go in terms of training.
For anyone that says they can’t run, I say, anyone given the time to train and the determination, can complete a half.
Congratulations, that’s wonderful. Never ran a marathon but walked in the Breast Cancer 3-Day. Supposed to be 20 miles a day, for a total of 60. The first day was 25, second was 21, third was 18. I was never so happy to cross the finish line. Very rewarding, but totally crazy.