My first Half Marathon
Josedavid
Posts: 695 Member
I know it, I know it... this is a very long post but... I needed to share it with you all!
It was not that far in time when I was just what we call a "couch potato". I was not able to run even 100 meters without feel suffocated. I was 142kg heavy... overweight... obese.
Then I reached a dead-end. I was too heavy and that was not healthy. One day, I was surfing the web and trying to find something that would be a trigger to make me move and I found the C25K interval program.
I was not sure if the program would work on me. I used to play some basketball, I used to fast-walk for long distances but... when it came to running... no way, that was not my sport!
I began the interval program and I began this about counting calories at the same time. At the beginning I wasn't able to run at all but the C25K is a very gentle program to work with.
You do not begin running... you just begin walking, sweet jogging, walking...etc... The program takes about eight weeks and if you follow it from A to Z it's almost impossible that, at the end of the eighth week, you are not able to run either 5km in a row or 30min in a row.
I couldn't believe it but it worked well... and I didn't find better way to "graduate" from C25K than joining a runners club in Jeddah, the Jeddah Road Runners (JRR).
I contacted JRR and signed up for a 5km race on the 7th of October. I was really excited about the event... I would check if the C25K prepared me for the 5km or maybe I would need to train more.
The target for that race was clear... finish the race, survive!
By that time I lost some kilos, it was the beginning.
The race was nice, I met very nice people, and everything was ok... I survived! And I made a nice 31min56sec timing! (Ok, ok, is not an Olympic timing but it was good enough for me!)
I was very happy to finish the race and my friends, who I brought to cheer me up, did a great job!
After that race there were many others to come:
8Km 21Oct2011
7.5Km Cross Country 10Dec2011
8Km 20Dec2011
10Km 27Jan2012
But the toughest one was yet to come!
HALF MARATHON 10FEB2012
I was not really thinking of going for that race and I offered my time as a volunteer to the organization to help and give support to the event. But the main coordinator, Osama, wrote me back telling me that there was a man who would fast-walk the race at a pace of 8km per hour and he would be in time (3hrs timming window). He told me "just stick to him fast-walking and you will make it too"
Then I thought... "what if...!" And I replied back: "Dear Osama, count me in!"
THE WEEK BEFORE
I never ran 21.097 km before. The longest run I had it was 15km and I got kind of an injury in my illiotibial band for almost two weeks.
So, I didn't know what could happen if I tried to go further than that distance.
The week before I ran, as usual, with my running buddy Milos and I tried to be slow in the trainings. Slow? is it a typo? no, no... We run like 5min 10sec to 5min 30sec per km when we go for 10km, which is two or three times a week. I knew that if I ran faster than 6min per km I would not be able to finish the Half Marathon.
What I tried is to adapt my pace to 6min per km (which means 10km per hour), so I had to learn how to be slow.
We had a couple of 10km slow pace and the weekend was just right there.
THE DAY BEFORE
The day before Milos and I tried to find any place where to buy some energy sticks for the race but guess what... Saudi Arabia is not famous for its runners so no energy sticks available.
Anyway, we also tried to check the circuit and see how did it look like. We drove in the car and found the starting point, we followed the instructions but we didn´t find the point where you do the U turn to come back to the starting point and finish the race.
So two out of two things that we couldn't do regarding the race!
THAT MORNING
4:30am and the clock rings! No way! It is too early and it's weekend!! I woke up and prepared the breakfast, coffee and milk with a great chocolate muffin!
All my running clothes were ready from the day before so I just jumped into them...
Very important! When you try a long race you should make sure that all your rubbing surfaces are full of Vaseline, and when I mean all the surfaces I mean that, all the surfaces.
Milos came home with a perfect British punctuality and we began our 20 min trip to the starting line.
THE REASON
You can have a good plan, a good training and a good bunch of sport clothes but if you do not have a reason for running 21.097 meters you are lost!
It is very important, I should say, crucial, to have a reason behind all that training and the race.
My reason was to prove myself that I can do it, to be grateful for being so lucky with a great family, amazing wife, absolutely adorable new born baby (who gave us a very bad moment just the day before in ER). I have all of that, I have a good job and I live in a nice country with no difficulties. So THANK YOU was my reason behind!
PRE-RACE
Dark night yet... we arrived to the parking. There is a great difference between any kind of race event in the USA or Europe and the ones here. There is no marketing around... nobody knows that you are running a Half Marathon.
People do not sign up for the shake of moving their *kitten*, either you run it or you don´t sign up here. The good thing is that JRR makes a great organization and the runners are amazing!
Some stretches, drinking some water, getting the small back-pack ready with the oat bar and my id card, just in case... but, what the XXXX!! the clip is broken, just 2 minutes before the race! No back-pack and I don't have any pocket for the oat bar in my gear! Nooooo!!!
THE RACE
Here we go... we go back track a little to correct the distance. We are like fifty and something people ready to run the Half Marathon. Some of them, like me, running my first Half Marathon.
Maybe you do not realize it, but these are two very big words when you were not able to run a mile just four months ago!
3, 2, 1... GO!!
Here we go!... a big group of people running, no numbers, no anything... just runners! Corniche, the promenade, is such a great place to run, so flat, flat like a pancake, not sinuous...
Saudi people are not into sports, really, but hey... they love to cheer you up! There were people claping, people recording us with the cell phone, people in cars taking half of the body out of the window and cheering us up... great feeling!
The point with this kind of races, according to what I read and Milos told me is the planning. You have to plan your resources, you have to plan each and every resource you have.
That's why I had to slow-down some times when I watched my heart rate monitor (Timex Ironman Global Trainer, really a must have!!) and saw that I was faster than 5min30sec per km. I slowed down to 5min45sec or 6min per km.
Another thing that I learnt... you have to run your own race. Do not try to go with others. I don't know why but when I run I never find a pace similar to any group, therefore, I end up running alone, alone, alone, alone...
LONELINESS
Loneliness is a feeling that you have to manage too. Not only the pain in your legs, the hunger when running, the breathing mechanism but also the loneliness... you see? You have to put an eye in so many things when running... this is not only a matter of running.
If you, like me, have a pace and your pace doesn't allow you to join any group when running you have to master the loneliness feeling management.
I use my iPod, my music playlist helps me a lot. But I do not only use the music, I also use my inner life. Inner life? Oh yes! My inner life is so great that I can entertain myself for a long time before I get bored or desperate. This is a thing that I discovered in my early twenties when I went to the military service... I found that I was able to live on my own, to go through the military training, to entertain and encourage myself enough to be successful on the tasks assigned.
So, when you run you have to, also, manage that feeling. Either you grab your iPod and select a great music playlist or you think about your day to day things, or you fantasize about your dreamed job, house, party, etc... but keep this in mind... the most neurons are entertained, the most neurons are not thinking about how tired you are!
I had such a great intimate moments having a great conversation with my inner side of myself... you are there alone, enjoy it!
WATER
There you are... running, alone but motivated, no group to join in... but hey, after a while, like four or five kilometers you see the first water station. It doesn't matter if you are tired or not, grab a bottle!
I did it in all the water stops, one each four or five km, and it helped me a lot. I didn't drink so much because when you are running your stomach is not very friendly with anything inside but I got a little less than half a bottle and I poured the remaining water over my head (wearing a bandana) or over my tights.
OVERTAKING OTHERS?
In a race, in a long distance race, if you are newbie everybody overtakes you and that is not bad! There are people who were training for the last year and maybe you just joined the race for the shake of doing some sports. Do not feel upset when you see others overtaking you.
I remember at the beginning of the c25k program I was in Madrid for a couple of days. I dressed up and went to El Retiro park from the hotel, the hotel was really nearby. I was almost diying after, how much? five or eight minutes jogging? Well... a very old woman overtook me in normal clothes, not really sports clothes. She was just fastwalking. I tried to reach her and overtake her but it was just not possible for me!
Did I feel upset? No! Maybe she is old but maybe she was fastwalking from before I was born... you never know!
Well, anyway... going back to track... In this Half Marathon overtaking people was not in my plan at all. But my pace was so consistent that I was able to overtake some of the other runners. I had them in my visual... but I didn't rush! After a while, ten minutes, or twenty, or five, it depends... I overtook them.
But... in each and every overtake I tried to encourage them as the others were doing to me when they were overtaking me! You do not beat anybody, you just go a little bit faster (at that time... because maybe later you are absolutely exhausted and they overtake you!)
THE WALL
I was feeling so nice up to the kilometer 12.5 where we had the U-turn. It was nice to see the other runners coming back and I enjoyed waving them and shouting good words to them!
Km 15 was ok... and I reached the 17th Km.
Before Km 17th I had water in each and every water stations... I was having great feelings with my body. Of course I was tired! but I was enjoying the day! The sun rising up to the sky, the mosques, the prayer calls, people cheering us up!
With no energy stick, no cereal bar and no fruit in the water stations I knew that I would struggle to reach the finish line...
And it happened... I was around Km 17.5 and I felt dizzy, just for a moment. That feeling of being confusing, cold skin, and small panic?
I removed my ear plugs to "connect" with the environment and I slowed down a bit. I wanted to make sure that nothing bad was happening and it was only because of the tiring running.
What I felt was just the way that the body transmit you the message: "Dude... what are you doing to me today?"
With no food, no fruit, no energy stick and having only water it was a matter of time for the body to give me a warning.
The organization told us that in Km 18 or 18.5 it would be fruit and energy drink and when I reached that station begging for a banana I only had this word back: "Water!"
OMG! I am struggling with the running and there is not anything else but water? Well... let the battle continue!
I looked at my HRM again and, at that point, I had burned three thousand calories... too much!
Anyway... I kept running. The problem was not with the legs... at that mileage you do not feel the legs from far behind. The battle is against yourself, against your mind.
I am happy to have a nice inner life and be able to manage that feeling. I was feeling exhausted but I knew that it would not last forever!
ARRIVAL
Km 18, keep running, Km19, come on, I-can-do-it (mantra repeated every four steps for a while), Km20, let's review the reason behind my running... Km20.5 and you see friendly faces. All the runners that could not participate in the race went there to act as a volunteers in the water stations and also went there to be standing up by Km20.5 and to smile you cheering you up: "Way to go", "come on, only a little more". "you go!"
FINISH LINE
The small crowd was there waiting for us, a very humble finish line, no big banners, no foto finish, no luxuries but all our friends and colleagues were there waiting for all of us.
I crossed the line! We do not use chips here, as soon as you cross the line the marshall gives you a wooden stick with your position number printed. I got mine and I went to the next marshall to tell him my name, surname and position.
I moved apart, bent my back, put my hands in my knees trying to get some air in my lungs and, suddenly, everything came out. I cried, I cried like a baby, open mouth. I didn't care about others around, it was my moment. The moment where you think about your 30kg loss, the moment you remember that you were not able to run even 100 meters five months ago, the moment that you would love to see your little baby and wife but because it was too early you sacrified that moment for them to be at home... "the moment"
POST-RACE
After that we had a great shower in a very nice hotel gym and we got an amazing breakfast! Counting calories? Come on! I was 3400Kcal less and it was almost 10am in the morning!! Haha!
MORAL
It doesn't matter if you are fat or unfit... if you decide to go lean and fit YOU-CAN-DO-IT. It doesn't matter if you are scared about the Half Marathon... if you have a reason behind it will push you to the end. It doesn't matter anything else but you!
Go for a leaner life! Go for sports! Go for a better life, IS YOUR RIGHT! is a gift for you GO FOR IT! Take your gift, you are entitle to it!
Go for the race, wake up early, run and enjoy the feelings, despite the pain, and... if you feel like crying... CRY!
It was not that far in time when I was just what we call a "couch potato". I was not able to run even 100 meters without feel suffocated. I was 142kg heavy... overweight... obese.
Then I reached a dead-end. I was too heavy and that was not healthy. One day, I was surfing the web and trying to find something that would be a trigger to make me move and I found the C25K interval program.
I was not sure if the program would work on me. I used to play some basketball, I used to fast-walk for long distances but... when it came to running... no way, that was not my sport!
I began the interval program and I began this about counting calories at the same time. At the beginning I wasn't able to run at all but the C25K is a very gentle program to work with.
You do not begin running... you just begin walking, sweet jogging, walking...etc... The program takes about eight weeks and if you follow it from A to Z it's almost impossible that, at the end of the eighth week, you are not able to run either 5km in a row or 30min in a row.
I couldn't believe it but it worked well... and I didn't find better way to "graduate" from C25K than joining a runners club in Jeddah, the Jeddah Road Runners (JRR).
I contacted JRR and signed up for a 5km race on the 7th of October. I was really excited about the event... I would check if the C25K prepared me for the 5km or maybe I would need to train more.
The target for that race was clear... finish the race, survive!
By that time I lost some kilos, it was the beginning.
The race was nice, I met very nice people, and everything was ok... I survived! And I made a nice 31min56sec timing! (Ok, ok, is not an Olympic timing but it was good enough for me!)
I was very happy to finish the race and my friends, who I brought to cheer me up, did a great job!
After that race there were many others to come:
8Km 21Oct2011
7.5Km Cross Country 10Dec2011
8Km 20Dec2011
10Km 27Jan2012
But the toughest one was yet to come!
HALF MARATHON 10FEB2012
I was not really thinking of going for that race and I offered my time as a volunteer to the organization to help and give support to the event. But the main coordinator, Osama, wrote me back telling me that there was a man who would fast-walk the race at a pace of 8km per hour and he would be in time (3hrs timming window). He told me "just stick to him fast-walking and you will make it too"
Then I thought... "what if...!" And I replied back: "Dear Osama, count me in!"
THE WEEK BEFORE
I never ran 21.097 km before. The longest run I had it was 15km and I got kind of an injury in my illiotibial band for almost two weeks.
So, I didn't know what could happen if I tried to go further than that distance.
The week before I ran, as usual, with my running buddy Milos and I tried to be slow in the trainings. Slow? is it a typo? no, no... We run like 5min 10sec to 5min 30sec per km when we go for 10km, which is two or three times a week. I knew that if I ran faster than 6min per km I would not be able to finish the Half Marathon.
What I tried is to adapt my pace to 6min per km (which means 10km per hour), so I had to learn how to be slow.
We had a couple of 10km slow pace and the weekend was just right there.
THE DAY BEFORE
The day before Milos and I tried to find any place where to buy some energy sticks for the race but guess what... Saudi Arabia is not famous for its runners so no energy sticks available.
Anyway, we also tried to check the circuit and see how did it look like. We drove in the car and found the starting point, we followed the instructions but we didn´t find the point where you do the U turn to come back to the starting point and finish the race.
So two out of two things that we couldn't do regarding the race!
THAT MORNING
4:30am and the clock rings! No way! It is too early and it's weekend!! I woke up and prepared the breakfast, coffee and milk with a great chocolate muffin!
All my running clothes were ready from the day before so I just jumped into them...
Very important! When you try a long race you should make sure that all your rubbing surfaces are full of Vaseline, and when I mean all the surfaces I mean that, all the surfaces.
Milos came home with a perfect British punctuality and we began our 20 min trip to the starting line.
THE REASON
You can have a good plan, a good training and a good bunch of sport clothes but if you do not have a reason for running 21.097 meters you are lost!
It is very important, I should say, crucial, to have a reason behind all that training and the race.
My reason was to prove myself that I can do it, to be grateful for being so lucky with a great family, amazing wife, absolutely adorable new born baby (who gave us a very bad moment just the day before in ER). I have all of that, I have a good job and I live in a nice country with no difficulties. So THANK YOU was my reason behind!
PRE-RACE
Dark night yet... we arrived to the parking. There is a great difference between any kind of race event in the USA or Europe and the ones here. There is no marketing around... nobody knows that you are running a Half Marathon.
People do not sign up for the shake of moving their *kitten*, either you run it or you don´t sign up here. The good thing is that JRR makes a great organization and the runners are amazing!
Some stretches, drinking some water, getting the small back-pack ready with the oat bar and my id card, just in case... but, what the XXXX!! the clip is broken, just 2 minutes before the race! No back-pack and I don't have any pocket for the oat bar in my gear! Nooooo!!!
THE RACE
Here we go... we go back track a little to correct the distance. We are like fifty and something people ready to run the Half Marathon. Some of them, like me, running my first Half Marathon.
Maybe you do not realize it, but these are two very big words when you were not able to run a mile just four months ago!
3, 2, 1... GO!!
Here we go!... a big group of people running, no numbers, no anything... just runners! Corniche, the promenade, is such a great place to run, so flat, flat like a pancake, not sinuous...
Saudi people are not into sports, really, but hey... they love to cheer you up! There were people claping, people recording us with the cell phone, people in cars taking half of the body out of the window and cheering us up... great feeling!
The point with this kind of races, according to what I read and Milos told me is the planning. You have to plan your resources, you have to plan each and every resource you have.
That's why I had to slow-down some times when I watched my heart rate monitor (Timex Ironman Global Trainer, really a must have!!) and saw that I was faster than 5min30sec per km. I slowed down to 5min45sec or 6min per km.
Another thing that I learnt... you have to run your own race. Do not try to go with others. I don't know why but when I run I never find a pace similar to any group, therefore, I end up running alone, alone, alone, alone...
LONELINESS
Loneliness is a feeling that you have to manage too. Not only the pain in your legs, the hunger when running, the breathing mechanism but also the loneliness... you see? You have to put an eye in so many things when running... this is not only a matter of running.
If you, like me, have a pace and your pace doesn't allow you to join any group when running you have to master the loneliness feeling management.
I use my iPod, my music playlist helps me a lot. But I do not only use the music, I also use my inner life. Inner life? Oh yes! My inner life is so great that I can entertain myself for a long time before I get bored or desperate. This is a thing that I discovered in my early twenties when I went to the military service... I found that I was able to live on my own, to go through the military training, to entertain and encourage myself enough to be successful on the tasks assigned.
So, when you run you have to, also, manage that feeling. Either you grab your iPod and select a great music playlist or you think about your day to day things, or you fantasize about your dreamed job, house, party, etc... but keep this in mind... the most neurons are entertained, the most neurons are not thinking about how tired you are!
I had such a great intimate moments having a great conversation with my inner side of myself... you are there alone, enjoy it!
WATER
There you are... running, alone but motivated, no group to join in... but hey, after a while, like four or five kilometers you see the first water station. It doesn't matter if you are tired or not, grab a bottle!
I did it in all the water stops, one each four or five km, and it helped me a lot. I didn't drink so much because when you are running your stomach is not very friendly with anything inside but I got a little less than half a bottle and I poured the remaining water over my head (wearing a bandana) or over my tights.
OVERTAKING OTHERS?
In a race, in a long distance race, if you are newbie everybody overtakes you and that is not bad! There are people who were training for the last year and maybe you just joined the race for the shake of doing some sports. Do not feel upset when you see others overtaking you.
I remember at the beginning of the c25k program I was in Madrid for a couple of days. I dressed up and went to El Retiro park from the hotel, the hotel was really nearby. I was almost diying after, how much? five or eight minutes jogging? Well... a very old woman overtook me in normal clothes, not really sports clothes. She was just fastwalking. I tried to reach her and overtake her but it was just not possible for me!
Did I feel upset? No! Maybe she is old but maybe she was fastwalking from before I was born... you never know!
Well, anyway... going back to track... In this Half Marathon overtaking people was not in my plan at all. But my pace was so consistent that I was able to overtake some of the other runners. I had them in my visual... but I didn't rush! After a while, ten minutes, or twenty, or five, it depends... I overtook them.
But... in each and every overtake I tried to encourage them as the others were doing to me when they were overtaking me! You do not beat anybody, you just go a little bit faster (at that time... because maybe later you are absolutely exhausted and they overtake you!)
THE WALL
I was feeling so nice up to the kilometer 12.5 where we had the U-turn. It was nice to see the other runners coming back and I enjoyed waving them and shouting good words to them!
Km 15 was ok... and I reached the 17th Km.
Before Km 17th I had water in each and every water stations... I was having great feelings with my body. Of course I was tired! but I was enjoying the day! The sun rising up to the sky, the mosques, the prayer calls, people cheering us up!
With no energy stick, no cereal bar and no fruit in the water stations I knew that I would struggle to reach the finish line...
And it happened... I was around Km 17.5 and I felt dizzy, just for a moment. That feeling of being confusing, cold skin, and small panic?
I removed my ear plugs to "connect" with the environment and I slowed down a bit. I wanted to make sure that nothing bad was happening and it was only because of the tiring running.
What I felt was just the way that the body transmit you the message: "Dude... what are you doing to me today?"
With no food, no fruit, no energy stick and having only water it was a matter of time for the body to give me a warning.
The organization told us that in Km 18 or 18.5 it would be fruit and energy drink and when I reached that station begging for a banana I only had this word back: "Water!"
OMG! I am struggling with the running and there is not anything else but water? Well... let the battle continue!
I looked at my HRM again and, at that point, I had burned three thousand calories... too much!
Anyway... I kept running. The problem was not with the legs... at that mileage you do not feel the legs from far behind. The battle is against yourself, against your mind.
I am happy to have a nice inner life and be able to manage that feeling. I was feeling exhausted but I knew that it would not last forever!
ARRIVAL
Km 18, keep running, Km19, come on, I-can-do-it (mantra repeated every four steps for a while), Km20, let's review the reason behind my running... Km20.5 and you see friendly faces. All the runners that could not participate in the race went there to act as a volunteers in the water stations and also went there to be standing up by Km20.5 and to smile you cheering you up: "Way to go", "come on, only a little more". "you go!"
FINISH LINE
The small crowd was there waiting for us, a very humble finish line, no big banners, no foto finish, no luxuries but all our friends and colleagues were there waiting for all of us.
I crossed the line! We do not use chips here, as soon as you cross the line the marshall gives you a wooden stick with your position number printed. I got mine and I went to the next marshall to tell him my name, surname and position.
I moved apart, bent my back, put my hands in my knees trying to get some air in my lungs and, suddenly, everything came out. I cried, I cried like a baby, open mouth. I didn't care about others around, it was my moment. The moment where you think about your 30kg loss, the moment you remember that you were not able to run even 100 meters five months ago, the moment that you would love to see your little baby and wife but because it was too early you sacrified that moment for them to be at home... "the moment"
POST-RACE
After that we had a great shower in a very nice hotel gym and we got an amazing breakfast! Counting calories? Come on! I was 3400Kcal less and it was almost 10am in the morning!! Haha!
MORAL
It doesn't matter if you are fat or unfit... if you decide to go lean and fit YOU-CAN-DO-IT. It doesn't matter if you are scared about the Half Marathon... if you have a reason behind it will push you to the end. It doesn't matter anything else but you!
Go for a leaner life! Go for sports! Go for a better life, IS YOUR RIGHT! is a gift for you GO FOR IT! Take your gift, you are entitle to it!
Go for the race, wake up early, run and enjoy the feelings, despite the pain, and... if you feel like crying... CRY!
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Replies
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Congratulations!
That was a great recap!
Enjoy the moment of pride you have in yourself. You deserve it.0 -
Congratulations! Such an inspiring story and told so well. Thank you for sharing...made me smile :happy:0
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:flowerforyou: 
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Wow! You did really well - and inspired me to get in shape for my Half Marathon(Ma0y) which I have already signed up for.
I love your descriptions of your feelings and thoughts as you were running and finding it tough.
Well done again.
What is next for you??
x0 -
what a lovely story! i really enjoyed it and i mean that. im currently running 5-6 km 4 days per week and last mth i couldnt run at all. im really intrigued by your journey, i would love love love to be able to run a half marathon. i now feel inspired and perhaps not as scared! i just have to keep going and to take my time. as i am a very slow runner!!0
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Wow! You did really well - and inspired me to get in shape for my Half Marathon(Ma0y) which I have already signed up for.
I love your descriptions of your feelings and thoughts as you were running and finding it tough.
Well done again.
What is next for you??
x
Hi! Next for me? Well, I would like to run the Petra Half Marathon. I live in Saudi Arabia, despite I am Spanish, and I've never been to Petra. It would be a lovely way to discover a place. But the prices are so high and they don't accept you to sign up unless you buy a trip package. So now I am struggling with the organization to get a running pass instead to buy the whole and, outrageously expensive, package.
And, if, and only if, everything goes ok I would like to begin cycling... maybe Half Ironman would be nice... more than that when one of the authotized Half Ironman even takes place in the island where I live in Spain, Mallorca Island!
XX0 -
what a lovely story! i really enjoyed it and i mean that. im currently running 5-6 km 4 days per week and last mth i couldnt run at all. im really intrigued by your journey, i would love love love to be able to run a half marathon. i now feel inspired and perhaps not as scared! i just have to keep going and to take my time. as i am a very slow runner!!
You WILL be able to run a half marathon! I was running 5km 4 months ago... suddenly when I made my first 5K race I signed up for an 8Km race the week after (wow! almost double the distance!!) and I made it too!! weighting more than 130kg at that time!!
Then, during the week, when I was in the treadmill is set up the timer... 25min, oh, come on, lets put more... 35min? what if 45? and that's it!
After some races and one 10Km attempt, which was succesful I tried to train with my running buddy for 10km running 2 or 3 times a week... then I ran 10km, 12km, no problem...
And you don't know how... you decide to go for a 15km training. I sent a text to my running buddy: "what if we train 15km today?" and we did it.
My training buddy is 65 years old, absolutely framed and fast like the wind. He ran 5 Marathons not that far in the past!
After that 15km I got an iliotibial band syndrome so I had to go to fisiotherapy, ultrasounds, electrics, etc... and now I ran this half marathon!
So... do not worry! you are 5-6km now... suddenly you will look to your past and you will think: "Ok, that was great but.. today I need my 10km smooth training!"
Best Regards!!0 -
Thanks for the flower! you are lovely! :flowerforyou: 0 -
Congratulations! Such an inspiring story and told so well. Thank you for sharing...made me smile :happy:
Great! if you smiled today I am happy!0 -
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!0
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That was beautiful and inspiring! Brought a tear to my eyes and a smile to my lips. I'm just getting into the whole running "thing." Thank you for posting your story! 0
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Wow, that is an incredible story, well-told! You made me a little teary. I relate to those feelings. I'm getting ready for my first 10k in a month and every day I run I just can't believe this former couch potato fat slob is doing it! You are an inspiration, thanks so much for the encouragement!0
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Anyway... I kept running. The problem was not with the legs... at that mileage you do not feel the legs from far behind. The battle is against yourself, against your mind.
So true!!!
Congratulations - a great achievement xxx0 -
This is a great story for me today. My first half is next Sunday so I really enjoyed your post!0
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and congratulations on your success!0
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This is a great story for me today. My first half is next Sunday so I really enjoyed your post!
Next Sunday? great!!! Make sure YOU ENJOY the run! forget about marks and timmings and enjoy yourself!
Good luck!!0 -
Thank you so much for posting this. Im doing my 1st half marathon Saturday. I am so inspired. Im pretty nervous. Im a very slow runner. I hope i ll manage. I have kept to my training program until yesterday. I felt a twinge on my right thigh. I hope im not injured. I ll be taking a break from running until Wed. I ll know for sure then, if im injured or not. I live in South Africa, theres a 42km that day too. So the cut off is 5hours for both races. Thats the only thing that makes me feel better.0
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I have just lost 20lbs and have ordered myself a pair of running shoes and an arm strap for my ipod i will be starting the couch to 5k as soon as they arrive and ive been checked by doctor to make sure my knees are ok to do so (they grind alot).
I used to run in my teenage years i loved sprinting but if i paced myself was quite a good long distance runner to I really miss running and have put it off till i lost some weight but now im ready and your story has just inspired me to really give it a go so Thank you for telling it x Emma0 -
Thank you for telling your story!! Usually I just scan long posts, but I read every word of yours. I am doing my first half-marathon in May, I want to come back to this and reread before I do. Thanks again for posting!!
Truely inspiring!!0 -
Thank u all for reading my looong post and your great comments. Do not hesitate to befriend me if you feel like!0
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Bump, need to read this later0
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Your post is so inspiring and exciting. I've done a few 1/2 marathons and each was has been as nerve-racking and exciting just as you've described. Thank you for reminding all runners of those emotions and for hopefully encouraging those thinking about running. Well done!0
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Great race recap! Your story brought back some great memories for me (I've been forced to take a looooong break from running due to a foot injury). I had to laugh about the "loneliness" you mentioned... I am the slowest runner I know & can't run with other people, but I like it that way. Your story is an inspiration to me and I'm sure to others... it's amazing what a body can achieve when given the chance. It must have felt amazing to have people cheering you on and treating you like a celebrity. :happy: You are doing GREAT! I'm sure you'll have many more running/race stories to share.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods0 -
Wow you have me BAWLING here! Your first half sounds alot like mine. I had a VERY hard time being alone. It was mile 9 and I was all by myself thoughts going through my head what was I thinking why was I here etc. This is the one thing I have to work on. Being happy with just running me and the pavement. I also cried several times during my race. I was mad, happy, sad all at once. Good for you!!!!0
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There are tears in my eyes. Thank you for sharing. Yesterday I signed up for the San Francisco 1/2 marathon in July and I am very scared. Reading about what you did gives me courage. I can do this.0
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I absolutely loved reading your story! So humbling and inspirational. I can't wait to read about your next half marathon! Congrats and I wish you nothing but the best! :flowerforyou:0
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Congratulations - loved your post. i have my half marathon a week today and im starting to get so nervous, im running for charity and i feel so pressured to complete it. It's only pressure i put on myself but i just want to enjoy it like you did. I enjoyed reading your post, it's nice to hear other peoples feelings as i often feel the same and also i have learnt to deal with my thoughts whilst out running and i quite like it. Its almost like meditation one you hit your rhythm.
Well done. 0
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