It’s been just over two weeks since running my first half marathon and it’s about time I shared my experience. I asked my fellow Food Runners to answer a few questions right after the race and decided to model my own recap after theirs.

So here goes…

THE EXPERIENCE: There’s an energy that takes over before a race that’s addictive. A runner may wonder for a split second what made them decide to run for 5k, 21.1k or the full 42.2, but doubt is banished at the start line.

Adrenaline takes over. Kinship takes over. Determination takes over.

That’s exactly what I felt throughout the race – a feeling epitomized by the Kenyans passing me on the opposite side of Lakeshore. They were beautiful, running effortlessly as a group at a speed few humans will ever achieve. It’s a sight people told me to look out for and one that I hope never fades from memory.

THE TRAINING: Due to a pulled groin muscle, I didn’t train as intensely as I would’ve liked. Although I ran regularly, up until a handful of weeks before the race, I had been focusing mainly on speed. So my distance training suffered. The longest distance I’d ran before Scotiabank was 16k.

No surprise here, but I was pretty scared I’d gas out before I reached the finish line.

THE RACE: But I didn’t! I took it pretty easy for the first half of the race and picked it up slowly after that. Although I finished in my goal time of under two hours (1:54:19), I had enough energy left over that I new I could have met my original goal time of under 1:50.

POST-RACE: I was sore. I was happy. I was already looking forward to lacing up for an easy run. Granted, the frequency of injuries has me contemplating shaking up my training to incorporate more yoga and stretching in general.

FUTURE GOALS: I really want to run a full marathon, but I think I’ll tackle another half in order to give it my all.

Photo by Jackie Beale