My First Half Marathon

I just realized that I still haven't updated the blog with my experience from my first half marathon, the Morgan Valley Half Marathon. So, here it is...

I have to start by saying thank you to the race organizers of the Morgan Valley Marathon. They planned a great route, had ample aid stations with plenty of hydration and fuel, and provided a great atmosphere.

I should also mention that I have been struggling for the past two months with persistent hip pain. I mentioned it to my doctor two weeks before the race and he told me it was a common running injury and that I should rest it for a few weeks. Of course, I couldn't take the advice at the time because I had a race to run. So, I read up on stretching exercises and strengthening techniques and continued on my path.

Prior to the race I visited Canada and participated in a mountain bike ride/fishing trip in the rockies, Waterton Park to be exact. That, along with a few shorter (5k and 10k) runs with my sister, provided the pre-race training before I actually got to Morgan.

The weather in Morgan was chilly for a Phoenician - a mere 55F. Prior to the start, I was standing at the line shivering. I've been told that pre-cooling is a great technique to increase performance, so I just went with it. The race started off a little fast. I have this problem when I race that I start off fast and feel like I have to pass people. I don't like being behind anyone. I suppressed that feeling throughout the race and ran a pretty normal pace through the first 6 miles. The first half of the course was almost all uphill, so you can imagine my excitement when I started on the last half and found myself running close to an 8 minute mile, downhill.

I ended up with a time of 1:55, coming in about 10 minutes faster than my goal. I'm very pleased with the result and have already registered for my next half marathon - the Hoover Dam Half Marathon on October 29th.

Now, if only I could get rid of this problem hip...