So it's official. Finally -- after the heartbreak of missing the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon -- and after the disappointment of not being ready for the Silver Strand Half Marathon due to injury -- and the temporary dejection over finding out the Carlsbad Half Marathon was sold out -- I participated in and successfully completed an official half marathon. And what a wonderful event it was.
* Absolutely gorgeous morning
* Picturesque and peaceful route along the Carlsbad coastline
* Well run and great volunteer support
I couldn't have asked for anything better (except, perhaps, better traffic control into and out of the event start/finish area).
It's been a long, long time since I've been a part of something like this. I was 27 when I last entered in an official road race event, 22 years ago. I remember some of the details of that 1988 La Jolla Half Marathon, but I'd forgotten the feeling.
I didn't follow my script for the run. I tried. I really did try to go out slowly, and I thought I had. But when I checked my watch at the 3 mile marker, I was already 2:30 ahead of my warm-up pace and I felt totally within myself. By the 8th or 9th mile, I was well on my way to a 1:50:00 or better finish, and I was still feeling good. I didn't really start to feel stressed at all until 11 miles, and by then the finish line was psychologically so close that I could have probably run through anything.
My final chip time was a very satisfying 1:48:05, which was 979th (out of 7105) over all and 83rd (of 293) in my M44-49 division. I tried very hard not to let a time goal be my focus, since this was mainly a running event to reacquaint myself with running in a race, and my main objective was simply to finish without walking at all. I was really pleased with my 8:15 average pace and now I know what I can do and have a target to improve upon. The predictor charts suggest I ought to be able to push myself to a 1:43:00 or better result (though La Jolla has a nasty hill that will probably deny me that, unless I improve significantly).Edit: Just checked the race results, and I see that my tag recorded a split at the 6.6 mile mark. I was only running an 8:23 pace up to that point. I knew I was running easier. I didn't realize I had picked it up over the latter half of the race, but I guess I did. I had supposed that the onset of fatigue at around 11 miles was due to the distance, but I conclude now that it must've been because I had started to chase that 1:50:00 target. The 2nd half was basically the first half in reverse, so I don't think it was the course. Just thought that was interesting.
I need to work out my 18-week marathon training plan now. This was just the first milestone. I'll be running the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon on June 6th (and the La Jolla Half Marathon will be a component of that on April 24th).
