My first half marathon race was last year, before that I was running up to 13k and did three 10k races. My total number of half marathon races so far is 7: two races ran last year and five this year (plus the one I will be running by the end of November).
Here are my medals, bib numbers and t-shirts from last year (2012). My very first half marathon race was Scotia Bank Half, then in November I ran Vancouver Historic Half.
Medals, bib numbers and t-shirts from this year’s races.
By running these four races I got the HALF FANATIC status. For this I needed to have run three races in 90 days, so I can count either the first three of the last three races. They will soon send me a half fanatic running tank-top that I will proudly wear.
I have found that running the same race several times gives you a better chance of working on your personal best. Once you face a route that you are familiar with your mind knows what is coming, therefore there aren’t any surprises. By knowing the route you can also strategize your race, decide your walk breaks, as well as your pace for the first and second half of it. Personally, the way I see PB’s (personal bests) is comparing one race with itself. I ran my first Scottia Half in 2 hours and 10 minutes. This year, when I ran it again, I did it in 2 hours and 4 minutes. I know I was able to accomplish this major PB because I knew what to expect. Based on that I decided to skip the first two walk breaks, and run as fast as I could during the first half (I knew it was flatter and had more downhill), so I could slow down a little bit in the second half of the race, when it was more hilly.
In November I will be able to compare times again when I run Vancouver Historic Half, and of course next year, I will run Scotia again, as well as See Wheeze (plus hopefully two full marathons). That way I can start working on doing PB’s for each different race I run.
My Animal Lover Note:
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