Just ran my first half-marathon! Wahoo!

Not the fastest time ever, but for me it was just about finishing the dang thing! 13.3 mile course, combination of asphalt, grass, and dirt (very nice and scenic, mapped it out in my car), deadly hills in some areas. My calves were so dead by the time I eclipsed mile 13...they're still sensitive. Gonna need at least a week to recover from this beast.

2:04:45-- not bad if I do say so myself!

So now these are my personal bests!

5K: 24:36

10K: 50:19

21K (half-marathon): 2:04:45

42K (marathon): ???????

I love running!

Yay well done! You are my idol! :D

 Congrats!!

that is so awesome! Once my tri season is over, I plan to start training for a half marathon. Hopefully I can do that in February!

FANTASTIC! 

I ran a half marathon today as well -- 18 years after the last one I ran. I fully agree with you: for me it was a question of having fun, finishing and hopefully finishing without walking. Although there were a few difficult moments when I wasn't all that sure I was having fun.

Congratulations!

p.s. your time rocks. Especially for your first half marathon. enjoy the success.... you deserve it.

Original Post by scaroppo:

FANTASTIC! 

I ran a half marathon today as well -- 18 years after the last one I ran. I fully agree with you: for me it was a question of having fun, finishing and hopefully finishing without walking. Although there were a few difficult moments when I wasn't all that sure I was having fun.

Congratulations!

p.s. your time rocks. Especially for your first half marathon. enjoy the success.... you deserve it.

Hey good job! I'm not gonna lie... I "run-walked" that last half mile... shuffling of the feet, haha!

good for you, that is amazing to challenge yourself like that.  I am far away from there but you are proof that we do get better every day when we challenge ourselves to be better!

Cudos...Carol

Thats alot!! great job!!! i have been running 8 miles on a treadmill but running trails must be more intense!!!

Thats awesome!!! 

Good Work!

My first half marathon is in May.  I'll start training in December/ January.  Any advice?

Congrats!

I ran my first half-marathon this past May, you totally kicked my times' butt! (2:31:54) I was just happy to finish!  My goal this next May (Fargo Marathon) is to shave 20 minutes off my time!  I plan to run the full marathon in 2010!

Well done! 

YOU ROCK! THAT IS SO GREAT- I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO TRAIN FOR A HALF- I AM 14 WEEKS AWAY FROM MY SECOND HALF MARATHON- WALT DISNEY WORLD 1-10-09!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT! I know you will do it for the full!!! That is way cool time! I am jealous! Keep running! all my best on your next race!

Well, in terms of training for the half, you should probably get very, very comfortable with running 10K's. I mean, a 10K should be a breeze, almost a warm-up run.

I got to running 6 miles every other day or two days -- somewhere between 20-25 miles a week. Then, two weeks before the half, I started gradually increasing: 8 miles one day, then 9, then 10. And of course, on race day, it was really just motivation/willpower pushing me through those last 3 miles.

I have no idea how to train for a full marathon though. I know I won't be able to run it as gung-ho as I did the half -- I'll definitely have to pace myself better and save the strength in my calves for the last stretch of it. I'm thinking the same philosophy holds for the full marathon, though. Before I'm able to do a full, I should probably be very, very comfortable running a half. Given that, I think I probably need at least 5-6 months to get ready for it.

But oh, what a glorious day it will be when I run 26 miles straight on through -- and to think that only a year ago I was 70 lbs heavier, my blood pressure was through the roof, I could barely run one mile, and I was headed to an early grave.

I'm ready to cross that finish line. Talk about an emotional catharsis.

Keep runnin', folks!

Great going Justin!  What an accomplishment on top of the accomplishment of losing all that weight! 

Good luck with all your goals.

i ran my first half the other weekend. unlike you i had a terrible experience and was very disappointed in my time. so i am off to do another one in 2 weeks. you can find really great marathon, half, 10k, 5k, training programs for any level and goal type (a PR, to just finishing)on the internet. (runners world, nike+) i actually picked up a book by runners world. i am currently doing a beginner level 20 week marathon training schedule where you run for time not distance. on sunday i ran for 3:15:00, and ended up doing 21.3 miles (on a treadmill, but hey, it's still 21 miles) they say the longest you need to run, even as a beginner is for 3:30 which i will be doing this sunday. congrats, on the half!!!! congrats on the weight loss!!! keep it going, i find always having a new goal helps me stay really motivated.

You rock! It's always inspiring to hear of people meeting similar goals.

I'm only doing 5K's so far, but am working on the 5 to 8K transition, hoping for 10K's by spring (indoor track to keep me going through winter), and a 1/2 marathon by sept. '09?

The scarier part is I went to a triathlon to watch a coworker and now I want to do them!  I've already got the biking part down pat (avid cyclist long before I took up running), but I'm learning to swim...now *that's* the challenge! 10K run? hah!  It's the thought of swimming 1.5K before all the biking and running.  Thank g*d there's sprint tri's (with 750m swims) and beginner sprints (300 or 500m).

Nothing motivates you to keep on going than knowing you don't float better than a rock once the buoyant fat is gone :-P

hey jdroller they are good times... how long did it take you to train for it?