Fargo Half Marathon

This spring I ran my very first half marathon! Back in January or February my sister talked me into joining her and her husband training for the race in May. We picked a training program and did our best to keep up with it. I found I was much more motivated to stay on track when I was accountable to other people! My brother-in-law dropped out a month or so in because he had such bad shin splints. Rachel came down with something in the last couple weeks before the race and had to drop out the night before.

I was extremely, unreasonably nervous the morning of the race. There were something like 4,400 half marathon participants. So many people! I lined up behind the 10:20 pacer and lost her as soon as the race started. The race course was lined with people watching and cheering, the atmosphere was really fun. People were having front yard picnics, there were bands playing, some homeowners were spraying runners with hoses as the day warmed up. Beyond the regular aid stations, many people had water or other items out for runners. I saw everything from Jolly Ranchers to bananas!

Eric told me he and the kids wouldn't be able to get out to watch me run. I came around a corner and saw my dad waving then noticed Eric and the kids standing there too! It was so encouraging. 

My goal was to finish somewhere in the neighborhood of 2:30. I was able to break a personal record and run 5 miles without a walking break. The weather was comfortable starting out and I kept up pretty well for the first 8 miles or so. After that my walk breaks got more frequent and my pace slowed down a lot. I was very disappointed when I crossed the finish line and the clock said 2:56. My sister pointed out the clock started when the first full marathon runner started running, I crossed start at least 20 minutes after they did. I felt so much better about the race when I saw my official time was 2:31!

Dad was in the Fargodome near the finish also, although I couldn't see him. 

We found each other soon after I got there though. I was exhausted, light headed and having a hard time breathing or I would have taken advantage of the full buffet they offered at the finish line. 

The race was fun and I'm glad I did it. Running is only fun for me about 70% of the time but races really are fun. The course in Fargo was great for my first half marathon, it is almost completely flat and all the streets are blocked off from traffic. I was so hyped up in the weeks following it that I wound up registering for another race at the end of the summer!