I Now Want To Do a Half-marathon in Two Hours: Getting Closer

Last Saturday, April 18, 2009, I completed my eighth half-marathon to go along with the full marathon December 2008.  (I give you a link here to my most recent article which links to my other articles on marathons, http://www.authspot.com/Journals/Making-the-Transition-From-Walking-to-Running-Marathons.610973.)  This event was the Racefest in Charlotte, NC.  I honestly thought it was going to be a bad marathon going in.  I suffered from a very stubborn cold and cough that had bothered me for the week prior.  I was prone to coughing fits and was concerned that all the coughing was going to affect my running.  My wife and work wife questioned whether I was going to go.  “Of course I am going,”, I said.  I relied on the advice given by my guru, Wendy, from walking.about.com.  She wrote that if your symptoms are limited to above the neck, do it.  I did make one concession walking just three times instead of the normal four in the week before the marathon.   Very simply, I was going to have to feel a lot worse than just run down to not go to Charlotte.  However, I will admit that I was not looking forward to it as much as the others; but Jimmy and I drove up there Friday afternoon and I tried to get ready. 

I tried to get some sleep the night before, but it was not good.  The bed was too soft and I woke up every hour with a sore back.  There was no sleep after 530am (race did not start until when I woke up with a horrible coughing fit.  Nothing soothes my throat better than heat.  I drank two cups of tea and two cups of coffee.  I drank those and it soothed my throat.  I continued with my normal race-day preparations.  Jimmy and I made it out to the starting line with 5 minutes to spare.  Thank God my throat was fine.  I had three cough drops in my pocket just in case.  With all the people around and the hour approaching, I had that same fired-up feeling I get right before the race.  I was ready. 

In spite of my problems leading up to the race, I was ready when the gun went off.  I kept a consistent ten minute mile or close to it for the early miles.  Some of the miles were faster or slower as some miles were uphill and some were downhill.  I took advantage of the downhill- I felt like I was driving a car in neutral and coasted down.  Going uphill, I just sucked it up and kept going.  I was sure to breathe as much through my nose to get deep oxygen to my lungs.  The cough drops helped clear breathing through my nose.  My coughing during the run was non-existent. 

I got stronger after the first 7 miles.  My last miles were closer to nine minutes than ten.  My cardio-vascular was great; I did not breathe heavy until the final mile.  But I still had more than enough to finish strong and steady and break my record.  Jimmy broke his personal record too.  He has now done three half-marathons. 

 I just need to keep going.  Keep reducing my time until I get to two hours.