half marathon – Betsy Schow

Park City Half Marathon and the Philosophy of Finishing

So yesterday was the Park City Half. Nothing particularly worth noting about the race itself. My knee hurt when I started, it hurt worse when I finished.

What I thought about while I ran was more than the beautiful scenery, even though Park City is a gorgeous race. It was more than, “Wow I really hate these hills”. I was thinking about how exactly one year ago, I reached my goal weight and my goal of running a full marathon here in Park City. And that in the one year since, I have kept the weight off and kept running. This race gives me my 6th finisher’s medal. They are a constant reminder to me of my Philosophy of Finishing, “Not everyone can win the race, but everyone can finish.”

My husband was there with me last year and ran the marathon as well. He hasn’t run a step since, but he was waiting for me at the finish line. Because he also believes in the power of the finish. It’s not just about fitness or weight goals. Finishing should be applied to any aspect of your life. He really set this to work by going back to college after he quit 10 years ago. Now he’s ripping through all the classes he needs to get a degree in Biology with a Computer Science minor.

So I want to take this moment and tell you, the reader, that whatever you have left undone in your life — you can finish it. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the fastest, or a spring chick any more. Just get it done. Get that finisher’s medal around your neck – either real or metaphorical – and you will find that the weight of your accomplishment will lift a weight that has burdening your spirit.

The Long Run: Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon

So most of the times I try to share a lesson or a thought. Something I’ve learned over the course of this accidental adventure. Today however, I will be running the Thanksgiving Point half marathon, and I wanted to share it with you.

I’m actually writing this part of Friday night. My nerves are jumpy, and I probably won’t be able to sleep. But that’s half the fun right? I picked up my packet and my number is 992. Sounds like a good number to me. So I’m going to go to sleep now (maybe), and after I finish the race tomorrow, I will post how it went. It’s timed. I’m sure I won’t be first. I probably won’t be last. But it doesn’t matter, as long as I finish.

Ok, so I’ve finally recovered enough to sit at the computer. LOL. Here’s a tip, if the race is run through a golf course, just say NO. This was a really tough race with lots of steep inclines and drops following the Thanksgiving Point golf course. That part mooey sucked. But the first part was awesome. We ran through the gardens. There were tulips and lilacs everywhere. Fountains and waterfalls. Bridges, archways, and tunnels. I almost wanted to slow down to soak it in a little more.

I had intended this run to be basically another training run for the marathon, meaning slow and steady. Ehh. Didn’t happen. Once I got next to the other runners my little competitive fuse got lit by adrenaline. I was doing my run at 8:30 min per mile pace for half mile, the recovery walk for 1 minute. There was this guy, we will call him green guy because of his attire. Green guy and I kept jockeying for position. I would run ahead of him, then my watch would beep and I would walk. During the walk cycle he would pass me for a moment until my watch beeped that it was time to run again. Then I’d leave him in the dust.

Every time I passed green guy he would groan or swear. He was so mad that I kept passing him then holding back. Then passing again. He finally said something unpleasant. I ignored him and kept on running. I made it my mission to beat him to the finish. So when we approached all the hills my legs really wanted to slow down, but I was not going to let that snot beat me.

Long story short, I beat him to the finish by 3 minutes. Even though I took walk breaks every half mile and he ran continuously. I finished at 2:02:30. in about the top third of all the registered people.

Lesson to be learned? Do your own thing and tune out the naysayers. People may have thought I was dumb for run.walking, but at the end of the race I was exhausted and I was injury free. Green guy was limping. Who had the better run?

Run, walk, skip, or jump. Do your own thing and whatever makes you happy. The only rule is that you have to finish.

The Long Run: Half Marathons

So today’s run is a little less than last week’s. Today I am running a half marathon. This is a fad that has really taken off in the past few years. It used to be all 5 and 10K and full marathons. The half is an excellent compromise and a great stepping stone on your way to a full marathon if you just can’t help yourself.

So 13.1 miles. Definitively easier than 26.2, but still not something you should just hop off the couch the day before to do. Here’s my official recommendation. If you are new to running, as in haven’t run to the mailbox in over a year, then plan on training for 4 months before tackling this bad boy. Even if you think your heart is up to the exertion, your bones and joints might not be. Running is a high impact exercise. I read that it takes 6 months to fully adjust your skeletal structure to the changes required to sustain that impact.

If you’ve been running for a few months, or jogging- let’s say even one mile per run- than I would give you a 9 week training program.

Either way, it’s not a good idea to see an ad for a race, that’s say next month, and sign up and think you’ll be ready. I like to stay in the kind of shape where I can pick up a half marathon even a week before. But it means staying in that kind of training mode year round. At least one run a week is 9 miles.

So if a half marathon sounds like something you want to achieve, go for it. You’ll probably get a really cool medal. Just make sure you plan ahead and give your body time to adjust to your own needs. For me, the sense of accomplishment was absolutely worth the training. And the knee pain.