Happy 8th Half Marathon Runniversary

I ran my first half marathon on January 27, 2003. At the time, it was called ING Miami Marathon. Running that first half marathon was an experience that, looking back, should have left me not wanting to run another half marathon. I started the race feeling strong and high on excitement, but once I hit mile 7.5, I hit the wall. I spent the next 1.5 miles walking and talking myself back into finishing the race. Mile 10 came and, with it, the “There’s only a 5K left” mentality kicked in, I ran with heart, and cried when I crossed the finish line. I faced the darkest and meanest parts of myself and overcame. While in that “wall” space I said I would never run another half again; once I finished, I couldn’t wait to do it all again. Running is funny like that in that you can experience all the emotional highs and lows in a matter of minutes.

That woman who ran in 2013 would not have been able to see the woman writing this post today. It’s been eight years since that first half marathon and there has been so much growth as a runner, including taking on full ownership of calling myself a runner and an athlete. I never know how a race will pan out, but I know that I have what it takes to get from start line to finish line.

Running the half marathon on Sunday will mark my 40th half marathon. The number of miles logged and the memories made to get to this point are something I will forever be grateful for. I’ll be going into Sunday’s race with a solid block of training and the following goals:

A-goal: Course PR (under 2:01)
B-goal: sub-1:55
C-goal: anything better than 1:53:35 (PR)
D-goal aka if-this-were-my-last-half-marathon-ever-goal: 1:49

And because it’s fun to look back on the years, here are my times from my previous races (2019-2013):