My first Half Marathon

I did it! I am a Half Marathoner!!!! I ran what is said to be the Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest. 

I have nothing to compare it to as it was my first half marathon but I will say I ran it with a smile on my face the whole time! Before the race I spent a lot of time at the stamp station. They had many Shakespeare themed stamps along with stamps from all the previous years. I was covered with Shakespeare's head, dog prints, the outline of the half marathon route, and even a MOM stamp. I also loaded up on Powerbar gels and sipped some water while waiting for the race to start. 

 The race started at high noon with perfect running weather. Within half a mile we were already climbing our first hill. The energy from the people lining the streets to cheer for us and wish us good luck was amazing! I was racing from side to side giving little kids high fives! The first drink station wasn't until mile 2 but one sweet little girl and her family were handing out cups of water about a mile into the race. Many people appreciated it. The first few miles were uneventful with the exception of the beautiful view of Boise every now and then. Around mile 4 my crappy knee started aching. It started out as something small and quickly grew to throbbing pain. Finally the uphill part of the course ended after 8.5 miles of it and we had hit the summit. At this point my knee was feeling horrible but I grabbed a gel and used it like a stress ball as we descended the hill. As we started running downhill at first I ran with a limp and then I learned to ignore the pain (the best that I could) and just enjoy it. We passed a bunch of people who I tried to cheer on and encourage them to keep going. A few looked at me like I was crazy and it was strange I was still so happy after the mountain we had just climbed. I was on cloud 9 and no one was going to bring me down. As I ran around the last bend in the road and finally saw the finish line I increased my speed. I saw the photographer and saw the lady in front of me and smiled as I sprinted passed her right before we finished. I wanted that memory forever. However my finish line picture was less than stellar so I guess I have to run Robie Creek next year just to get a better finish line photo. But I did it! I ran my first half marathon! 

I already can't wait for next year. I plan to train better for the hills and also not be injured going into the race and hopefully shave off at least 30 minutes from my time this year. I would run the Race to Robie Creek again just for the view alone. This is where the finish line and after party took place. Can you think of a prettier place to finish a race.

A few days ago I started my Spring Training with Boise RunWalk. I am really excited to improve my half marathon time and get some great running advice and tips and find people who want to run races with me! The first day we ran at intervals, two minutes of running then one minute walking and repeat. Apparently running intervals in a half marathon or marathon will help improve your time and help you save energy and finish stronger. I want to improve my time but it always made me feel good to say I can run ____ amount of miles without walking. We will see if I stick to this training program. 

Have you tried run/walk intervals during a big race? What's your experience?