Half marathon weekend

I ran a half marathon this past weekend.

What is a half marathon?

A half marathon is a road running event of 13.1 miles and is half the distance of a marathon.

The race I ran was held in North Park, about 20 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. At 8:30 a.m., about 2,300 runners lined up at the start of the race. Not everyone that lined up at the start was running a half marathon. Saturday’s race, called “Just A Short Run”, also featured a 5k, 8.1 mile run, and a 30 kilometer race. The race raised money from everyone's entry fees for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

My sister and I (both wearing blue) just before the start of the race.

Before I knew it, the race started and everyone began running and cheering. It was an exciting feeling to begin the race that I had been anticipating since I signed up for it a few months ago.

The beginning of the race.

The first three miles of the race were very crowded with people, but it was fun because everyone was full of energy and excitement. After three miles, the runners who ran the 5k got to run through the finish line but those who were running the 8.1 mile run, half marathon, or 30k had to keep on running.

Hannah finishing her 5k race. Her time was 28:07, so she had a 9:04 pace. 

After hitting the 8.1 mile mark, the crowd of runners eased up and it was much easier for me to pass people and run at a quicker pace. My thoughts during the race ranged from thinking about how cold it was to what I would be eating for lunch.

Soon enough I had only a mile left. I ran as hard as I could and crossed the finish line, happy to be done and wanting some warm coffee.

Me, just after crossing the finish line.

My time was 1:41:32, so my pace was 7:44. I ran with a running watch that kept track of my pace and miles. Because I weaved through the crowd, my watch showed that I had actually ran 13.5 miles, so my pace was truly 7:31.

After the race I stretched my achy legs, grabbed a water, and lots of free snacks that were provided for all of the runners.

Post-race snacks.

My sister and I both received medals for placing in our age groups but we were just excited to head out to lunch to get some fuel and then go home for hot showers!

Hannah and I after the race with our medals.

Overall, I had a great time running my third half marathon this weekend and I'm looking forward to running more road races this spring!

An introduction post!

Hello and welcome to my blog about running! I’m Allie and this is my first post.

 I will be doing 3 things in this blog post:

1. Introducing myself and giving a background on my running career.

2. Stating my goals for this blog.

3. Describing what topics within running will be included in my posts.

Here we go!

1.       About me and my running career.

I’m Allie and I’m 19 years old. I began running in middle school when I joined the track team. I ran the 400 meter dash and the 100 meter hurdles.

 In high school I ran the 400 meter dash, 100 meter hurdles, and the 800 meter dash. I liked running short distances but began to have interest in running 5k’s (3.1 miles) during my senior year of high school. I ran my first 5k in April 2010 and fell in love with distance running and road races. 

 Since my first 5k I have run many others as well as 10k’s (6.2 miles), 2 half marathons (13.1 miles), and I’m currently training for a full marathon (26.2 miles) in June 2012. 

2. My goals for this blog

My goal for this blog is to talk all about running. I have learned many lessons from past mistakes and I want to share my insights! I am always learning new things about this wonderful sport and I am excited to blog about what I learn. 

3. Topics I will be blogging about

I will be blogging about much more than just the sport of running. I have created a list of some of the topics that also deal with running that I will blog about: 

-Training plans

-Nutrition

-Various races

-Footwear

-Speed work

-Running workouts

-Treadmills

-Dealing with weather

-Running gear

-Cross training

-Injury prevention and treatment

*The above list is always able to change and is not limited by any means. If you have a question about running, I would be happy to do a post on it; just leave a comment, don't be shy!*

Now, I'll leave you with a quote.

The best part of a run? The birds chirping, the awesome air, and the fact that a lot of people are still sleeping. The worst? The first couple of steps. Just getting the creaks out. 

-Summer Sanders, Olympic gold medalist and TV commentator