My First Half Marathon

I did it! Yesterday I went and joined the crowds and completed my first half marathon. I am pretty excited about it.
I was totally anxious/nervous/excited to find my way into the city it was held, and find parking. Seriously this was my biggest anxiety issue.... Being on time, finding parking so I can be on time... Not the race!
As I was driving I to Bellingham, WA the rain was pouring, POURING.  The day before it had stormed also and I had kept thinking, ok.. It really can't be worse tomorrow, right?!  Well it was pretty awful driving. Plus I hit a road closure and had to detour, I was ready to throw up for fear I wouldn't get there (I still had an extra hour).
I made it, I found parking. I proceeded to get ready in my car. Body glide, water belt, poncho, mp3. Ohh please let me not forget anything!
I head down, and of course it's been over an hour since I left home, I had to hit the portos right away.
Then sought shelter. Pretty much just hung out on my own until the start. Found a few others who were waiting alone, wondering where the heck DO we start. Do we go in our "time corrals" ?
Nope, it's time! Everyone pile in the starting line :/. This was probably good for me, bad for others. I had signed up with a 3:00 finish guesstimate.
Being my first, I just wanted to finish, but heck if I am doing great I wanted to finish under 2:45. 2:30 would be wicked cool but, not planning on that!

Next thing you know I am fiddling with my iPod, and it's time to go! Crap. I am new to this remember so I didn't have my garmin start at quite the start line on account of putting the iPod away. :/
I am sort of about 1/3 back from the front (to start!). The rain is minimal. The poncho is keeping me warm. And.... My pants start to fall down! What the heck! Seriously, I have worn them a few times and TODAY they choose to be loose. So I am not hiking up my pants to my belly button under the poncho, and thankful I haven't gotten rid of it yet.  I knew once I got sweaty they would stay, and about a km later they were no longer a pain in my ass. I totally forgot about them.
Next came the issue... Am I starting to fast? I don't feel too fast, but I know the first 5km for me tend to be the hardest, so maybe I'm too slow. Crap I don't know, just go with it and don't fall over.
I started great.
Next was time to take off the poncho. I waited until a one minute walk break and pulled it off. But I am not the type to throw things on the ground so I tied it around my belt at my back until a water station.
Next up: grumpy old dude. I go to pass one person on their right and this guy is right there on my right! I don't know where he came from, I can hear fine, I accidentally barely bump him, and he gets all Non sarcastic at me "oh just slow down my pace then". Psht. Grump. Well that grump was a pain for the next half hour, he kept randomly sprinting and running around and past people for a minute and then walking and sprint and walk, so he is ahead and behind me constantly, and totally unpredictable. One of those "I don't care where you go but please just not be near me anymore" situations.
Eventually I lost him.
For the most part I just kept chugging along in my own world. Sometimes listening to my tunes, sometimes listening in on peoples conversations. Smiling at the volunteers, high fiveing with any kids who wanted them on the sides. It was fun.
Almost got nailed in the head with someone's half full cup of of water. That was pretty funny. Probably because I didn't get hit.
I don't look around too much when I run in general, but took the time on the wharf to look out at the water.
Tried to keep my hat on when the wind gusted.
One lady had really loud gas. I was so glad it wasn't me! But heck it could happen to anyone.
Got some Hammergel, I hadn't had that before, vanilla is good. Figured if I got one I should be safe with it.  I carried peanut butter gum and blackberry gu on me, I like the taste of both but realize now the pb is just toooo thick.
Then the last 5 km. probably the most entertaining for me.
A couple of guys run past while we are on a gravel trail, they had been ahead and behind me a lot, run/walk style. As they jog past the one says "oh man! It's happening!" The other " what is it?" " I've just hit the wall!" "No, you can push through it! You can do it" .... He did it. :)
Around the 2km to go mark, a volunteer on the sidewalk cheering "your almost there, it's all downhill now!" 30 seconds later you turn a bit and another hill appears.... She was lying!
I threw in an extra 30 second walk at the beginning of my last km, I wanted to finish a bit fresh, without mouth pasties or runny nose, you know, in case I do manage to get a decent picture. ;) I don't know if they got one though, some guy ran right in front of me for the last few meters she they were doing pictures.
But I finished!!
I finished in 2:23:15. I totally killed my own super duper goal of 2:30 which I didn't think I could even hit that!
I even hit a negative split. 11:07/mile the first half, 10:57/mile the 2nd.

I even got a stranger to take my photo and email it to me, since I was in another country and left my phone in the car since I wouldn't use it anyways cuz it would just cost money. ;)

Overall, totally awesome experience. And yes, I think I will do it again.

Training start next Tuesday ;).

Name label

I just realized that both of my polar heart rate monitor straps have places to write my name. Do people leave these around often enough that one might get confused as to whose is whose?
I suppose in a large training and everyone goes and undresses at the same time and just throws everything everywhere it might be handy.
But shoes! Shoes should have a place for your name! Shoes are expensive and people steal shoes. $200 shoes could have $400 orthotics in them. Those are a bit too much moneys to be getting "lost" without your name. Never mind the $15 special Velcro inside shoes that HAVE to be labelled starting  in preschool.

Oh well. I'm not marking mine up with sharpie any time soon!

Yesterday, I, ran, 18.75 km!!!! My average pace was around 7:10/km and I am thrilled with that!!! I am into 2 weeks of much easier going and then it is time for my big day.
Last might I ordered a Garmin Forerunner 610 and I soooo hope it arrives before my big day. I realized that because I will be across the border I won't be running my phone data without paying major roaming fees, so no GPS! I'd be lost! I'd have no clue my speed...... Sooooo present to me, new watch! Now if anyone reads this please send your "deliver before the 29th" vibes my way.

Thank you.

On the injury front:
Shoulder impingement from backpacking. On recovery, my 18k was good and my arm did not hang at my side like a dead animal as it had earlier in the week.
Shin splints....buggers are back with a vengeance. I bought a stick, I will roll them away.
Foot hurts, apparently that is same tendon as shin splints.... Roll roll roll.
Knee pes anserine, bursitis, tendonitis, whatever, generally ok. Little sore today but I may have been having too much fun with the stick, or it waited until this afternoon after Chiro to flare up from yesterday's run. Either way it actually isn't toooo bad.
I think that is all.
O... My knees crack and crunch lately. No pain, but noisy...... I'm choosing to not think too much about it yet.

This week two 6km, one 8km, then the weekend another two 6km..... Then more taper. My gold medal finish would be under 2:30. Silver under 3. Bronze just finishing.  I get 4 hours to finish.
(Ok they are all gold, and I will be thrilled to just finish, but people like me always have secondary goals!)
This week is also going to end up being mostly treadmill. Booooooo