Half Marathon Wrap Up...

What surprised me most about my first half marathon is how busy it was and how many supporters were lining the road. It was quite overwhelming to begin with, but the energy of the day really helped, not only as a distraction but as a real motivator.

I think both Heidi and I found the whole race very challenging. 

From about the 12km mark we really had to motivate each other. Our legs became very heavy, and it felt like they may cramp at any moment, so we took the decision at about the 16km mark to walk the hills.  This had not been our original plan, we had hoped to run most of it, but we decided that we had to be strategic if we wanted to finish. 

But then the final 3km were really the most challenging and Heidi was fantastic in keeping the talk positive and helping to push us to the finish line.

Crossing the finish line was very emotional.  The enormity of what we had done was very visceral, all the training and hard work having paid off.  We were both very proud of each other as well as a profound sense of relief to be finally done.

I would say to anyone signing up to their first half marathon is to get a good program together and be dedicated in sticking to it.  Be aware that you will need to increase your protein and carbohydrate intake as your training increases and also develop a good pre and post run stretching routine. 

Everyone is different but I think having someone to run with you and help make you accountable was very helpful for me.

One word to describe the experience would be "fulfilling".