Rochester Half Marathon

This year I completed the half marathon more as part of my training for the Marine Corps Marathon than as a race itself. I figured that it would be a good training run and have the benefit of water stops and fans to keep me going. It is always amazing how much better I run in a group than on my own. That being said, I hadn't really done any solid distance in about two weeks. I hurt my calf muscle right before school started and was forced to rest it. I did this race by myself and really didn't expect to have anyone cheering me on. The lonely part about being single for me is that most of my friends aren't into running and so I do most of these races on my own. Of course, in reality, you should always try to run your own race. That being said, it is nice to know that someone is at the finish line waiting for you. Keeping all of this in mind, imagine my surprise when I saw friends cheering me on at the 2 mile mark! It definitely perked me up! It was a cool morning and actually perfect weather for a long run. Much better than last year's heat!

I had a great first 7 miles and was on par to finish the race in about 2 hours. Unfortunately, I started to slow down in the last half. The Ford Street bridge seems to consistently be my nemesis - that and Exchange Street. I ended up walking most of Exchange, but then began running as soon as I turned into Corn Hill. Knowing I only had about a mile left to go, I kicked myself into that moment's version of high gear and finished the race strong. Turns out I beat last year's time by more than 15 minutes! I am incredibly proud of myself. Just seven month's prior to this race, I broke my leg. It has been a tough summer and a rough recovery. I can't believe that I have been able to not only get back into training, but come back stronger and faster than before. I am really encouraged by my performance in this race and hope to get enough solid training runs in for the marathon that is in just four short weeks from now.