Half Marathon

I’m running a half marathon this Saturday.  You may ask – how much have you trained?  And I shall answer – not a whit.  *nervous chuckle

A half is a distance that I can get through on grit alone, especially on a completely flat course.  I’ve done a few dozen halfs, always at a relatively slow pace, so I’m not too worried.  I have a base level of running fitness from twenty years of running/jogging regular exercise.  But I’ve also had a bad cold for about three weeks- now fully cleared up, but too late to do much in the way of catch-up training.  So Saturday I shall stagger through.  My only worry with these is the lower back issues – hefting Craig around keeps my lower back in a constant state of fatigue and low-grade injury, and sometimes that leads to a real throbbing in the bones where I broke my back years ago, and some spasming in the muscles.  Good stretches of the hamstrings and focus on engaging the abdomen during the run will help.  Pre-race Advil also helps!

I always love this half, though.  I’ve done it before – I missed it last year to attend a Charleston wedding.  It’s a great course, littered with cheering fans and bands playing.  I’m eager for it.  Hungry for the physical adversity, the hours of quiet reflection, the re-visiting of old haunts.  I may wear some costume pieces, since it’s on Halloween – I guarantee others will.  I can’t wait to see the old homes on St. Charles, dressed to the nines for the City’s favorite holiday.  Then I’ll come back here and we’ll take the kids trick or treating.  Ahhh, Halloween.  I love this time of year.