13.1

The half-marathon's complete!

After Mom filled us with an Easter dinner of pasta, this morning having taken the day off work I rose about 9:00. Last night I'd started drinking some water to make sure that my legs weren't sluggish this morning, and I continued that by downing about 25 oz. or so while getting ready.

In my arsenal were another 50 oz. of water in a bottle, a baseball preview edition of Sports Illustrated, and my iPod. On this gorgeous 75 degree sunny spring day I donned a tank top, pair of shorts with pockets (in case I needed to carry the iPod), two pair of socks and my trusty 10.5 black New Balance running shoes.

As expected, the twenty treadmills at Four Seasons were mostly empty. I hoped that by starting around 9:30 there would be something good coming on T.V. as I got there. It was my lucky day, the movie Evan Almighty was just kicking off.

I'd done some math prior to starting. Bearing a goal of finishing in under two hours (ignoring a ten minute restroom break, during which I also downed a banana that I'd brought along to guard against muscle cramps), I figured that running at an 8 minute mile pace for the first six miles would enable me to run the rest of the way at a comfortable 10 minute mile pace.

I started at the "10" pace for the first three minutes or so, to give my body a little warm-up time. Breaking into the faster pace was about what I expected it to be. Under my original plan, I'd handle those sprint portions in two, three-mile pieces. Once I got into it though, I realized that it was going to be pretty hard to kick into that high gear again once I settled into the lower gear. So it was that, as Steve Carrell's character was trying in vain to shave a God-induced permabeard, I polished off the six-mile burst. This turned out to be a great move. The ten minute mile clip was like a walk in the park compared with that!

I took my break at the hour mark. The movie ended with a good half hour of running left to go, and I gladly and easily flipped open the mag. Having run long segments during the previous three weeks, I'd developed a controlled and smoother gait that kept my head level enough to be able to read it even as it was attached to the machine.

Once the final seconds ticked away, I walked through a five minute cool down period. Then I stripped off the tank top, socks and shoes and replaced them with a sweatshirt and slides. When I got home, I started filling a hot bath while doing a series of lower body stretches for my Achilles' tendons, calves, hamstrings and back. At last, a healing hour in the tub with a fresh book in hand, contact lenses tucked away to relieve my eyes, accompanied by another bottle of water to keep me on the way to re-hydration. I probably consumed 100 oz. by noon in all.

As I sit here chronicling tonight, my muscles are a bit weary but in no significant pain. Following Hal Higdon's online novice training schedule worked like a charm. The two full days of rest and the light exercise week preceding today had my body ready to handle the rigors of the feat and pass with flying colors. Taking Monday off work to do it was an accidental stroke of genius, as it just so happened to fall on Opening Day of the baseball season and the NCAA championship basketball game, so there was plenty to occupy my mind while lying on the couch in quiet recuperation. I think this may have to become an annual ritual (the Opening Day off, not the half marathon)!