Sunday, September 07, 2008

A Personal Achievement


Today I finished my first half marathon (13.1 miles/21.1 KM) in 2 hrs, 3 minutes and 59 seconds. I had caught the "running" bug about a year and half ago, but I did not plan on running long distances then. I was just thrilled by the feeling when your feet hit the pavement and propels your body forward, there was something liberating about the act of running. I was hooked, then over the course I ran about four 5 K races and then decided to take the plunge of running a half marathon. About 4 months of training and waking up at 6 AM on Saturday mornings to run 10 miles finally paid off. I had set myself a goal of finishing the marathon in two hours and fifteen minutes, but I blew that target by about 11 minutes.


The feeling of crossing the finish line while being cheered by total strangers was incredible. I must say that I am addicted and plan to run many more half and full marathons (already signed up for the Richmond Half Marathon -November 15th).


P.S:- The post does sound self-adulatory and narcissistic, but I think a first Half Marathon gives me the bragging rights.


3 comments:

kautilya said...

_The post does sound self-adulatory and narcissistic_

I don't think so. We, people, should take time to congratulate ourselves sometimes. It helps. It is underrated.There's a thin line between being pompous and showy and plain, simple feel-good. I think, this landmark achievement of yours needs to be spelled out in bold. No harm in that

Congratulations to you. You have inspired me and my wife to take the plunge.. next year may be :)

way to go!!!!

One Pound of Cannoli Cream to Go, Please! said...

Congrats again! Your blowing away your target time is awesome. By almost a minute a mile. WOW! I'm so happy you've caught the running bug. It's a good one to catch. :D Next up, a full, right? That'll take even more dedication, but I know you're up for it. And if you're in DC, next year's Marine Corps is a great one to run, I hear. :D
Once again, great job. Just starting out on this journey is a big enough deal. And you hit a personal best. You've earned the bragging rights!!

One Pound of Cannoli Cream to Go, Please! said...

PS: Love your running shirt.