Well my first half!  After 17 surprisingly consistent weeks of training, the big day has come and gone.  My knees have definitely gone.  I was ambivalent about the highly touted merits of compression socks until I used them after the Xterra trail race and now after the half – instant relief!  I don’t notice a difference wearing them after most workouts but something like a fast trail race and as long as a half certainly proved their worth.

It was a fun race; a good amount of people but nothing too overwhelming. Course was great – scenic and very little traffic.  Definitely a small town feel; everyone was waving and saying hi to all the spectators, the cops, the aid station workers, so that was fun.  I was cruising along pretty well (~9:30/mile pace) for about 6-7 miles, then we hit this screaming downhill…that curved…and went down some more.  Pretty darn sure that’s why my knees have peaced out.  Note to self – downhill running is a skill that needs to be worked on and thought about, not just winged!

After the downhill we predictably went a bit up, and then merged onto a trail.  My feet and legs were ever so thankful, but the gratefulness only lasted a short while.  After about 9 miles, my mojo had about disappeared.  The last few miles were probably 50/50 walk/run, but I made it!  And yes…this was the race with the bloodhound that got 7th overall…I was considerably slower than the dog.  On the other hand, my medal is now a collector’s item!  The race is now known as the “Hound Dog Half”.

Major takeaway:  take those long runs more seriously…they’ll pay off 🙂