3M Half Marathon: On a Whim, With the Wind

Yesterday I ran the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, Texas.

This wasn’t part of my plan as recently as two weeks ago, but I joined an online challenge to run 50 miles in two weeks, and it went surprisingly well, so I decided I would go for it.

(To be fair, I registered for the race last February but my training regimen had completely fallen apart so I had prematurely accepted that I would miss the race)

Running and completing this particular race meant relying on my experience and a solid plan to take it “easy” as much as possible.

And you know what? It worked!

I had a GREAT time, perhaps more fun than I’ve had in any previous race. My mind was free of performance expectations. The only plan was to take it easy, and I stuck with it.

I took walk breaks anytime my heart rate got above Zone 2. I also took walk breaks (whether I needed them or not) for a  full minute every mile. I listened to the TED Radio Hour podcast like a nerd.

I even made time to take pictures!

The wind was crazy, and if it had been any other race, it would have been something I completely overthought. But in a race that wasn’t truly planned for, it just added to the fun.

The best part?

I felt GREAT after the race was over, and somehow, someway, even with all my breaks, I was only about four minutes slower than my time from last year. I don’t quite understand it, but I’ll take it!