# I ran a half marathon this weekend! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2002, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701 "2002-06-24T13:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/1 "2002-06-24T13:04:19Z")
I ran the [Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon](http://www.grandmasmarathon.com/gary_bjorklund/) on Saturday. This half marathon is held on the same day and on the same course as Grandma’s marathon, but starts an hour earlier so as to clear the course for the marathoners. This was my first half marathon and the furthest I’ve run since childhood. I felt fantastic the whole 13.1 miles even though it poured for about 45 minutes during the race. Afterward, I had some right foot pain that hasn’t yet abated. Funniest thing: Before the race, at 6:05 AM, I was standing in line for a port-a-potty and a man I recognize crosses in front of me: “Hey, bus buddy!” I say. What a coincidence - I see this guy every weekday morning at 6:05 AM at the park ‘n’ ride. My best friend KICKED ASS in the full marathon. She’s been trying to break 3 hours for a long time; her previous PR was 3:03:03. On Saturday she blew it away and ran a 2:55:15. I got to see her right after she finished; we hugged and cried and laughed… I am so thrilled that I was there to see her conquer that milestone. She kept saying that she would retire from marathons after she broke 3 hours; she won’t. She loves it too much! Besides, she’s pretty close to qualifying for the Olympic trials! 2:48 is the cutoff for women. What a wonderful weekend; one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences of my life. I’m doing the full marathon next year! ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/2 "2002-06-24T13:53:10Z")
I ran my first half-marathon in April, in Louisville, KY. Oddly enough, I had some right foot pain afterwards, too- I tried to run my usual 5 or 6 miles afterwards and I finally had to just take 2 weeks off before it got completely better. I also want to do the full marathon next year - they have it at the same time, and the courses are together until mile 12, when the marathoners veer off onto the longer course. I was thinking that there is no way I could have run another 14 miles, but I’m going to start training and see how far I get. I read somewhere that the average age of a first-time marathoner is 40. I’ll be 42 in a couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/3 "2002-06-24T14:29:39Z")
Great job! As for the foot pain, well I used to think all this talk about running shoes was a buncha crap. The truth is you need two good pairs of running shoes. Alternate them. A good pair should cost $60-$80 bucks. By trainers, not racers. Experience tells me that my Nike’s should be good for 4-500 miles. Some new Balance ones that I tried were breaking down before they had 100 on them. Once the shoes’ cushioning starts to break down it can really do a job on your feet. The foot pain might be a sign that your shoes are done. Take a break for a couple of days, buy new shoes, where them for a few hours and go for a run. You should be able to feel the difference. I use the shoe odometer at [www.winningstats.com](http://www.winningstats.com) to keep track of shoe mileage and how long they last. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/4 "2002-06-24T14:31:19Z")
I’m limping when I walk, so I know I can’t run for a while. I have a physical therapy appointment tonight; I’m sure she’ll have some advice for me. The next biggie is Dick Beardsley’s half marathon in Detroit Lakes, MN. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/5 "2002-06-24T14:56:00Z")
Hey **Scylla**! I just changed shoes a couple of weeks ago. It may be that these are the wrong shoes for me; I guess we’ll see. I’m sure the therapist will have an opinion. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/6 "2002-06-24T16:15:10Z")
Hey, congratulations to you AND your friend. What a speedster! I hope your pain subsides so that you can keep on runnin’. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/7 "2002-06-24T16:49:33Z")
Thanks, **scout** ybaby! ---
**Author:** ![GKW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@GKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GKW)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/8 "2002-06-24T17:10:05Z")
Hooray for **Canthearya**!! I was wondering how the race went - sounds like you got hooked. Was it thundering and lightning out when you were running? I remember you wrote that you got new shoes right before the race and thought to myself, “Hmmm, I hope she doesn’t run in those.” Good luck at the P.T.'s ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-ran-a-half-marathon-this-weekend/115701/9 "2002-06-24T17:26:19Z")
Hey **GKW**! There was thunder and lightning before the race… None nearby though. I ran my last long run (10 miles) in the new shoes, a five-mile race and two two-mile training runs… I thought I’d be okay. Maybe not, huh? Oh well. The funny thing is that you’d think I’d be sore in other places… Only my foot! The training really paid off.