I placed 3rd overall in my first ever half marathon. I was a bit disappointed in the times as I was hoping to run much faster but there were so many hills that it made a consistent effort almost impossible. Anyone who has run around SF knows how steep these bad boys are too (in excess of 20%). Regardless, my parents, my coaches and myself were shocked at the result. When my dad - who was standing at the finish line - realized I was coming in third and hauling ass, he jumped and said 'Holy shit! That's my son!'. I wish I could have seen that...priceless I would think.
What an experience. I did almost everything according to plan. And truth is, I'm still in a little shock about the outcome. I have yet to come back to earth not because I'm elated but because I feel like I had a hard workout and that's simply my job as an athlete: to stress my body to no end...and repeat.
But again, this was a first for me. I learned a lot but it will take some reflection time on my part to really figure things out. Still in awe about what happened. Surreal would be the better adjective. As I realized what happened after crossing the finish line, I got pretty emotional. And while 3rd place isn't all that great and 1:20 isn't a fast time (I challenge you to try and bust 1:10 on this course. Supppper HILLY!), this was a solid experience to build from. I was 16 seconds away from second place and had the guy not looked back to see me kick, I think I would have caught him in the last quarter mile. We'll get em next time.
Here is the link that shows the times.
https://www.runraceresults.com/secure/raceresults.cfm?ID=RCLF2009
Apparently, I'll be in the newspaper tomorrow too. Again, surreal. When I have a chance to sit and reflect, I'll write a longer post but for now this will have to do. The picture is of the Bridge and the Starting Line for Wave 1 athletes. Will write more soon.
Scott - you're next in line to show people what us vegans can do.
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