Spokane Half Marathon

 

This half marathon was the most enjoyable half marathon I've ever run.  It turned out incredibly well in all respects of the entire weekend. The weather was fantastic! Evan placed in the top 5, Ayla ran her first half marathon, we had a few friends over after the race, and we capped the whole fun-filled weekend with a big plate of food at Frank's Diner.

 

*Frank's Diner

 

The manager and most of the servers are good friends to us as a result of Evan and I going to Frank's after every half marathon and swim meet. They always give us hugs, special treatment, and ask about our adventures. We always leave with a smile and a few pounds heavier. 

 

 

Evan ran way up at the front near the lead the whole race. I ran 1:35 which was a breeze. I ran 1:34 last year which means I am getting close to where I was last year.  The entire race was so fun. The half marathon (and half ironman) really is the "perfect distance" and I encourage all runners to run at least one half marathon. 

 

I started with Ayla, got her confidence up before breaking off.  I ran steady most of the race, consistently moving up through the field of nearly 700 runners. The half marathon is a race in two equal parts, the first 10 miles and the last 5K. The miles were effortless and near the end of the race there were about a half dozen spots that I wanted to snatch up.

 

In the last 100 meters I had the best sprint finish I have ever had. I ran about 5 steps behind the guy making sure not to look directly at him. I passed on the left with 75 meters to the finish. He countered and re-passed me.  At 50 meters I was a step behind as we both ratcheted up to full power.

 

We flew down the corridor, my legs reaching their full acceleration and setting into top speed.  Trying to move my legs faster than they could felt like hitting the governor in a car. My speed would cut slightly and I would reaccelerate bumping against the max leg turnover.  I had to find the sweet spot.  With 30 meters left I found it, both running at full speed and flying towards the finish I found myself inching ever so slightly up even with him.

 

If you have ever run a sprint such as the 100 or 200 meters you have felt what "tying up" is. Your arms and shoulders get tight and your legs don't come up as high or turn over as quickly.  It happens all the time to sprinters and it often determines who wins by the narrowest of margins.  To keep from tying up I smile. It's a trick I learned a long time ago.  So there I was flying down the finish with a big grin on my face, legs and arms whipping, and my heels not even touching the ground. 

 

At 15 meters to go it turned into a full smile because I inched ahead, and with my opponent's effort to inch back up to pass me he tied up tighter and tighter.  I eased ahead and finished a step ahead almost running over a few volunteers at the finish line barreling through at 15-20 mph (rough estimate). It was quite possibly the most fun I have had athletically all summer. We both shared a good laugh and hand-shake after the race.

 

*This pretty much describes Saturday, lol.

It was a super fun weekend and I would encourage everyone to try a half marathon, it really is the perfect distance. Round it out with a few friends and some comfort food and you have a pretty memorable weekend.