Running my first 1/2 Marathon

I'm a little late with my Mississauga 1/2 Marathon post, but here you go! My first 1/2 Marathon ever.

The race began at 7:30 am but I got there about 6:30 to make sure I got a parking spot. I would have loved to have had some company, but I didn't, so just wandered around trying to stay warm, stretching, and checking everyone out. There were a lot of people! I had no idea it took so long to get through the start line but I'm sure glad we wear chips so we can see our real running time.

I started out at a comfortable pace at pretty much stayed at the exact same pace (around 6 mph / 10 kph) for the entire thing. Except for the first 5k the course was lovely. Mostly flat or slightly downhill, except for a climb at the 10k mark which I didn't find trying at all. I had prepared myself to get tired and negative at 18k, because that's the longest I'd ever previously run. So at 18k I said to myself "you've got a lot more than that in you!" and picked up my speed a little.

I picked up the pace a little more at 20k and then sprinted past lots of people to finish at 2:07. My goal had been 2:15, so I was happy to say the least. At the finish line the guy you see behind me in this photo came up and told me I was his inspiration through the race. He said to himself "If I can keep up with her I can meet my goal time!" and he did.

All in all a wonderful experience on a beautiful day