Wow, six months before I had done my first official 5k, and now I had just signed up for a half marathon! I had to go all out for it so I picked the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon on 12/02/12. Besides being the most expensive race in the country, it is on the Las Vegas strip at night. I don’t even care how much money it cost me as long as I don’t have to wake up early for a race!

As part of my training, I subscribed to the magazine Women’s Running and started to follow a training plan from one of their issues. The half-marathon plan seemed too easy, with long runs of only 7 or 8 miles, so I decided to follow their full marathon plan up to the point where it got to 13 miles. I was training 3 or 4 times a week, increasing my mileage carefully, and doing yoga twice a week for cross-training. Everything was going really well and a run didn’t even seem like a workout anymore unless it was longer than 6 miles. Most of the times I would run in Reno, either at Iddlewild with M.H. or near my house, but sometimes I would go to Carson and jog with J.W. who was also signed up for the Las Vegas Half. After I reached 13 miles a couple of times, I was very confident and started to slow down.

Two days before the race, the days were getting too short and I went to a gym to run on a treadmill after the sun went down, something I hadn’t done in over a year. After mile 3, my right hip began to hurt so I stopped. I thought, “Hmm, a quick 3 mile jog can’t do any damage”. The next day, I could barely move my leg. My hip flexor was in excruciating pain and I had to lift my right leg with my arms to get up or get in or out of the car. I drove to Las Vegas like this, but I was in denial, pretending nothing was wrong.

The day of the race my leg was a little better, but I still had limited movement. I had gotten all the way there and nothing would stop me now. I ate tons of pizza and off I went. The race course begins at the Luxor and goes thru the strip, then to Freemont strip until it reaches a ghetto part of Vegas and turns around to finish near The Mirage. It’s a fun course with bands along the way and tons of people cheering for you. Over 20,000 people run this half-marathon, but I thought the race was very organized and everything just flowed. I ended up running my first half-marathon in 2h30m21s (11:29 min/mile). Crossing the finishing line was exhilarating and my runner’s high lasted all night long. I couldn’t stop eating, talking, or smiling.

My leg got worse again the next day, but by that time I didn’t care anymore. I went to the doctor’s and even to the chiropractor for months. I wouldn’t be able to run again for another 8 weeks. No problem at all: I had done something I never thought possible, and I didn’t mind the forced rest. Plus, my injury gave me an excuse to go to yoga every single day.

I totally understand why half-marathons are the fastest growing races in the US. It is very challenging, but not impossible, time-consuming yet fun. A marathon is too long and difficult to train for and a 10k most of the time doesn’t even require training or feel like a work-out. I can’t wait to do a half-marathon again, but it’s so difficult to find a race at night…

With J.W. before the race

Crossing the Finish Line

I did it!

And so I kept running… even when I was in Cambodia.

Running path in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Well, I did take July of 2012 off because it is just impossible to run in India with all that cow poop on the street, but when I came back, I jumped right into it and signed up for my first 10k. I had just bought a house and there was a race coming up in my brand new neighborhood that actually went right past my street. I thought it would be a great way to celebrate my new life and invite some friends for a pre-house warming party after the race. I wasn’t just going to be tired and smelly by myself though: I made them sign up for the race as well! S.L and B.S. did the 5k, I did the 10k with J.W., and M.H. did the half-marathon.

Of course I arrived only 2 minutes before the race started, but I made it on time. The first and the last miles were a little difficult because they were uphill, but everything in between was a blast. I was in the middle of the pack and after a while I got separated from the group and got a little lost. It was a small race and the signs were lacking on directions. I waited a couple of minutes for someone to pass me and then I just followed that person. If it wasn’t for that, I could’ve finished the race even faster than my 1h06m13s (10:40/mile).

With S.L. and B.S. before the race

With J.W. and Slick after the race

After, everybody came to my new home for breakfast: mimosas and banana-nut muffins. I guess morning races are not so bad after all.

Alright, here’s the story of my first official 5k. In 2012 I made two New Year’s resolutions: go to yoga at least 8 times a month and run a total of at least 26.2 miles a month. I am glad to inform you that not only I met my goals, but I’ve exceeded them totaling 101 yoga classes throughout the year (average of 8.4/month) and 448 miles (average of 37.3 miles/month).

It did take me 6 months to try another race again. Throughout that period I discovered new places to run in Carson City (the park by the river) while still driving to Reno to go to my favorite spot at Iddlewild Park. Slick was a great motivator for my 3-4 miles runs and once I reached the 10k mark (6.2 miles), I knew I was ready to try a 5k again.

Slick by the running path in Carson City

River by Iddlewild Park in Reno

I chose the 5^th Annual Rock-N-River Race in Reno on May 6^th, 2012 which begins under the Reno Arch downtown and runs through Iddlewild Park. Perfect! My brother’s girlfriend went there to hold my stuff and cheer me up and it actually made it very special to have sort of a family member there for me. At the end of the race I also saw two friends who had run the 10k and the half-marathon; it was fun to share my excitement with them as well. Since I had been running over 3 miles for a while, the race was relatively easy. I completed my run in 30 minutes 53 seconds, which is less than a 10 min/mile. For me, that’s pretty good since all I wanted to do is complete the race. The sense of accomplishment inspired me to keep running. The more you run, the easier it gets (as long as you don’t get an injury along the way.) However, I’m still not a morning person, so I never signed up for a 5k race ever again.

My brother’s girlfriend V.F. and I after my first official 5k in Reno

My friend J.W. who ran the 10k that same day. We finished almost at the same time even though his race was longer.