In celebration of finishing the half-marathon in a standing position, I will dispense of some wisdom I have learned:
- Don't stop training two weeks before the half. The distance you haven't run is where your body will file for divorce.
- Have friends at the end-line. Nothing beats that feeling.
- Stay in hotels with treadmills. You may hate them, but you won't need your Garmin to GPS your ass home
- After the race, eat whatever the hell you want. That's part of the reward.
- Even if there's no race on the horizon, think ahead. For me, it's likely the marathon (though I said I wouldn't, apparently I'm going to anyway).
- Remember the feeling of crossing that finish line. It will help you cross many more.
- Tell everyone your next race.
- Take one day of rest or easy exercise per every mile (not kilometer) run. I've exhausted my 13 days, so it's back to the grind.
- Really, really, really, do not use your new shoes outside. I have spent $300 on new shoes in the past three months. Two pairs. Glycerin 7s didn't work out.
- Don't be bashful when people say you're looking good or that you've lost weight. You have, even if the scale is lying to you.
- Keep writing your damn blog because it will at least keep your mind on running.
My new challenge will be getting back into cold weather running - I knew I said I love it, prefer it over hot weather running... but we'll see. Almost time to break out the YakTrax!
Oh, and fall-weather running? Blows.
