This weekend I did something that I have never done before. I ran a half marathon!

I have been an off and on runner for many years now. This year I decided to kick it up a notch and tackle some distances that I have not achieved before. First up, a distance of 13.1 miles. I chose to run the Citizen’s Shamrock Half Marathon because I knew it was held in Manchester, New Hampshire which is fairly flat. (Not a fan of hills) Also, late March is a great time for outdoor running and the conditions this past Saturday were perfect.

This was just before the start of the race. See, nice and flat. A clear day too!

This is my selfie just before the start. They had over 1000 runners.

The course stayed in Manchester and you had to back-track a couple of times. I started to get tired around mile 11. And I really felt it on mile 12! They say you should sprint the last mile. Well, let me tell you there was not much left in my tank to sprint and I was thankful just to cross the finish line.

And I was happy!

One of the fun things about these kind of events are the awards they give to you for completing them. Contestants for Miss New Hampshire were at the finish line and they handed me some bling!

Overall I am really quite happy with the experience. I average running a 9:30-10:30 minute mile. And that is what I averaged over the course of 13.1 miles. I aimed to finish in between two hours and two and a half hours and I ended up right in the middle.

Will I do it again? Yes, I think I will. In fact there is a half-marathon coming up in Hatfield and Whately on Mother’s Day. One thing I do know, I need a LOT more training if I ever attempt a full marathon!

I hope you had a good weekend! -Kevin