Very easy 4 miles today. Legs weren't as sore as I expected after Saturday, I'd say a 6 on the 1-10 sore scale. Got out for a walk yesterday that helped quite a bit too.
A few thoughts about my first half marathon:
It was the most enjoyable race I have ever run. It was a humbling experience. I was surprised how mentally taxing it was and definitely had a few moments of doubt during the second half of the race. I wasn't expecting that. I'm convinced that the best runners aren't necessarily more talented physically than the other runners but more capable of mental toughness during races. I'm sure the marathon is insanely challenging mentally.
It was difficult for me to gauge the appropriate pace due to my lack of longer runs leading up to the race and my general lack of experience running races. Next half marathon training cycle I will definitely run a couple of 15 milers ahead of time with some goal pace miles thrown in. On the bright side, I was able to push pretty hard at the end and would guess I was around 5:30 for the last mile(downhill).
Overall, I was happy with the result given my erratic training. I'm getting my foot fully healed and then the solid block of base training will follow for the next two months. Goal for next year is 1:14. I plan on doing the Striders Winter circuit races, the 5k through the half marathon.
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