Aurora's Blog

Yep, still catching up on the string of running events I started 7 weeks before I started the blog. (We’re getting there!)

The day after Christmas I finally got off my butt, and did my first half marathon post open heart surgery. Goodness gracious, did it feel great to be back.

I didn’t do a ton of training for Operation Jack. It was silly, really. I was just trying to do some kind of race every week, and a half marathon was the shortest one I could find this week. (It was the day after Christmas, so I suppose people were busy with their families or some such business like that).

Then I thought “well, if I do a half marathon still in 2011, I’ll be able to say I had that big surgery in 2010, then ran another half in 2011. That will sound somewhat close together (even though I waited forever to start running again).

(You can see where my priorities lie. Fitness? Happiness? Not important. How about I just try not to look like a loser? ;))

Nonetheless, I knew I had trained enough. I had no yearning for a fast time. I just wanted to finish happily and injury free. It wasn’t chip timed anyway. (It was clock timed, though.)

I met an incredibly nice runner at the start – Kevin. He was doing marathons in all 50 states. This was number 49! He saved the best for last – Boston, Massachusetts.

He was so supportive. The course was a loop (that marathoners did twice), so I saw him a couple of times while I was out there. Each time he passed with uplifting words making sure I was okay in my first half marathon back. His encouragements out on the course were so helpful.

The course was simple and nice with lots of water all around. I took breaks to stretch. I did jog a fair amount of the course, but I walked a good part as well. I made actual stops at the water stations to catch my breath, hydrate, and say thanks to the volunteers.

I was super chill about the whole thing. The time limit was six hours, so all I wanted was to have fun and stay safe, which I did. I got a finish time of 3:40:04. (I didn’t even come in last!)

Just a few minutes after me, Kevin ran in (from his full marathon). I was happy to be there at the finish to cheer him on!

Finally, after two and half years since my first half marathon, I finished my second one!