In the past I never was a fan of half marathons. They just kind of felt off, and I was too busy signing up for 10 and 5 k's to bother with them. This was half number four.
Race 131 always put on a great race. They are fun low key events and perfect for beginners and advanced runners alike. Good aid stations, well marked courses, and a fun after party all make for a good environment. The out and back course followed the Roanoke River along the Greenway and had a hill at mile 5 and 9.
I completed right on time and cheered the runners I was pacing that had fallen off due to the hill and then headed home. About an hour into my drive I realized my legs were not as beat up as they are after a full marathon. I felt great and in fact felt like I could make it a double day. I decided at that time to stop running marathons. I am pacing the Richmond Marathon this year and it will probably be my last. My last 2 fulls were rather hard on me and if I can go out and put in a good effort at the half and feel good after then it's a good decision for me.
Plus my wife likes that I will not be spending half of my Saturdays on long runs training for a full.
So go ahead call me half crazy. I don't mind.
Couple of updates: I'm not running the Marine Corps Marathon in the fall but I will be running the Crawling Crab Half and Hershey Half, so there will be plenty to talk about with those and training.
