A Half Marathon History

A history of half marathons... and a goal of a marathon.

This is my favorite exercise quote of all time:

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get.

You just run.

- John Bingham

Miles Run in February 2018: 59.1 miles
Average Pace in February 2018: 9:44

Miles Run in March 2018: 75.3 miles
Average Pace in March 2018: 9:22

Miles Run in April 2018: 92.5 miles
Average Pace in April 2018: 9:20

Miles Run in May 2018: 109.9 miles
Average Pace in May 2018: 9:15

Miles Run in June 2018: 99.0 miles
Average Pace in June 2018: 9:37

Miles Run in July 2018: 101.7 miles
Average Pace in July 2018: 9:05

Miles Run in August 2018: 32.7 miles
Average Pace in August 2018: 9:25

Miles Run in September 2018: 30.3 miles
Average Pace in September 2018: 9:10

Miles Run in October 2018: 71.4 miles
Average Pace in October 2018: 9:11

Miles Run in November 2018: 76.7 miles
Average Pace in November 2018: 9:19

Miles Run in December 2018: 43.7 miles
Average Pace in December 2018: 9:23

Miles Run in January 2019:
Average Pace in January 2019:

I’ve never been a terribly athletic person, but in 2014 and 2015, I went on a huge running kick. I trained hard for a couple months and ran two half marathons in the first part of 2015 - one in Hilo, Hawaii and one in Bend, Oregon.

Hilo Half Marathon

2:20:23 time, 10:42 pace

My first race in Hawaii was exhilarating. I almost cried on several occasions (seriously people holding encouraging signs, you don’t know how important you are), and finished in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Not the most excellent time, but I was so proud of myself, and I ate a huge breakfast afterwards.

Bend Half Marathon

2:17:47 time, 10:31 pace

My second race was the next month, in my hometown of Bend, ORegon. The inaugural race of the Bend Marathon and a Half. I ran all the trails I’d been training on for the past few months, so it was an easy one. Not as much crying here. I shaved a couple minutes off my overall time, at 2 hours and 17 minutes. My family was there at the finish line, which is honestly the most important part of a race.

After I finished the Bend Half, I was on my way to training for the full marathon in Sunriver that raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness. I got bored in my training during an 8 miler a couple weeks after my half, started walking while listening to a podcast, and didn’t run again for a long, long time. I hit some sort of wall, and haven’t gotten back into running until the end of January this year.

Training in 2018

For the first bit of my training, I focused in hard on pace. I wanted to get to a nine minute mile for a 5k, before I started adding on extra miles. My most recent long run was 8 miles at a 8:52 pace. I finished that run with a huge smile on my face, and it got me excited about more training coming up.

Getting to the end of this run with this time was a very proud moment for me. Getting stronger, getting faster, getting my head in the right space! #runkeeper pic.twitter.com/VkwtlxqsaH