Reno's Biggest Little Half Marathon

Sweet, sweet finish line

 This last weekend, I ran Reno's Biggest Little Half Marathon.  I've written a couple posts about running before, but going through another training cycle always produces fresh inspiration, so here we go!

Why do a half marathon?

There are a ton of reasons one might have to do this race - here are my top 3:

1.  I've been pregnant or nursing for approximately 7 of the last 9 years, so i fancied this training and race as a declaration of bodily independence.  Kind of a funny way to do it, since a dramatic uptick in exercise makes you tired and sore a lot of the time, makes you think carefully about your eating and drinking and sleeping, and especially towards the end, you plan your entire schedule and slate of activities around it - sounds quite a lot like being pregnant, no?

2.  I wanted to use this race as a way to get back in shape.  I've been telling friends throughout these training months that I'm not a runner, but it's more accurate to say that I'm a former athlete who really ratcheted down the intensity of workouts during my baby years.  Doing a half marathon makes me feel like a legit runner again.  Not the best, not the most consistent, not the mentally toughest - but a runner nonetheless.  And it feels good to be back in the saddle.

My girls dressed "sporty" the morning of the run

3.  I wanted to take the opportunity to role model strength and healthy living for my kids, and particularly for my daughters.  They're all young, but they actually really noticed that I was running more.  Before my weekend long runs, they would sometimes ask to join me and then start running laps around the living room to demonstrate that they could do it.  About 6 weeks into the training, when I was seriously contemplating quitting, Zoey told me that she thought I was so brave and strong for running such a long race, and that was more than enough motivation to keep going for the remaining 6 weeks. 

How was the training?

My training this time around was not as intense as it could've been (i followed this training plan, but with slightly longer long runs at the end).  I chose a minimal miles training plan, and I sprinkled my longer runs with walking breaks.  My goal was just to make it across the finish line, not to achieve a particular time goal.  (Though i would still love to break 2 hours sometime in my life - putting it out there now.) 

I chose the take it (relatively) easy training approach partly because i was not in great shape going into this, but mostly because I wanted this to fit into the rest of our family's life as much as possible.  Kenny did generously give me more hours on the weekend to get in long runs, but I wanted to have enough reserves of energy outside of the actual running minutes to attend to all the other activities of life - kid birthday parties and trampoline parks and hikes, homework and occupational therapy and baths, cooking and laundry and dishes - all the things. 

That said, even with the take-it-easy approach, training for a  half marathon is hard work.  Especially in that last month, you're putting in a full effort.  It feels really good to work hard and accomplish a discrete task, and then it's a relief to knock the mileage back down when you're done.  (Although it also feels a little aimless once the race is over - anyone else feel this way?)

Nevada-shaped finisher's medal

How was the race?

Here are some things to know about the Biggest Little Half Marathon if you're considering running it in the future:

• It's small (this year, there were 336 finishers).  The pros of this are that you can easily find friends who are running it, the course is never over-crowded, and it would theoretically be easier to place.  The cons are that it feels like much less of a whole community event than the races with thousands of runners and there is virtually no crowd support other than the aid stations and sweet family members who come to cheer you on.  
• It's an out and back and it's combined with a 5K and 10K, so this means at various points you will have people blazing by you (but you will also probably get the chance to blaze by other people yourself).  
• It's hilly right in the middle, especially miles 8-9.  I specifically avoided running hills during my long training runs and that was a mistake.
• Reno is at altitude - if you live and train here, that won't be an issue, but if you're coming from out of town, be aware that we're almost a mile high.
• It's a beautiful course - mountain and Truckee River views some of the way, along a lake for another part, through scenic neighborhoods, and starting and ending at the iconic downtown arch - they chose a very pleasant route (other than those darn hills!).  
• It's very well run - lots of aid stations, started on time, lots of good support at the finish, and a sweet finisher's medal. 

Congrats to all those of you who are also training for or just finished half marathons of your own!  What's your favorite half marathon you've ever run and why?