Board 8 > I just ran 13 miles around a city I don't know, virtually on a whim. AMA.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Half-marathon. Signed up for it on Wednesday.
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what city
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what was your time
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NFUN posted...

what city

Bethlehem, PA, which is about an hour north of Philadelphia.

CherryCokes posted...

what was your time

I don't have the official time, but it was a pinch over 2 hours. I was timing the run on my watch, and I clocked it as 2:00:42. However, I also started way back in the chute, and the race began two minutes before I got to the start line, so my official time is probably closer to 2:03.
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Just checked the official site results. I'm listed at 2:02:52, which is a 9:11 pace.

Edit: Oh, my "net time" was 2:00:30. There we go.
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So for what it's worth, I'm not much of an athlete. I guess if I were to have a sport, it would be running, but not because I'm that dedicated to it, and I really haven't been much this year. Not anything serious in the way of racing, anyway. I had run a half once before, four years ago, and finished with 2:16. My goal going on was only to improve a few minutes, to a ten minute pace, or around 2:11.

I usually start off walking to warm up, so I lined up near the back of the chute. In spite of that, when the people around me started running, I shrugged and got going, too. Problem is, I was in the area with people keeping a 10:30 pace, and my natural pace tends to be closer to 9:00. So I started passing people. A lot of people.

Over the first four miles, I just weaved between people as my time kept improving and I realized I was keeping more of an 8:30 pace, outside of losing a few minutes at the beginning. Then came the hills. I survived the first one okay, but the second one took a lot out of me, so that I kinda limped through mile 7. I kept myself going for a little bit, but after the third and final major hill, I was spent. I paused by a rest station, ate a banana, drank some water, and gradually willed myself to trot onward.

But it wasn't the same. My feet hurt, and I was running hollow. If there hadn't been a series of downhills after that, I'd probably have slowed to a walk. Honestly, what amazed me most about the race is that I never really did walk. Still, I was barely putting one foot in front of the other.

When I hit the mile 11 marker, the clock read 1:42. I was torn, because 18 minutes seemed unlikely for me to pound out 2 more miles. At the beginning, sure, but not at that point. I ran alongside the pace group for 2:05 until the leader told me she was a couple minutes ahead and that I should try for 2:00. I still didn't think I'd make it. I got to mile 12 at 1:52:30, and I knew there was no way I was running a 7:30 mile. But then I remembered I started 2 minutes late. Maybe I could run a 9:30 mile...

The city of Bethlehem was built up around a steel mill, perhaps the largest in the country. It shut down about 40 years ago, but the structure's still there, and it's a sort of historic site now. It's also where the race began and ended, so the final mile sadistically sends you past the finish line to do a lap around the old factory. My mother's family is from Bethlehem, and many of them worked in the steel mill, so there was a small sense of pride there, but I was simply out of gas. To my credit, I did still pass a couple people who were completely spent during that last mile, but I had no kick at the end. As noted above, I just barely missed two hours.

I'm kinda sore now, mostly in the groin. It seems my shorts were rubbing against my thighs. Thankfully I remembered to tape my chest. My roommate was kind enough to come out, and although she's an incredibly scary driver, I was still grateful not to have make the hour drive home myself.
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Awesome story, glad to hear the insight
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Cool, sounds like fun!
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I regret typing this but I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry for anyone who chooses to read it.

But I just ran six point five miles
And I just ran six point five more
Twas but a race in some unknown place
And now my groin is kinda sore

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TexWolf_1729 posted...

I regret typing this but I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry for anyone who chooses to read it.

Congrats, your medal is in the mail
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Im impressed, well done.
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Did you meet Jesus, Joseph, and Mary?
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Raka_Putra posted...

Did you meet Jesus, Joseph, and Mary?

Nah, they haven't been there in a while.

The city was originally founded by a group of pilgrims called the Moravians. Apparently they picked the site on Christmas day, which is how it got it's name.
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