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I ran my first half-marathon yesterday as part of Runner’s World’s Half & Festival in Bethlehem, PA, with a faster than expected time of 1:45:39!

It was a hilly course, not too different from my main training routes, though 3 miles farther than I’d ever run before. The cool weather (48 degrees at the start) probably helped more than I realized as I managed to keep a relatively steady pace throughout, starting with the 2:00 pace group for the first mile before letting my body take over. Forgoing music likely helped, too.

The Festival itself was great and I’m glad we made a weekend of it rather than just heading out Saturday night. Got some cool RW swag, attended an informative seminar on running shoes, and checked out the Running Lab which resulted in confirmation of my own flat feet (“From 1-10, you’re pancake.”) and the realization that Isaac’s aren’t flat anymore.

Somehow, I ran the Half but he got new sneakers?!?

The Half (Pikermi!) is definitely my limit as the thought of a full marathon remains as unappealing as ever, and I’m looking forward to making the RWHalf a regular event, perhaps with a second half earlier in the year. Brooklyn, maybe? We’ll see.

Before any of that, I have one more race for the year, the Ashenfelter 8K Classic, my local Thanksgiving run that I’ll be doing for the first time.