Half-Marathon - Complete

I finished a half-marathon today: the Dallas Rock n'Roll. For any interested, it was smoothly run, albeit crowded, as I imagine any of the Rock'n'Roll events are. Public transport to and from the event via the DART functioned surprisingly well. Time was 1:56:27.

I knew my heart, lungs, and muscles would be fine--but I had serious concerns about my knees. They've been prohibitively painful after just 4 miles, lately. I'd strengthened them to withstand about 10 miles, before my soccer-related quad injury, which led to a total reboot of the knee pain. Thirty-one feels older some days than others.

In any event, I took Ibuprofen before the race (I generally do not use it), and the knee pain was never more than an annoyance. I actually progressively quickened my pace throughout the race. By about mile 10, when I felt confident that my knees wouldn't betray me, I actually sped up to about a 7:30 minute mile. The last mile I ran at 7:00.

I still remember struggling to run 2.5 miles--after regular practice--ten years ago. I was much younger, then. I remain curious as to why my running ability has improved so drastically later in life. I quit running at about 24, then resumed at 27--with much improved results. Yet, my joints are more painful, now--and if I kick a soccer ball without warming up, I strain my quads. In most ways, I'm in much better shape. I weigh less, I can run farther, I have better muscle tone. But, part of me wishes I'd had a peak period where I'd taken advantage of my youth.