Ventura Marathon

My First Half Marathon

Holy shit my body hurts. My legs and feet are destroyed. Despite the aches and pain, there were no injuries, but I do feel like I was hit by a train. That sore feeling after a rugby or football game is the only thing that compares. I just want to lay on the softest blankets and sleep like a baby and suck my thumb. Half marathons are brutal, I can’t even imagine how I would feel after a full 26.

But hey, I’m really fucking high too. I feel so happy and proud. There’s nothing in the world like a release of endorphins after pushing yourself to your limits. Riding the edge is my passion, I love it, maybe more than anything else. Today I definitely hit my edge, at 12.5 I started to conk out. My body was thrashed. But as this was happening, my little sister passed. Fuel for the fire and finished in stride. Even at mile 11 I was hurting, my abs were starting to cramp big-time. I kept my eyes just in front of my feet for the last two and simply kept on going.Ventura Half marathon start

I hit a solid stride from miles 3-10. One mile was sub-7 (I think it was mile 6). That happened while Bassnectar was playing on my playlist. Music is so fucking powerful, I wouldn’t be surprised if someday it is considered a performance enhancer. Next race, I’m going to take greater consideration for my playlist, its pretty important.

I can’t imagine never doing this again. The group energy was amazing and I got to run with two of my favorite people in the whole world, my sisters. All of us ran sub-2 hour halfies, I’m so proud of them.

The event was great, police were helping us with cars so runners could focus on the path. I was really satisfied with how it was organized, there was fresh fruit at the finish line and people were ready to help me out if I needed it.

There’s something powerful about running these types of things. Everyone is on their own path, pushing against themselves, competing against nothing but their own limits. You can feel the intensity in the air and the people who cheer you on are awesome. Especially at the end, they add some special energy and a little extra gas to the tank. Maybe someday countries will stop competing against each other for dominance and start focusing on bettering themselves. There’s a special kind of peace that comes with running a half marathon. I’d imagine its even greater for a complete marathon.

I’m so tired, time to hydrate and eat about 4,000 calories. Big thanks to Crystal Castles, Opiuo, Eliot Lipp, Bassnectar, and Grammatik for keeping me running at my edge and my mom for signing me up.

End time was just a bit over 1:50. I ran the whole way, which I am more happy about than my time, but I do hope I’ll get a chance to beat it. Ventura Halfie, check!

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