I did it

I ran the Ottawa ING half marathon. Its the first half marathon I've ever run, so I'm pleased that I made it to the finish line. I was a bit disappointed by my time 2 hours 14 minutes. I had hoped that I would make it in under 2 hours. In a training run a couple of weeks previously I'd run 18km in 1 hour 42 minutes (according to HG). However, I was jet lagged and had suffered a bout of food poisoning a few days previously. Also, I really wasn't prepared for the heat. It must have been at least 24C, and although in the height of summer that doesn't feel too hot, at this time of year it was baking. After 10K I was feeling dizzy and had to walk for a bit. I was feeling cross with myself, but finally decided that my primary goal was to finish, and so I should just relax and enjoy the experience. After that I started giving all the kids in the crowd high fives, and made sure that I kept taking on water at every station. It was probably wise as I saw at least 3 people collapsed along the way. It was an unbelievable experience to be running with so many people. From the starting line on Elgin street where 9,000 runners sang Oh Canada together, until the finish line along the Rideau canal at the back of Confederation park, the crowd never thinned.

So now I know I can run 21K