the need for speed

I ran a half-marathon this weekend. I very rarely race, so when I do, I try to make it count. It was the first real effort I had made to race since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease.

This was a true runner’s race. There was nothing fancy about it — just a good, well-marked, uncrowded, perfectly flat, very straight, VERY fast course that ran through rural scenic farm country. The weather was ideal — high 30s, mostly cloudy. I ran in a longsleeve tech shirt, gloves, shorts, and a beanie. I wore my lightweight trainers (white and red New Balance 825s for the shoe junkies out there). As you can see behind me, the trees are decked out beautifully in gold right now. (And yes, that is a cornfield.)

I ran very well. I set a PR (that’s a personal record — a personal best — for the non-runners). I took home hardware (that is runner-speak for winning an award). I ran negative splits (I ran the first half slower than the second) and I never was passed after the first mile, but I got to do a lot of the passing. It’s fun to finish strong.

I’ll probably be out racing again in about two weeks at the Cleveland Fall Classic.

Tags: half-marathon, hematology, Hodgkin's Disease, oncology, races, Running, survival