Rob Shepherd is running a half-marathon. In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, no less.
I ran track and cross-country in high school, and have miraculously continued running in the seven years since.
But I’ve never run a marathon. Full or half. Or any distance greater than 7-8 miles, really.
This needs to change.
I leave for a summer job in mid-May, and I’ve determined that I want to run in a half-marathon before this happens. Does one usually need more than a couple months to mentally and physically prepare for such a feat? I have no idea.
By mile 10, I’d probably never want to run another meter the rest of my life.
But by mile 13.1, it could be one of the most accomplishing moments of my life.
Where should I sign up though? In doing a quick internet search, I came up with three strong contenders.
- The Hollywood Half-Marathon on April 7.
- The San Diego Half-Marathon on March 11.
- The Great Race of Agoura Hills (sponsored by Dole) on March 24.
Hollywood would be cool because, wow, who in the world gets to say they ran a half-marathon down Sunset Boulevard as the Hollywood sign cheers you on from the distance?
San Diego would be sweetacular too because of the STADIUM FINISH at the Padres’ Petco Park.
Then there’s that race sponsored by Dole which, according to them, was named the best half-marathon in the nation. So I guess it’s got that going for them.
I need your help. I want to be one of those show-offs who have a 13.1 bumper sticker.
Which half-marathon should I run? Which one would you run, assuming you’d run one? And am I crazy for potentially putting my love for running on the line?
