Random thoughts about half marathon

I did not get all my observations from the half marathon in the previous post so I will add some more random observations.

• Runners are a more gregarious bunch than most of the other folks I have seen (Maybe pediatricians will get some votes.) They are also very helpful with giving advise when asked.
• I always thought I was one of the early birds. Seeing so many people up and ready to go by 6:30 was awesome. This was even though the race started only at 7:30.
• Women outnumbered men. Maybe it was just me – staring at all the women but … There were definitely a lot of gorgeous ones. And you wonder why I love running.
• People of all ages run – I saw a pretty old women who was probably 60 + running. If you are reading this, you definitely inspired me. Keep going.
• Runners – especially the young ones definitely have an attitude :). Not that I am very old but …
• People had lots of gadgets going – heart rate monitor, GPS which told you your speed as well as provide directions. Obviously gadgets are a big part of running.
• Most people run at 7 miles an hour or slower. So dont worry – there will always be people who run slower than you or only as fast. And it is very rare that you will be last if that is ever a concern. It was for me.
• Remember you can go a little faster in a race – so start appropriately. Don’t short change yourself – you can always fall back but it is not easy overtaking a wall of slow runners.
• The Chicago half-marathon was extremely well organized. I agree that my experiences at races are limited but if marathons are even half as organized as this one, I am definitely doing a lot more.
• Last, I would like to thank all the crowds that cheered us on. That was awesome. You guys rawk!!!

Anyway, yesterday I did a recovery run – ran pretty slowly for 50 minutes. I ran close to 5 miles. I had to take out my full sleeve running clothes – fall is in the air :).