I ran some more

Running a half marathon was decidedly not on this year's to-do's. The plan was just to run, and to sort out the relationship I'd like to have with the sport going forward. It wasn't to become a total trope of a nearly-middle-aged person and go all gung ho on the distance running. But I got an invitation, and my general rule of thumb is to not say no to anything that doesn't seem terribly wrong and could make for a good story. So I said yes. And now I can add "run a half marathon" to my bucket list and promptly check it off.

Unseasonably good weather in SF for the Presidio Half Marathon today!

The crazy thing is I'm running fast and feeling good. Unlike the 5k at the Oakland Marathon I ran back in March, I didn't cross the finish line nauseated and hating myself: this time, I was pumping my fist and cheering myself along while somehow running an average pace of 8:36/mile (discounting the time they forced us to spend walking under the Golden Gate, crammed together like sardines, mid-race, making dragging my official pace to an 8:50). I'm still not sure I self-identify as a runner but I've got the feeling that's starting to change.