How it went, from start to adjustment.
I chose a half marathon for my first road race. Today, I can look at that decision with pride and with more care.
I wanted to challenge myself and experience it. But my preparation was small compared with what I was asking of my body.
Time and money were limited. I trained only a few times before the race. Along the course came thoughts, emotions and encounters with other women trying to finish, too. In the final kilometres, that presence felt even stronger.
There was also pain and injury. That part deserves to be told plainly. The emotion of finishing doesn’t turn insufficient preparation into a good idea.
If I could prepare for that experience again, I would start earlier, organise training better and seek guidance within my means. I would take greater care with what I did in the days before the race.
Running changed how I saw myself. I want to keep that discovery and the lesson about limits. Both belong to the same story.
