la bavisela maratonina: my first half marathon!

in late january, my roommates and i decided to sign up for the bavisela maratona d'europa that takes place each year in trieste.  V had a dream, as soon as she knew she would be moving to italy, of running in a race internationally.  through her extensive research, she discovered the stramilano 10k and the bavisela marathon and 1/2 marathon (among many other races in incredible locations).  finding a race that takes place in trieste was perfect, she couldn't not run it.  even though i have not ever been a runner and really, have never liked running that much, the entrance fee for the bavisela was only 15 euro, so with a little motivation from V, i decided, "why not give it a shot?!" 

the race was scheduled for sunday, may 8th.  since we signed up just after christmas break, i hadn't really thought everything through -- 13.1 miles? 21 kilometers? i knew i had plenty of months to get in adequate shape.  on the same evening, V and i registered for the 10k in milan that took place at the end of march -- we knew that this would be a good half-way point before our may deadline and 10 kilometers was also a good halfway running distance for our training.

in late january, the weather was horrible and going outside for anything was a struggle.  there are no affordable and/or exciting gyms near our apartment. are you sensing the problem that arose as the days went on?  i kept postponing the beginning of my training "until the weather got better" and soon it was february.  i wrote a countdown in my planner and was glad i had the quickly approaching 10k putting the pressure on.

thankfully, after our break from school in february, we returned to unexpectedly warm weather at the end of the month.  the circumstances were perfect for the beginning of training; V, L and i all slowly started running.  we discovered a trail through the carso in opicina and a bike/running path behind our apartment that leads to the beautiful val rosandra and both trails lead to slovenia!  additionally, at our disposal are the napoleonica trails starting at the obelisk in opicina with incredible views of the city.  

in late february and into march, however, time was our enemy.  it was all we could do to get a run in during daylight hours after a long day at school and (some days) italian class.  especially for me (you all know how i'm scared of the dark), running during daylight hours was a priority.  we began running before, during, and immediately following school - to others, we may have looked hardcore and i'd like to think that we were.  especially as our distances gradually increased, it seemed as if we were running all the time.  for me, the training was a no-brainer because i just did everything V did.  when she brought running clothes to school, so did i;  we didn't usually run together or even at the same time, but the same amount each week.  there is no way i could have been dedicated to run so much over the past few months and been at all prepared for a half-marathon without V's training guidance and the moral support of both my roommates (thanks lovelies!).

after V and i ran the 10k in milan on march 27th, it was really crunch time for the half-marathon.  we had a month to go and a week before the race was spring break, which meant we'd all be traveling.  my training definitely wasn't as aggressive as it should have been and although i was battling some almost-knee injuries, i could have run a little bit more in preparation for the 13.1-mile race.

and then it was race day. we appropriately carb-loaded - which wasn't difficult, this is italy - the night before and had abstained from the wine that flows like water for a few days.  after a good night's sleep, we were ready! it was cool as we walked to the shuttle bus to get to the starting point, but the day quickly warmed up.  the sun was out and with a 10:15 start time, it was hot before we even started running.  although italy is not stereotypically on-top-of-things (as V and i witnessed at the stramilano 10k), this was one of the most organized events i have ever seen executed (in italy, the states, or elsewhere).  now, i've never run a race similar to this in the states, so i may have a very naive viewpoint of what it means for a race to be organized; regardless, i was impressed with the shuttling of people, distribution of water at the start, and how well-informed we had been.  i was also thrilled with the proximity of the port-a-potties to our designated start zone - they just knew i would be nervous and use the bathroom 5 times before the start (it was worth it, though! i didn't have to stop during the race!). 

catching the shuttle from piazza liberta' out to duino for the start! getting excited. 

roomies before the race. we're ready!

true to italian form, we didn't actually start until about 10:25 but then, we were off! the 3 of us ran together for the first few kilometers, but L and V quickly left me in the dust -- i can run that far, but i'm not in a hurry doing it.  along the course, there were people watching sporadically but the observers rarely made any noise, making the entire course very quiet.  since i was running without my ipod, this left me lots of think time.  for the first half, i was having horrible thoughts of not being able to finish and getting picked up by the "sweep-up van" when the time limit had been reached (we had 3 hours and 15 minutes to finish -- not that long...).  around the 10 km mark i had finally recovered from the too-fast pace set at the beginning by L and V and i hit a good stride; the views of the sea were amazing, and things were looking up.  i spent most of the 2nd half of the run thinking about high school track, coach jones, and how i used to loathe running.  the fact that in high school i refused to run the single 400-meter lap as a warm-up to pole vaulting practice just kept circling in my mind as i ran the 13 miles along the adriatic sea in italy.  i mean, this is something that i actually never thought i would do! 

we made it! check our results! 

even though it was not the greatest-feeling run that i've had, i finished!  there were plenty of times i could have stopped (and wanted to) but i ran the entire way and beat my goal time of 2.5 hours by finishing in 2:14!   the free massages (included in our registration fee) we had post-fun and delish cheeseburgers we ate that night helped our bodies to recover and made the entire day a success. 

how can i forget the jello shots that we consumed just across the finish line!?

in addition to the amazing support from my roommates and all the coworkers who greeted us at the finish, there were many other people putting up with my questions, giving me advice and pep-talks (thanks, andrew!), and allowing my running to interfere with their plans (thanks parents!).  i couldn't have done it without any of you! 

now that i know i can run a half marathon, i want to run more races!  i actually do like running now but i would like another race to keep me motivated.  if you have any ideas for fun races, send them my way!  eventually (when i turn into a beast), i would love to run the blue ridge half-marathon in roanoke that is "america's toughest road marathon."  i just missed the 2nd annual race, so we'll see how things are going in a year... 

xx!