Reno's Biggest Little Half-Marathon (Washoe County, Nevada)

*Photo courtesy of Desert Sky Adventures

Though I have run several half-marathons and other events since running my first full marathon back in March of last year, I haven't really trained very much since the weeks leading up that event. When I ran the annual Leprechaun Race 5k a few weeks ago, it showed. My finishing time was embarrassing considering what I have accomplished in past years. It really gave me a kick in the ass and got me started training once more. Since then, I have been running regularly at ever-increasing distances and paces. My first test came today in the form of Reno's Biggest Little Half-Marathon.

Known for having a strong community of runners, I expected a pretty big turn out and arriving at the starting line under the downtown Reno Arch, I wasn't disappointed. There were approximately a thousand people waiting to run. Though, some were running the associated 5k or 10k, it was still a pretty big turn out for the "biggest little city".

At 8:00 AM on the dot, the gun sounded and we were off through the streets of downtown Reno. It's a cold morning, but not bitterly cold. As I funnel through the starting arch, I feel pretty strong and after the first mile, I'm find my pace and get into my rhythm. 

I continue running solid through mile 8, but at that point, I'm starting to feel it. While I'm not overly winded, I can feel my legs starting to tighten up. It's not surprising as this is the furthest distance I've run in six months. My longest training run leading up to this, which was just three days ago, was 6.2 miles on the treadmill. From that point forward, I committed myself to running everything but the uphills, which I resolved to walk. Hills are always what kill me. 

My plan seemed to work pretty well. As I made the turn heading back along the river and into downtown, I was still able to find the strength to run. Finally turning up Virginia Street, I could see the blue arch that I had run under a little over two hours ago and inspired me to push the last quarter mile.

I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:24:42. This is not my best time for a half-marathon, but given my recent return to training, I would have been happy with anything under 2:30 and so this is a great time. I accept my finisher's medal and then head over to get my complimentary beer from Brewer's Cabinet. That's way to finish!