Where's My Medal?

I ran a half marathon today.

Unlike every other half marathon I've run, I did not dutifully sip eload for two days beforehand. I did not eat a balanced dinner last night of protein and carbs.  I did not buy two bags of ice for my post-half ice bath.

I also did not get my picture taken, cross a finish line, hear my name announced over the loudspeaker or get a new medal to add to my collection.  And, I will not be taking two weeks off to recover.

Today's run was just another Saturday morning LSD run.  Before you get any ideas, that would be a Long Slow Distance run.  Today's was 22k.

Runners tally their races but not their training runs.  I've officially run two 10k races.  But I've run 10k probably a hundred times by now.  I don't even think about it anymore. It's just a distance I run...a lot.

I have only run 6 half marathons - until today.

By the time I hit the start line for Around The Bay, I will have run the half marathon distance three times and will be running it a fourth time on race day.

I will have almost doubled my half marathons yet my total of 6 will not have budged.

Do I care?  I don't think so. Not enough to make my own bib number and finishers medal for the next few Saturdays.  (Although that would be kinda fun!)

I think I'm just becoming aware how far outside of my comfort zone this race is pushing me.  I'm running distances regularly that would have been daunting last fall.  13k on Tuesday, 13k (with hill repeats) on Thursday and then 22k today.  Holy Bananas!

I guess the half marathon distance is going the way of the 10k.  It's going to become just another distance that I run.

30k - now that's a distance to brag about...

...until I decide I'm gonna run a marathon.