Fargo Half Marathon - Run

This was my first half marathon and i dedicated a lot of time to training to make sure I would not injure myself and I could also finish strongly. My goal pace was to finish in 1:59. I was training a lot at faster paces so felt comfortable race day picking it up to 1:55. I started next to the 1:55 pacer. He was giving advice to other first timers about pacing yourself and not going to fast too soon. Point taken. I ran slightly in front of the pacer for the first 3.5 miles. Everyone else with that goal pace was behind him and it was clustered, meanwhile I thought it was a good idea to be 100 feet ahead of him and in no traffic. This seemed to work well for 3 miles until people started spreading out more. About mile 3.5 I had my first obstacle. Much like Forest Gump after drinking too many Dr Peppers, I had to pee. No big deal as there were ample pit stops a long the way. I saw my opening with a green light and took it. It added maybe 30 seconds to the run, which i first thought was no big deal, but after seeing my finishing time it would be the 30 seconds that put me over the 1:45 mark. After the pit stop I picked up my pace and was quickly back with the 1:55 crowd. About mile 4.5 I decided to pick it up and started running 2 consecutive miles at 8:10 per. I passed my cheering section and was feeling great at mile 7.5-8. I was well hydrated and had consumed roughly 10 oz water/powerade to this point. The gu station was at mile 8 and I grabbed one and slammed another 4 ounces of water. I felt awesome so I decided to make my finish strong. I do not remember my times for the last 5 miles but I felt great and was on cruise control. somewhere in the 7:20-7:30 pace. About mile 10-11 I noticed a lot of people hitting their limits and starting to walk. This gave me confidence and it made me feel stronger and faster. At mile 10 I knew 1:45 was in reach if I kept up my sub 7:30 pace. I kept going and finished really strong. The race data says only 1 person passed me. I passed a lot of people i the last 4-5 miles. Awesome race.

I should have passed on the last few sips of water before the race to avoid my pit stop but was nervous about dehydration. I underestimated my own abilities and started too slow. If I would have started just 10 seconds per mile faster the first half I would have fininshed in a better time and still had the energy to finish hard. It was my first race so experience will teach me pacing and what i am capable of in the future.

my longest run up to training was 12 miles. I should have had a few more long distance runs.

Walked in the dome for a few mins and sipped some water. Then stretched and grabbed a banana cookie dough pizza and something else. Watched a few finishers from the top of the mich truck while enjoying a cold post race beer.


My start. I could have come out of the gate faster and improved overall. I just wasn't totally comfortable going that fast right away. My second half was flawless. I could have run the first half a bit faster and still had enerygy to finish strong.


My first half marathon so I cannot compare it to anything, but i thought it was well organized and well supported. It made you feel like a big time runner at the finish line. Awesome event, I plan to do it in years to follow.