A year ago I broke my hip and I vowed to recover from that injury and get back into running shape. Today I ran a half marathon in 1:38:33, and I hereby declare my hip fully healed. My time today was only 4 minutes slower than my first half marathon when I was a much sprier 24-year-old.

Here’s my race report.

Was well rested and fueled before the race. Got up around 5:30 and had a banana, half a slice of bread, strawberries, and some dates. Drank too much electrolyte water.

My goal time was 1:45, and I wasn’t sure if that was too slow or too fast, so it was probably right.

I peed twice before the start and still felt like I had a full bladder for the whole race.

I positioned myself between the 1:40 and 1:50 pacers and kept myself there for the first 10 km. My legs felt good and I felt relaxed. Enjoyed all the signs along the route, especially the “press here for unicorn powers” 🦄. Appreciated the extra boost.

The weather was absolutely perfect for running – 12 C, mostly cloudy with the odd sprinkle of misty rain. Last weekend it was a balmy 23 C, next Sunday is forecasted to be 30 C, and a few days ago it was pouring rain. So we really got lucky with the weather today.

Still, I couldn’t believe how many people had overdressed for the race. I raced in just shorts and a singlet. I warmed up with an old sweater and gloves that were ditched in the race coral just before the race started. I passed a lot of sweaty and overheating runners in the second half of the race wearing long sleeve shirts or even tights.

At the 10km mark, I was feeling good and caught up to the 1:40 pace bunny. Then I passed him and immediately regretted it when I hit the next hill. But I kept it going. Owen caught up to me soon after and zoomed by. He was cruising and I was smart enough to quickly dismiss any idea of hanging with him.

With 2km left, I started getting emotional thinking about the recovery journey and realizing I was fully healed now. But I had to tamp it down as the race wasn’t done yet.

Picked up the pace for the last km. Still had something left in the tank. I saw Emily and Astrid on the sidelines cheering me on and I went on a little detour to give them high fives. Finished without puking or collapsing. I even had enough energy to hoist Astrid onto my shoulders after the race.

I could have pushed a bit harder and finished with a better time, but I’m thrilled to finish under 1:40.

Video of me near the halfway point and the finish line.

See more race details on Strava.