13.1 Miles in Review

I ran the See Jane Run half marathon this past weekend, and I will now shamelessly brag about it under the guise of a review.  There are a handful of races in Boise throughout the year, but I chose this one because they reward you at the finish line with alcohol.  The tagline for the event is “I run for champagne and chocolate.”

“Ugh, who would want alcohol after running thirteen miles?” a coworker asked. 

“I would,” I answered, “and it’s thirteen point one miles.”

Alcohol isn’t the only draw.  This is also primarily a women’s race.  They can’t ban men, of course, but 99% of the participants are women.  When you come across one of the few male runners, you can’t help but think, “What’s up with the dude?”  I’m not anti-man.  After all, I married one, but I assert that men put a distinct damper on these types of events.  I like men fine; I just don’t want to have to run with them. 

The See Jane Run Half Marathon is your best bet as far as Boise summer races.  You’re not forced to scramble through narrow fence openings with hundreds of other runners as you are at the Fit for Life; nor do you have to freeze for an hour at Lucky Peak, as is required for the Great Idaho Potato run.  I ran all three of these last year.

My experience this year was a successful one.  I gauge this not only by my time (2:06:45, not phenomenal, but my personal best), but also by my ability to finish the race without walking, wetting my pants, or suffering a heart attack.  Two of those three factors have been a problem for me in the past. 

I ran well and I feel good about it, but I think I’m ready to retire from the races.  I’m looking forward to limiting myself to the five mile range, with an occasional eight mile thrown in (in honor of Marshall Mathers, who helps me run).  Running a distance that might cause me to wet myself doesn’t seem like a good idea anymore.  I’m going to spare my knees the damage, but still reward myself with the champagne.