So it was a wet and rainy B.A.A. Half Marathon. But I'm super happy with it. I went in aiming for sub-2:00, which would be a major improvement over my last half marathon. Besides a decent 5K two weeks ago, I haven't really had a great race since starting transition.
Today I finished in 1:51:17. So I'm officially resetting my PRs to count only races after April 28, 2016 (the date of my first blood tests showing hormones levels in female range). This is my new half PR.
It was a rough, wet day on a hilly course, but I started slow and somehow just kept getting faster. My first 5 miles were 8:38 min/mile, my next 5 miles were 8:26 min/mile, and my last 5K was 8:22 min/mile. Talk about a negative split. Did I mention the first half was downhill and the second half was uphill?
My *last* mile was the *fastest* I've ever run since starting hormones.
I really needed this. My training cycle was lackluster, and it's been a struggle to get back on track running with my changing body and new hormone makeup. But now I feel like I can get back to where I was competitively, even if my race times will never be the same.
I'm visiting a friend to run the Richmond Half Marathon in 5 weeks, and I wonder if I can train enough before then to go for sub-1:45, which would bring me back roughly to where I was pre-hormones (relatively speaking, gender-wise, based on age-graded tables).
I'm looking ahead now. Maybe even considering trying to train for a Spring marathon.