The minutes leading up to the start of a half marathon (or marathon) are some of my favorites of the whole event. Runners in little more than light, airy shirts and shorts huddle anxiously awaiting the gun, their arms and legs goose-bumped as much from the anticipation as the chill morning air. Some spend this time toying with their wrist monitors, others jump or jog in place, and others scan the crowd, looking for familiar faces, or size up the competition.

I like to think about numbers. Ninety divided by 13.1—average mile: 6 minutes 52 seconds, that’s all. 6:52, 6:52, 6:52…I obsess over it. If I repeat it enough, I have to remember it, and if I can remember it, maybe I’ll finish in 90 minutes.
At the first Reno Rock-n-River Half Marathon, May 4, more than 700 runners and walkers had their own goals. Some just wanted to finish. Others, like me, had a number in their head, and others wanted to win.

For those non-runners out there, the idea of a half marathon (or any distance run) is to pace oneself. It is not about running a 4:30 mile—there are 12.1 miles left, for which you’ll be completely useless. This is an endurance endeavor. Just to give an idea of what this means, I run about 50 miles per week to train, while professionals run more than twice that.

In most cases the plan is to get into a good pace, or a stride as many runners refer to it, and not deviate from that too much for the duration of the race. The halfway point is a good place to reassess time and pace and get a realistic idea of where you will finish. Ideally a runner will finish a race faster than he or she started with just enough to make a strong finish and not fade out in the last couple miles. Fortunately for me, I was neck and neck with another runner for the last mile of the race, giving me enough motivation to finish strong—the two of us broke into a dead sprint (or as near to it as one can get after running 13 miles) for the last 100 yards.

The flat and fast course started on Virginia Street in Downtown Reno near the arch. From there it roughly followed the Truckee River to Idlewild Park and the river path before joining Mayberry Drive and continuing to the turn-around in the Patagonia Outlet parking lot. The race itself was very well organized—it started promptly at 7:30 a.m., the course was well marked and protected from vehicle traffic, and there was a refreshment station about every mile. This is no small feat considering the challenges involved in putting more than 700 runners on city streets and keeping them safe and sufficiently hydrated.

I know I am not alone when I thank race director Doug McCoy and all of his volunteers for putting on such an event. With the help of their sponsors, including Harrah’s Reno, KOLO TV (Reno’s ABC affiliate), and Trader Joe’s, they put on an incredible race that will hopefully remain a part of Reno for many years to come.

At the very least, the Rock-n-River Half Marathon has to get in one more year, because despite my mantra of 6:52 (minutes per mile) I did not finish in the 90 minutes I had hoped. Instead I finished in 92 minutes and 46 seconds (about 7 minutes and 5 seconds per mile), only two minutes and 46 seconds shy of my goal.

2:46, 2:46, 2:46…Now, I have a new number to obsess over.