running rings around uranus

last sunday i ran my first half marathon (21 km/13 miles)... and survived!  there were many astronomer friends in sydney for the galaxy zoo conference taking place the next week, so we created team running rings around uranus for the event!  

the race began with a lovely trip across the sydney harbour bridge.  

view running across the harbour bridge (credit: darren croton)

of course we made t-shirts for the event, because how could you not with a team name like this!  ;)  thanks to heath van singel from the zooniverse team for the logo design.  

i felt great during the first 15 km of the race.  we meandered through the botanical gardens and around the city center at a good, steady pace.   i managed my best 15 km time, and was captured looking surprisingly happy in this photo at about the halfway point in the race!   

half marathon halfway point (credit: kyle willett)

it was around the 16 km mark that my jet-lagged body decided to question what i was trying to do to it. fatigue set in and i had to slow my pace for the next 2 km.  i finally started to see the signs for the final few kilometers of the 21 km half-marathon, saw the opera house during the final stretch of the race, and gritted my teeth to the finish.

nearly to the finish (credit: amit kapadia)

my goal was to finish in 2 hours, and i managed a 2:06.  i'm pretty pleased with this considering that about a month before the race, when my training had been going well, i came down with a nasty fever and cough that kept me from training for 2.5 weeks!  

half marathon survivor! (credit: kyle willett)

i like the half marathon distance.  i might have to try this race again in a year or two in order to break that 2 hour mark.... but i havent signed up for a specific date yet. 

the finish line  (credit: darren croton)

overall, it was a great day.  thanks, team!

some of team running rings around uranus!