bib #1034
a somewhat poetic coincidence running with the same bib # ten years apart.
now: the 2026 race
I signed up for the Urban Cow half as a tune-up / performance check 10 weeks out from CIM (and 14 weeks into training). My original goal was 1:45 based on my training runs with 1:40 as my stretch goal.
Raced in my new-ish New Balance SuperComp Rebels, with a couple gels stashed in my Janji half tights. Electrolytes and one gel before the start, one caffeinated and one non-caffeinated gel on course, and stopped for water at every station.
I stuck with the 1:40 pacer for the first 9 or 10 miles. Had never held sub-8 miles for that long during training, so I was surprised I was able to keep up. I ended up drifting away from the pacer toward the end, but every split stayed under 8:00.
Final chip time was 1:40:05. Five seconds off the stretch goal, though my Garmin had me at 1:39:10. Really happy with the result and seeing how far I’ve come.
then: the 2016 race
After the race, I went looking for my first half marathon time to compare and found a race day photo from ten years ago. Did a double take when I saw the same bib number: 1034. Same bib, same distance, ten years apart.
What I did remember was why I signed up back in college: my dad and I entered on a whim. I hardly trained, maybe one 8-mile long run before calling it good enough. Just showed up and ran it.
The race itself went relatively okay until I cramped up at mile 12. I finished in 2:03:07, not bad for going in pretty much blind.
The coincidence made me think about how much has changed in ten years. How I’ve fallen in and out of running and fitness in general, but also how I’ve always come back to it and have continued to improve despite having to restart each time.
the years in between
Running was on and off after that 2016 half, but mostly off. School then work always felt like enough of an excuse. I was “too tired” after work, so napping or gaming won.
In 2020 my New Year’s Resolution was to get into shape. I started going to the office gym before work. When the pandemic hit, that turned into regular morning runs to lose weight and get some aerobic fitness back. By August I hit my goal, then lost steam once the weather cooled. And when I moved in 2021 I slipped back into some unhealthy habits. I moved again by the end of the year, got motivated for a bit in 2022, and fell off again.
2024 is when it started to stick. Started with regular walks and runs, again for weight and fitness, and they became part of my weekly routine. In August my dad nudged me to enter the lottery for the Big Sur International Marathon. I got picked, and race day landed on my 30th birthday weekend, so it felt like a sign.
Back then, my goal was just to finish. I started a plan in November, but lost the peak weeks to vacations and trips in March and April. On race day I struggled and cramped hard, finishing in 5:32:09, close enough to the strict 6-hour cutoff that it stung.
looking forward
Same bib, 23 minutes faster, and a pile of gear I didn’t know existed ten years ago. Last year was my first marathon, this summer my first 10K, and now my second half. Hoping I continue to improve and see what the next ten years bring.