Learning from My Half Marathon Mistakes

Last weekend, I ran the Mercedes-Benz Half Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama. I finished it, in fact. It wasn’t pretty, but I finished nonetheless. My decision to run the half marathon in Alabama was the first step to accomplishing my goal of running a half marathon in each of the 50 states. I might as well start with “A.”

Last weekend’s half marathon wasn’t my first half marathon. I’ve run at least a dozen or so halfs throughout my life (and a handful of full marathons as well).

But with every year that passes, and with every pound added, I find it increasingly more difficult to finish without the proper training. And I increasingly find it more difficult to commit to long-term training schedules without something significant to look forward to. That’s where the goal of running a half marathon in Alabama and Wyoming, and the 48 states in between, comes into play.

The Mercedes-Benz Half Marathon was the first step. I wasn’t expecting much from the race. In fact, I won’t be expecting much from any of the other 49 races. After all, I’m past my running prime, if there could have ever been a “running prime” for a 200-pound, 5’ 11” Asian with plantar fasciitis.

Still, even I was surprised at how unprepared and undisciplined I was while completing last weekend’s race. Hence, I learned some valuable lessons that I can implement for future half marathons.

Here, then, are five things you can take away from my struggles in completing the Mercedes-Benz Half Marathon so that you don’t experience the same problems as you’re preparing for and completing the bar examination.

1. Pace yourself.

My goal for last week’s half marathon was to finish with a 10-minute, 15-second pace, or a total time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Slow and steady, I said. But after the first mile, my pace was 9:15. Okay, I told myself, let’s bring it down the next few miles. But, then, the next thing I know, I ran the first 10K at a sub-10 minute mile, which for me, is lightening quick. (Yes, it’s all relative!) That obviously spelled doom for me for the second half of the race. I ultimately finished with a time of 2 hours and 22 minutes. Reverse splits? What’s that?

Studying for the bar exam, too, is like a marathon and not a sprint. Pace yourself. Don’t get burned out too early. Preparing for the bar exam is a long, grueling process. A process that actually begins the first day of law school and increasingly picks up throughout law school and finally reaching a pinnacle during the summer after graduation.

2. Know the route.

Starting as quickly as I did (again, it’s all relative) probably would not have been a problem if the course was flat. It wasn’t, though. The hilliest hills came near the midpoint of the race. And by that time, I was exhausted because I hadn’t paced myself (see 1 above). Had I driven the course the day before, I would have been better aware of the need to pace myself as I would have been exposed to the hills. Instead, I was mostly silently cursing at myself during the race, “What! Another hill! When does it end?”

So what should you do the day before the bar exam? Drive around the testing site if you’re not staying at a nearby hotel. Even if you’re staying nearby, stake out the closest eateries for breakfast and lunch. Go to the exam site and walk to the exam room. Poke your head in the exam room. Investigate where the nearest restrooms are. In other words, do your due diligence and scout the place out.

3. Eat right.

When traveling, it’s difficult sometimes to eat appropriately. That was the case for me. I didn’t carbo load because the carbo-load-able restaurants near my hotel were all packed with marathon-goers and others. My pre-race meal? An Italian panini from Starbucks because, well, the line was short there because no one wants an Italian panini before running 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

The day before the bar exam, know where you’re going to eat. You don’t want to eat anything heavy or greasy the night before the exam. For breakfast, you don’t want too much sweets. And you don’t want to be rushed. It’s all about planning.

4. Practice, practice, practice.

There are no short cuts to training – plain and simple. There’s no magic pill that will convert your occasional long-run practices of 6 miles into 13.1 miles on race day. Finishing, and finishing with a respectable time, requires practice, dedication and commitment.

Same is true preparing for the bar exam. Simply reading outlines and watching lecture videos will not adequately prepare you for the bar exam. You need to practice writing essays, and practice writing them under timed, test-like conditions. You need to practice taking multiple-choice questions, reviewing the explanatory answers to all the questions whether you answered them correctly or incorrectly. There simply is no short cut to preparing for the bar exam.

5. Finally, remember what you’re working towards.

No doubt, there were times preparing for last weekend’s half marathon and even during the half marathon when I wanted to quit. Is it even worth it? After all, a 200-pound, 5’ 11” Asian with plantar fasciitis probably shouldn’t be running 13.1 miles. But, in an odd way, that’s what motivates me. I shouldn’t do it, so I do it. I know the satisfaction I get after finishing and the hugs from the family will erase all memories of cramping legs and sore ankles.

As you’re studying for the bar exam, and when all might seem lost when you’re trying to relearn the Rule Against Perpetuities, remember, too, that there is a great prize waiting for you at the end – a law license!