2018 Year in Review

I am finally getting to my 2018 Year in Review after W and I had our first child.  She is one month old already!

2018 was a very different year for me.  I ran about 300 fewer miles over the year, mostly due to W and I expecting our little one and having to care for both of my parents in the Fall.  Things changed dramatically once we hit September!  But I still had a pretty good year.

2018 Race Totals

5k- 8
Half Marathon- 4
5 Miler- 1
2 Miler- 1

Grand total of 84.2 miles in races.  Definitely the lowest total I've had in years!


Favorite races

ONU Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon- I've enjoyed this one more each year and will certainly miss it this year.  I chipped off more time from my 2017 and 2016 efforts and ran a solid 1:39:24.  The cross country and track teams do a great job to make this one fun.

Cooper Tire Centennial 5 Miler- This was a pleasant surprise despite the cold race conditions.  I ran a 34:02 and finished third overall.  The organization and door prizes were top notch.  Very fun race, just be prepared for wind in Findlay!

Flying Pig Half Marathon- I had to skip this one in 2017 and came back to it this year.  Good thing I did!  The race conditions were almost ideal and I ran a very surprising 1:37:40.  This race is very challenging.  The organization, spectators, and post-race area make it well worth it!

Heart & Sole Half Marathon- This was my second time running this race and, good grief, is it a challenge.  I struggle more here than at the Pig.  It's a well organized race and I'll always remember it as my 70th.

Hoot & Scoot Trail Race 2 Miler- This was a fun little trail race at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary.  It rained cats and dogs the evening before the race, making it extra fun!  I really enjoyed it and came away with a first place finish.

Let's look at the goals I set one year ago:

• Run 3-5 half marathons.  This would get me to 70 overall.  I split the difference and got four in, bringing my grand total to 71.
• Shoot for 19:30 in the 5k.  This is lofty but I think I can do it in the right conditions.  Not even close.  My training was up and down before everything happened in the Fall.  I had some nice races but never sniffed a sub-20:00.
• Run 750 miles in 2018.  I've been over 1000 the past several years but I won't be able to maintain it.  I ran just under 700 miles.  I'm pretty happy with that considering the Fall was a bust.
• Win one or two local 5ks.  If I'm going to focus on that distance, I feel this is possible.  Well, this one didn't happen either.  I had one second place finish and four third place finishes.  I did, however, win the Hoot & Scoot Trail Race 2 Miler.  

I'm setting some very modest goals for 2019 since we now have a little one.

2019 Goals

• Run 4-5 local 5ks.
• Run one trail race.
• Run one half marathon.
• Run 500 miles in 2019.

Mansfield Lexington Turkey Trot

I've been well behind on my blog as W and I were expecting (and since had) our first child!  To say we are excited is an understatement.  I've finally had a few moments to think about my last race of 2018 so here are my brief thoughts.

This one was odd in that it was announced a few weeks prior to the Thanksgiving race date.  This was especially odd as there were three race distances: 5k, 10k, and half marathon.  I had no idea how many people would show up for this little known race.  It was ran entirely on the B&O bike path from Lexington heading south and back.  I ran the same course a few years ago and remembered it being relatively flat.

Race morning was chilly but not awful.  There was a very slight mist prior to the race but that went away before the start.  I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people at this race.  The 5k had 47 finishers, the 10k had 8, and the half marathon had 13.  This race could certainly grow due to the fast course.

We started out on the path and I moved into the second group of runners.  The second half of my year did not include much running for a variety of reasons.  I knew this would not be anything near my 20:00-20:30 range and just aimed for a nice hard run.  We headed south of Lexington and I moved ahead of a few runners before tucking in behind the leaders.  This is one of those races in which it's difficult to tell who is in what race.  I just focused on myself.  

There isn't a whole lot to say about the course as it was pretty flat and fast.  Just a bike path run through farm country.  The lack of wind certainly helped, but I was certainly feeling the race by time we hit the turnaround.  I hit the halfway mark in about 10:40 which is close to where I wanted to be.

The second half felt fast as we passed most of the runners and walkers.  I noticed four people in front of me at the turnaround and wanted to just maintain fifth place.  The fourth place runner was at least 50 meters away and sixth place was probably 25-30 behind.  I couldn't let up too much, though my legs wanted to do so.  

We finally hit Lexington and went down the only hill of note on the course.  I tried to speed up and hit the mat in 21:42.  I did maintain 5/47 overall and first in my age group.  Not the best race of the year but I was pretty happy with the effort.

That's it for 2018!  I have no idea what 2019 will bring since we now have a little one.  I'm hoping to enter a 5k around March but it just depends.  My next post will look back on the up and down 2018 running season.

Ranking My Half Marathons

It's been over a month since my last race and I still have yet to post my report.  In the meantime, I started thinking about my favorite distance and wondered how many individual half marathons I've finished (47) and which ones are my favorites

I've ran 71 half marathons since 2009 and will probably be taking a hiatus.  .  Call me nostalgic, but here is my ranking of each half in which I've competed.

Disc

1. ORRRC Half Marathon (6)- Also my PR race three times.
2. Flying Pig Half Marathon (3)
3. Capital City Half Marathon (4)- Definitely a PR race.  I did so twice.
4. Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon
5. Air Force Half Marathon (2)
6. Buckeye Half Marathon (2)
7. Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon
8. Mad Half Marathon
9. Old Port Half Marathon
10. Akron Half Marathon
11. State to State Half Marathon (2)
12. Melbourne & Beaches Music Half Marathon
13. Run the Bluegrass
14. Houston Half Marathon
15. Dayton River Corridor Classic (3)
16. Alamo 13.1
17. Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon
18. Columbus Half Marathon (October)
19. Ohio Northern Indoor Half Marathon (3)
20. Medina Half Marathon (2)
21. Augusta Half Marathon
22. La Porte By The Bay Half Marathon
23. Amish Country Half Marathon (2)
24. Mid Ohio 13er (2)
25. Columbus Half Marathon (August)
26. Carmel (IN) Half Marathon
27. Three Creeks Half Marathon
28. Inland Trail Half Marathon
29. Churchill's Half Marathon
30. Wooster Heart & Sole Half Marathon (2)
31. Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon
32. Presque Isle Half Marathon
33. Millersburg Fall Trail Run (2)
34. Earth Day Challenge Half Marathon
35. YOLO Half Marathon
36. Made in America Half Marathon
37. Cleveland Fall Classic
38. Park 2 Park Half Marathon
39. Somerset Stampede Half Marathon
40. Soaring Eagle Runs Boy Scout Half Marathon
41. Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon (2)
42. Heartland Series Ohio
43. East Bay Half Marathon
44. Geist Half Marathon
45. Findlay Red, White & Blue Half Marathon
46. Little Miami Half Marathon
47. Run to the Wall Half Marathon

Hoot & Scoot Trail Race 2 Miler

This was a fantastic local race about ten minutes from home.  The event was held at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary, which is a beautiful local gem of Richland County. 

We've had a lot of things going on in our lives and I haven't been able to run much let alone race.  This one had a 2 miler and 4 miler.  I opted for the 2 because of the lack of training and because I've ran the trails before.  There are some very difficult hills, switchbacks, bridge crossings, and low lying areas by the Clearfork River.  I was thankful for opting for the two miler, as we had heavy rains the night before and a light rain the morning of the event.  Couple that with the slick bridges and fallen leaves.  That's a recipe for some slipping and sliding!

We headed out from the sanctuary and made a counter clockwise loop through the northern part of the grounds.  This first section had some nice up-downs right from the get go and it was hard to keep your footing.  The bridge crossings proved to be very tough, but the race organizers did a great job to keep everyone safe by putting chicken wire down to help with the footing.  Nice touch!

I started out near the front pack.  It was difficult to tell where I was at in the race since there was a longer distance.  I figured more of the serious runners were running the double loop four miler.  We hit the low lying part of the race about halfway through and it got soggy!  This portion is just feet from the river and the rainwater had made for some nice puddles.  I've said it before, but I love this part of trail running.  It becomes playing instead of racing. 

The pack had thinned out and I passed two runners as we went for the southern loop.  This part of the race was very tough, regardless of it only being a two mile race.  The hills were not straight and I had to watch out for sticks, leaves, branches, and roots.  There's no real zoning out in a trail race.  The final quarter mile or so was all uphill and it was rough getting back onto grass after being on the trail so long.  I almost slipped with the first step I took back on the wet grass.  The ground then leveled off and I hit the finish line in 18:38.  Not a bad time for a tough trail race in the rain.  I was surprised to find that I was the first two miler to finish!  As I suspected, the four miler was indeed faster as there were two or three runners in front of me running the four.  I'll take the win, though!  The best part was the prize; a bird feeder!  I like getting things I can actually use.

The next race is set for Thanksgiving morning.  It will be my last one for the year and probably the last one for quite some time.  W and I are expecting our first child in late December or early January so that will obviously be a huge life change.  But we are looking forward to it!

Next race: Mansfield Lexington Turkey Trot 5k- Lexington, OH

Mohican 5k

Two posts in one day!  Let's get caught up on this blog!

The Mohican 5k is a race I somehow won last year.  I had no such aspirations this year.  That was good because it was a much faster field.  I still had a blast as this is one of the best organized local races.  There's plenty of parking at the race, a well marked course, great volunteers, great weather, and a fun time. 

We started by heading south on Wally Road toward State Route 3.  This is a great way to start the race as it's flat and fast.  This part of the state is actually very hilly, but the organizers have carved out a nice fast course.  I felt good from the start but, surprise, started out too fast.  I tried to hang with some high school kids which could have been disastrous.  We turned west onto the bike path right next to SR 3 for a long straightaway.  This turns into one of those "zone out and run" type of races.  I had around a 6:25 for the first mile.  Let's all say it together: Way too fast!

I passed one or two runners here and then found myself right where I needed to be.  I guessed I was around sixth or seventh place.  That was a good place to be on next to no training in the two weeks leading up to this race.  We turned around to head back the way we came and I tried to keep up a good pace.  The second mile was probably around 7:00 which was closer to where I should have started.  I still felt pretty good and wanted to finish with a solid time. 

The third mile is pretty cool as we finish up with the straightaway and then, instead of turning back on Wally Road, continue on the bike path next to the river.  It winds around a bit to the finish and is a very pretty section.  I was able to pass one runner in this area which is a great way to finish.  I crossed the line with a very respectable time of 21:10.  I'll take that on zero training.  My effort was good enough for 7/77 overall and third in my age group.  The age group award is a very nice pint glass with the race logo.  This is after finally receiving my age group award from the Sweetcorn Festival in July, also a pint glass! 

This was a great race and I'm happy I was able to run it again this year.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, running has not been a priority for well over a month.  It's been a struggle to get out twice a week for a couple miles.  Regardless, I've signed up for a trail race tomorrow.  It's two miles (there was a four mile option) but I know these trails are tough.

Next race: Hoot and Scoot Trail Race at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary- Mansfield, OH

Mid Ohio 13er

Wow.  I have never been almost two months behind on this blog.  We have had a lot of things come up in the last six weeks.  To say life is hectic is an understatement.  I've been down to about 5 miles per week over this period.  Seriously.  I'm thankful I can at least go out for a couple easy miles to clear my head every once in a while.

The Mid Ohio 13er is a local race here in Mansfield that I ran in 2016.  This year's came about a week before things got wild in our lives, so I was at least decently trained for it.  Race day was difficult.  It was pretty cool and rainy during the entire event.  I was plagued with GI issues throughout the last five miles or so.  It was a well run race but I didn't bring my A-game. 

Rather than refer back to my splits, I'll give you a quick breakdown of this race.

Miles 1-5:  We started out from downtown Mansfield and I immediately felt "off".  My splits were in the 7:45-8:00 range, which is fine, but I simply felt that I couldn't sustain it.  The course was the reverse of 2016 and so we started off with a long uphill on Marion Avenue.  It goes on for a long time before leveling off around mile 2 when we turned south on Cook Road.  The lead cyclist took a wrong turn somewhere in this area which led to a short course.  My watch showed it being short by about 1/3 of a mile.  The massive hill that we ran up in 2016 was replaced by a wicked downhill.  It was tough on the quads as we were only four miles into the race at this point.  My pace was great during this section.  I was nailing 7:00-7:15 for about 3 miles.  We headed north on the B&O Trail soon after the downhill and would remain on it for a long time.

Miles 6-10:  The trail portion was a great change of pace.  It heads in a semi-circle around Mansfield and we were heading toward its terminus in North Lake Park.  This is a long section of the path with little to no elevation change and good scenery.  We remained on it until the 10 mile marker.  Some light rain started coming down during this portion.  Unfortunately, my GI issues started here and remained for the rest of the race.  My time was still good, but I found myself trying to bank time rather than run consistent splits.  By the time we hit North Lake Park, I knew I was in trouble. 

Miles 11-13.1:  Just try to hang on.  This was my mantra during the last few miles.  My GI issues were getting worse than just about any race I've done.  And of course the race started going up and down to make it more uncomfortable.  I sprinkled in a few 20 second walk breaks to try and compose myself for the finish.  We weaved south through Middle and South Parks (nice scenery this late in a race) before turning east to the finish.  We finally got to Park Avenue for the LONG downhill finish into downtown.  The crowds during this section were out in full force.  This race is definitely getting some fans!  I tried to turn it on for the finish and got in with a very respectable 1:36:07 finishing time.  I was pretty shocked by the time considering the issues I was having during this race.  I still would have had a sub-1:38 had the course been on the mark.  My time was good enough for 10/93 overall and 3/14 in my age group.  Not bad at all!

I was hoping to get in one more half marathon this year but other things have prevented that from happening.  I have no idea when my next half will be.  Running 71 of them since 2009 is something I never thought would happen and I'm very proud of it.  In the meantime, I had a 5k last last month and am looking forward to a two mile (?) trail race tomorrow.

Next race: Mohican 5k- Loudonville, OH

Heart & Sole Half Marathon- Half Marathon #70

It's been a while since I've hit one of these milestones.  I have maybe two more half marathons this year and W and I are expecting our first child.  It will be a while until I hit 80 or even 75.  I always think back to how I started running half marathons in 2009 and am always amazed when I hit a number like this one.  It's been a blast!

I ran this race back in 2014 and had a good showing.  Despite it being 45 minutes away in Wooster, I haven't ran it since then.  The short driving distance, 7:30 start time, and inexpensive cost make this one a winner. 

I came in with no real goals as I haven't ran a half since the Flying Pig.  My training has actually been pretty good recently as I got a 7 and 9 miler in during the weeks leading up to the race.  But I also remembered this race being quite hilly and very humid with the August race date.  Let's get to it.

Miles 1-5: My GPS continues to be a pain so I have no splits for this race.  We headed north from downtown on a slight incline.  I felt loose early on and tried to keep at a conservative pace.  Most of the race heads through residential areas with various levels of hills.  I should say, none of these are massive hills.  There's just a lot of them and they slowly wear you down.  I looked at my watch a few times and guessed I was just under 8:00 miles for the first few miles.  It felt good until we headed east for a long loop through a residential area.  This section is up-down, up-down.  Again, it's not major but it is enough to hurt. 

Miles 6-10:  We finally ended this residential section and headed for a long straightaway north of town.  This is the most dull section of the race but it is easy to zone out.  We then head east for a bit prior to doing a long loop through a city park.  This is probably the best part of the course as the rollers aren't bad and the park is at least pretty.  It breaks up the monotony some.  My miles were more in the 7:35-7:40 range during this section.  The course then doubles back and we run the same course in reverse on the way back to town.  This does include that unfortunate residential area which seems much worse on the way back.  I did slow to a walk for a few minutes during the return.  The temperature was decent throughout the race but the humidity was awful. 

Miles 11-13.1:  Just hold on for a good finish.  This was really all I was thinking.  We did get a nice net downhill to the finish on the return.  But man did it seem long!  The final mile was probably the worst because you can see the finish for a long time.  I thought I might be able to finish around 1:40 but the finish kept looking farther away.  I was able to kick it in for a nice finish of 1:41:20.  This beat my time from 2014 by more than two minutes.  I finished 24/113 overall. 

This was a challenging but good race.  I certainly enjoyed myself and simply thought "This is number 70" several times throughout the event. 

Next race: Mid Ohio 13er Half Marathon- Mansfield, OH