Little Miami Half Marathon

This was a memorable half marathon for me because it was my tenth!  Only two short years ago I was training for my very first.  How things change in such a short amount of time! 

The race itself is very, very small.  It begins in Morrow, OH, and takes place on the bike path (there were some rude cyclists included) along the Little Miami River.  Despite this being a small, inexpensive race, I really like the medal and tech tee.  Well done!  It's also nice to be able to park very close to the start line and just hang out before the race.  The course itself was a bit dull, but I do a lot of my runs on a similar bike path, so I knew what to expect.  I toyed around with trying for a new PR, but it was way too humid to attempt that.  On to my breakdown:

Miles 1-5- We started with a quarter mile through the Morrow before hitting the bike path.  Within the first couple of miles I noted that my legs felt heavy.  I just could not get into a real groove during this whole race.  The first mile clocked in at 9:01 and the second clocked in at 18:15 (9:14).  I resigned myself to the fact that 9 minute miles would probably be the best I could do.  A couple of cyclists came through the first water stop and didn't slow down one bit for runners trying to get water.  One shouted out something along the lines of don't get in the way or you will get run over.  Umm.  Nobody was in the way.  I have no problem with cyclists and always run to the far side to allow them to pass, but come on.  The race was advertised for quite some time and signs were posted weeks in advance.  Have some class.  I wish I could say something about the course itself.  Not much to say.  A bike path, trees on both sides and some views of the river.  That's it for 13.1 miles.  Anyway, I just kept up with the same pace.  The five mile mark came in around 46:15.

Miles 6-10- The six mile mark came in around 55:23.  This really isn't far off from what I normally run.  I try to hit the half-way point in one hour, so I'm not doing bad considering my legs are still feeling heavy.  There is something I'd like to ask about the aid stations.  Heed?  Really?  Does nobody realize that that stuff tastes horrible?  I realize we need electrolytes, but how about Powerade or Gatorade?  They even had Gatorade at the finish!  Heed is just terrible beyond words.  I stuck with water instead.  The turn-around point was just past the halfway mark and I began to lose track of mile splits after that.  I do know that I hit the 10 mile marker in 1:31 and change.  I had to kick it in just a bit to ensure I finished in under two hours.

Miles 11-13.1- I sprinkled in some harder running here, but it didn't seem to make a huge difference.  The legs still felt off.  Not horrible, just off.  I hit the 12 mile marker in 1:50 and change, so I knew I had to kick a bit more.  The last mile felt decent and I was able to finish in 1:59.39. 

Not a whole lot to comment on.  The food at the end was sub par.  Some bagels, bananas and oranges that all looked bad.  The Gatorade and water was all I really wanted anyway.  I really did this one just to finish my tenth half marathon.  Considering some of the rude cyclists and the boring course, I don't plan on doing this one again.  Ah well.  Again, at least the tech tee and medal are nice!

Next race: DeGraff Fire Dept. 5k- DeGraff, OH

GermanFest 5k

This one was a pleasant surprise. The 5k started at Carillon Park in Dayton during GermanFest.  I wasn't a big fan of the 6:30 start, but at least it was easy to get there right after work.  A free beer after the race didn't hurt either.  The course itself was nothing special.  We simply ran along the Great Miami Trail on an easy out-and-back.  No shade and plenty of sunlight didn't give me much hope of accomplishing much. 

I was planning on running a conservative pace for the first mile but this course was way too fast for that.  There were also a few little downhills over the first mile.  I started just behind the lead pack and came in around 6:45 for the first mile.  A little too fast considering the heat and humidity.  From there we were on a nice, flat straightaway until the turn around point.  The second mile went better than it usually does for me and I just stayed right behind a few runners who I recognized.  I've lost to both of them in recent races so I was happy to stay right behind both for a while.  The second mile clocked in at 13:45 and I was feeling pretty good.  Passed both of my competitors on the second uphill halfway through mile 3.  I've always been a proponent of passing people on hills if you have the strength to do so.  If you can create some space as you come up over the hill, that can be pretty demoralizing to the person you just passed.  I'm all about race strategy since I'm not particularly fast.  The final mile went very fast and I hit the finish line at 21:26.

This is the fastest I've ran a 5k this year!  My previous fastest for the year was way back in March with a 21:38 at the No Buts About It race.  I finished 2nd in my age group and 11/186 overall.  I'm clearly thrilled with the result, especially as it gives me a nice confidence boost going into next week's half marathon.

Next race: Little Miami Half Marathon- Morrow, OH

Ralph Wade 10k

As I mentioned in my last post, the 10k distance worries me.  I last did a 10k in 2001. It's been a while.  The reason for that is that I simply am not sure of how to pace myself for one of these.  I've done enough 5ks to know what I'm doing there and I always start out at a conservative pace at half marathons so no worries there.  My goal for this race was to simply break 50:00.  It seemed like a realistic goal to have.

I made it to Springboro at about 8:15 on Saturday morning.  The race didn't start until 9:00 (a little late for my liking in mid-summer) so I had plenty of time to pick up my race packet and stretch out.  I was already starting to sweat just walking to the start line.  Thankfully the sun wasn't out for most of this race.  The course was of the two loop variety, which was actually nice.

We headed out and I started out at a good pace.  Not too fast, but fast enough to make my way to front pack of runners.  The race had some nice rolling hills.  I actually prefer this as it works out different muscles and breaks up the monotony.  I clocked in at 7:23 for the first mile.  This was a little faster than I wanted so I slowed down some and hit the second mile at 15:05.  I felt good through this race and really paced myself well.  During the second and third miles I didn't get passed nor did I pass anyone.  I was right where I needed to be.  The third mile clocked in at 23:12 and I was still feeling pretty good.  We made our way back to the start and began our second loop.  Midway through the fourth mile I decided to start making a move.  I passed a few high school runners and saw the 5k walkers in front of me.  Passing some of the 5kers along with a few 10k runners during the hilly section of the fifth mile gave me some extra energy.   I missed the fourth split, but the fifth split was roughly 38:25.  The last mile was somewhat hilly but I felt like I flew through it.  I passed a few people who looked like they could possibly be in my age group (I know one was).  The final 200 meters went fast as I outsprinted another 10k runner and several 5k runners.  My final time was 47:54.

I'm pretty happy with this time and the results.  My place was 15/72 and I finished first in my age group.  It did show me that I can probably pick up the pace some during half marathons, but definitely during 5ks.  My 5k time has been weak this year and I only have a couple more opportunities to improve upon it.  Overall, this was a great race and quite the confidence boost.

Next race: Germanfest 5k- Dayton, OH