I just finished the Run for the Rams 5k at the Miami Valley School here in Dayton. I wasn't too keen on running a race for the third week in a row, but this one was free. I'll say that again. Free. I've never been to a free 5k and wasn't expecting much, but it was better organized than some half marathons I've attended. We even got a nice long sleeve tech tee! For free! This was also my final 5k in my 20s, so I wanted to have a good showing.
My goal for today was to just go easy, try to place in my age group, and prepare for Columbus in three weeks. Why do I ever say I'll go out easy? I never do. I lined up near the front because a ton of little kids were lining up near the front and I didn't want to dodge them to start the race. Let the others do the dodging. We headed out and I ran a very fast pace for the first mile. There were some nice hills throughout this race. The first one was about a half mile in and was definitely a nice challenge. I hit the first mile in 6:31 which is much faster than I wanted to go. But I also like to establish myself early in a race and maintain distance between myself and the second pack. There was another runner who I chatted with prior to the race who was now just in front of me. He said he usually ran around 21 minutes, so I trailed him for the majority of the race. The second mile was very, very tough with another hill. This one wasn't as steep, but it was long. We hit the halfway mark in 10:37 and the two mile mark in 13 and change. Then we went back around the same neighborhood and met up with the walkers who were nice enough to cheer each one of us along. Again, there was a hill at about the 2.5 mile mark. I actually like getting some hills in during races because of the challenge. It's the only way you'll ever improve. I passed my runner friend with about a quarter mile in and kicked it in for a strong finish of 21:22. Pretty happy with this time considering all the hills. I placed first in my age group and I think in the top 10 overall.
October 16th is quickly approaching and my goal race for the year, the Columbus Marathon, will be here before I know it. I've got a 19-20 miler planned for Friday and then a two week taper. I'm focused in and feel much more confident than I did last year before the Spinx Run Fest Marathon.
Next race: Columbus Marathon- Columbus, OH
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Air Force Half Marathon
I just finished my first major half marathon earlier today and was thrilled with the result. The race takes place at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. The expo at the Nutter Center was very well done and I had no issues. Same goes for the parking on race day. Most people complain about it, but it's fine if you get there early. I arrived two hours before the half started and got right in. It is about a mile walk from the parking area to the start line by the Air Force Museum, but it's good for a warm-up.
Let's get to the race itself. I came in to this one thinking I would just take it easy. Break two hours, go home, rest up for the Columbus Marathon next month. But the weather was just too perfect and I felt great during this one! Here's the breakdown:
Miles 1-5: The start was a bit of a cluster compared to what I'm used to, but there were around 5,000 in the half. The first part winds around the base itself, so there are very few spectators and nothing too scenic. I started out at my usual pace and hit the first mile in 9:00. The second mile was slightly faster and the third was slightly faster than that. I was feeling pretty good and started flirting with the idea of running a 1:55. We made our way off the base into a few local neighborhoods. I took a gel at mile 4 because I felt that I was running a good pace and wanted to keep that going. I hit the 5 mile mark in 44:22 which is slightly faster that the 45:00 I usually try to hit.
Miles 6-10: Something happened to me around mile 6. I hit the mile marker in 52:26, making it just higher than an 8 minute mile. Granted, there was a downhill here, but an 8 minute mile doesn't happen to me during a half. And I still felt great. So I slowed down just a bit to keep it realistic, but was still running a nice pace. There was a wicked hill just past the 8 mile mark. I slowed down a bit during this stretch and hit the downhill pretty hard. We came in around Wright State University and I hit the 9 mile marker in 1:18.24. Another little hill during mile 10, but I was still at 1:27.13 at the 10 mile mark. Usually I try for a 1:30 at this point. I can safely say that this was when I decided to really push my pace and go for a new PR.
Miles 11-13.1: We hit a few more hills between WSU and the base, but I know the roads around this area very well since I went to WSU. Kept pushing my pace and hit the 11 mile mark in 1:35 and change. My previous personal best is 1:52.57, so I still had to push the pace some to hit that mark. I definitely did that today. Not sure what my 12 mile mark was, but I think it was around 1:42, making it a 7 minute mile! Pretty close to the same for the final mile. We made our way back to the Air Force Museum, made a few turns, and ran underneath the wings of several planes lined up along the finish (awesome). Hit the finish line in 1:50.01, beating my previous best by 2:56! That's a huge PR! My overall place was 578/4661.
I am obviously thrilled with my time with this race. It gives me a new PR and the confidence to try to break 1:50 next year. It also gives me confidence going into next month's Columbus Marathon. I have an easy 5k next week that I decided to sign up for because it's free. Can't pass that up! But I'm pretty focused in on Columbus right now.
Next race: Miami Valley School Run for the Rams- Dayton, OH
Let's get to the race itself. I came in to this one thinking I would just take it easy. Break two hours, go home, rest up for the Columbus Marathon next month. But the weather was just too perfect and I felt great during this one! Here's the breakdown:
Miles 1-5: The start was a bit of a cluster compared to what I'm used to, but there were around 5,000 in the half. The first part winds around the base itself, so there are very few spectators and nothing too scenic. I started out at my usual pace and hit the first mile in 9:00. The second mile was slightly faster and the third was slightly faster than that. I was feeling pretty good and started flirting with the idea of running a 1:55. We made our way off the base into a few local neighborhoods. I took a gel at mile 4 because I felt that I was running a good pace and wanted to keep that going. I hit the 5 mile mark in 44:22 which is slightly faster that the 45:00 I usually try to hit.
Miles 6-10: Something happened to me around mile 6. I hit the mile marker in 52:26, making it just higher than an 8 minute mile. Granted, there was a downhill here, but an 8 minute mile doesn't happen to me during a half. And I still felt great. So I slowed down just a bit to keep it realistic, but was still running a nice pace. There was a wicked hill just past the 8 mile mark. I slowed down a bit during this stretch and hit the downhill pretty hard. We came in around Wright State University and I hit the 9 mile marker in 1:18.24. Another little hill during mile 10, but I was still at 1:27.13 at the 10 mile mark. Usually I try for a 1:30 at this point. I can safely say that this was when I decided to really push my pace and go for a new PR.
Miles 11-13.1: We hit a few more hills between WSU and the base, but I know the roads around this area very well since I went to WSU. Kept pushing my pace and hit the 11 mile mark in 1:35 and change. My previous personal best is 1:52.57, so I still had to push the pace some to hit that mark. I definitely did that today. Not sure what my 12 mile mark was, but I think it was around 1:42, making it a 7 minute mile! Pretty close to the same for the final mile. We made our way back to the Air Force Museum, made a few turns, and ran underneath the wings of several planes lined up along the finish (awesome). Hit the finish line in 1:50.01, beating my previous best by 2:56! That's a huge PR! My overall place was 578/4661.
I am obviously thrilled with my time with this race. It gives me a new PR and the confidence to try to break 1:50 next year. It also gives me confidence going into next month's Columbus Marathon. I have an easy 5k next week that I decided to sign up for because it's free. Can't pass that up! But I'm pretty focused in on Columbus right now.
Next race: Miami Valley School Run for the Rams- Dayton, OH
Sunday, September 11, 2011
DeGraff Fire Dept. 5k
Headed to my hometown this weekend for a nice little 5k. This was the second year for this race with last year being a pleasant surprise. I figured it would be a nice little speed workout for the upcoming Air Force Half.
It was nice simply walking from my parents' house to the race start. It was a nice, cool morning with a surprising amount of fog. Not bad race conditions for early September. I met up with a high school friend and we caught up prior to the race start. It's nice coming home occasionally. We lined up at the modest start line and headed out.
The first mile went very fast, but I'm curious about the mile markers. More on that later. We wound through town before making our way outside town. Two runners made their way in front of me and there was nobody immediately behind me. My parents were able to see us about a half mile in as we made our way past their house. Good thing as they were the only spectators! We started hitting the hills during this stretch. They're worse than I remember. My first mile clocked in at 6:11. Way too fast! The second mile was more hills and the turnaround point. This is where things got interesting. I was struggling a bit because of my first start. I also noticed that the 2nd mile was a long time coming. The marker was in the same spot as the 1st marker and I clocked in at 15:35. Huh? No way this is correct. I just focused on where I was as I was holding on to third place. Back by my parents' house, we made our way down the final hill back into town. This little stretch is somewhat downhill with two blocks to go to the finish line. I just kicked it in and crossed the line feeling pretty good. Remember that 15:35? My final time was 20:37. I know I didn't run a 5:02 mile. The course is definitely short as the mile markers are in the same spot, yet we don't finish as far into town as where we start. Something was off, but I still had a good time. Course measured at about 3 miles even, so a 20:37 is still one of my fasted times for the year. I placed 3rd overall and 1st in my age group.
Next race: Air Force Half Marathon- Dayton, OH
It was nice simply walking from my parents' house to the race start. It was a nice, cool morning with a surprising amount of fog. Not bad race conditions for early September. I met up with a high school friend and we caught up prior to the race start. It's nice coming home occasionally. We lined up at the modest start line and headed out.
The first mile went very fast, but I'm curious about the mile markers. More on that later. We wound through town before making our way outside town. Two runners made their way in front of me and there was nobody immediately behind me. My parents were able to see us about a half mile in as we made our way past their house. Good thing as they were the only spectators! We started hitting the hills during this stretch. They're worse than I remember. My first mile clocked in at 6:11. Way too fast! The second mile was more hills and the turnaround point. This is where things got interesting. I was struggling a bit because of my first start. I also noticed that the 2nd mile was a long time coming. The marker was in the same spot as the 1st marker and I clocked in at 15:35. Huh? No way this is correct. I just focused on where I was as I was holding on to third place. Back by my parents' house, we made our way down the final hill back into town. This little stretch is somewhat downhill with two blocks to go to the finish line. I just kicked it in and crossed the line feeling pretty good. Remember that 15:35? My final time was 20:37. I know I didn't run a 5:02 mile. The course is definitely short as the mile markers are in the same spot, yet we don't finish as far into town as where we start. Something was off, but I still had a good time. Course measured at about 3 miles even, so a 20:37 is still one of my fasted times for the year. I placed 3rd overall and 1st in my age group.
Next race: Air Force Half Marathon- Dayton, OH
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