Augusta Half Marathon

I chose this as my get out of Ohio in the winter race for 2012.  Of course we've had such a mild winter that temps in Georgia were about the same as here.  Oh well. 

This race was very, very well organized with excellent communication from the race directors.  I did my usual stay a few blocks away from the race thing which works really well when you're in an unfamiliar city.  Packet pickup and the race start was held at Enterprise Mill right by the Augusta Canal.  This is an actual renovated mill now used for office space and special events.  Packet pickup was easy on Saturday.  A few local running stores were represented as well as some local marathons.  My preference is to go right in and out at these expos (another reason I love smaller races) and go about my business.  I was able to check out some historic sites around Augusta and western South Carolina. 

Sunday morning was chilly.  Almost Ohio chilly.  It was around 40 degrees at race start, but with a pretty strong wind.  I actually wore a hat, gloves and a long sleeve tech shirt.  The first five miles of this race were probably the most eventful of any race I've ever done.  We started right outside of Enterprise Mill where my only complaint about this race takes place.  The race starts and we immediately have to make a u-turn in about 60 yards.  Huh?!!!  This made for a very clustered start.  They definitely need to change this for next year. We made our way through the scenic downtown area on Broad St. which I highly recommend visiting.  It's just a cool downtown with plenty of things going on.  The art and history museums are very cool, as is the Augusta Riverwalk along the Savannah River.  We then turned away from the downtown area and ran down Walton Way.  Now the race is very flat for the first three miles or so.  I was at 26:15 for the first three which is just better than my 9 minute usual pace.  But then all heck broke loose.  Many of the race emails warned us of The Hill.  I like some hills in races but this monster was ridiculous.  It felt like we were running straight up, then there's a slight turn where we're met with more of the same.  I believe it was roughly one mile of this hill if not more.  I kept my pace right at 9 minute miles and hit the five mile mark in 45 minutes. 

We had the nice downhill that accompanies a rugged uphill and the rest of the race had lots of hills.  They were manageable but my quads were definitely feeling it.  The second five miles didn't have anything as interesting as the first five until we hit Olmstead Lake at mile 9.  This was a very cool part of the race as we made our way around the lake (around 2.5 miles).  I hit the 10 mile mark in 1:26.  My usual is to hit this in around 1:30 but I've been hitting these faster times the past few half marathons so I definitely need to adjust my goal pace at these races. 

The final 3.1 felt pretty fast and I'm surprised with how much I had left.  We finished our circuit around the lake and made our way back towards downtown.  It was basically one long straightaway which made for a fast finish.  I crossed the finish line in 1:51.24.  Good enough for my third fastest half!  The medal is one of the coolest ones I've earned.  The food at the finish was a big disappointment.  Bagels, oranges and bananas were pretty much all they offered.  This race definitely has the potential to become a premier half marathon in the South.  There were roughly 1,100 runners and 24 states represented. 

Considering the lack of consistent training (due to odd Ohio weather) and this being my first half of the year, I'm thrilled with this time.  My goal of breaking 1:50 this year is definitely a strong possibility with the first attempt coming in one month's time.

Next race: Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon- Xenia, OH