Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon

Well, this one was a pleasant surprise!  I headed over to Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon.  This was the first year for this event and other than some driving issues, it was a great race.  I'm running next week's Capital City Half Marathon, so I didn't have any real goal for this race other than keeping the sub-2:00 streak alive.

I was able to drive to Canton the morning of the race, a little over an hour from Mansfield, due to the brilliant idea of opting for my race packet to be mailed to me.  This was a steal at ten dollars.  I didn't have to get a hotel or anything and I was willing to deal with the early start (I left Mansfield at about 4:30).  This option was well worth it!  Getting to the race was no problem at all.  Parking was at the Stark County Fairgrounds where buses were waiting to take us to Fawcett Stadium for the start.

What I wasn't expecting this morning was the chill.  It was 37 degrees at the start.  In late April.  Many of us were huddled under the various tents set up around the stadium.  It was just crazy cold for this time of year.  I didn't think I'd have to opt for a long sleeve tech tee and gloves but, dang it all, I did.  

Miles 1-5: I started out right at a 9:00 pace for the first couple miles.  There were hills along the course, which I was expecting in Canton.  None of them were too bad but there were a few longer ones sprinkled in there.  We headed south for bit before heading towards the downtown area.  I was surprised at how nice the course was, not really knowing Canton at all.  The downtown was pretty cool and there was good crowd support.  I started picking up my pace to 8:40-8:45 for a few miles.

Miles 6-10: We finish a long straightaway only to go into another one.  This was a good time to pick up the pace.  I hit the 10k in 53:15 which is very good.  The seven mile mark came in about 59:29.  Again, this is awesome.  I usually hit six and a half miles in an hour so I was sure I'd keep my sub-2:00 streak alive.  We hit some more hills during yet another straightaway, but I was really powering up the hills and not feeling the effects.  I hit the ten mile mark in 1:25 and change.  At some point here, I noticed I had a sub-8:00 mile, unheard of for me this early in a race.

Miles 11-Finish: I kept pushing my pace as we made our way back toward Fawcett Stadium.  I passed quite a few people during this part of the course and felt good the whole way.  Thankfully, I was able to push myself while still keeping something in the tank for Cap City.  It was kind of hard to tell how far we had once we could see the Hall again, so I kept powering on and made it to Fawcett for an awesome finish at the 50 yard line.  Final time: 1:45:14.  This was good enough for 246/2046 overall.  We received a very cool football shaped medal and a fleece blanket at the finish!

I'm very happy with how I ran this race.  Posting a sub-1:50 is phenomenal this early in the year, especially considering the nasty winter we had.  I also extended my sub-2:00 streak to 25 races.  My goal is to break 1:45 at Saturday's Cap City Half.

Next race: Capital City Half Marathon- Columbus, OH

ORRRC Half Marathon

I love being able to schedule races around work conferences.  It's one of my favorite things.  I was in the Dayton area last week and stayed a couple extra days to catch up with some friends and run the Ohio River Road Runner's Club Half Marathon in Xenia.  This is my third time running this race (2011, 2012) and it never disappoints.  It's very well organized and for $25 you get great swag, a nice course, no traffic, and hot food at the finish.  But it is growing! It's up from 500 or so people in 2011 to around 1000 in 2014.

Getting to the race is a piece of cake.  I couldn't park at the YMCA this year, due to the bigger numbers, but we were diverted to nearby Shawnee Park.  It's only a few blocks away so no big deal.  The weather was perfect for early April.  Mid-40s and clear at the start.  I started right in the middle of the pack and away we went.

Miles 1-5: We start out from the Y and head north for a bit before circling back around toward the bike path.  I started out at a conservative pace and hit the first mile in 9:21.  The course was the same as previous years which was nice.  We hit the bike path for a short time before taking some country roads around the south part of town.  This is the only part of the course with any hills, thought the hills are certainly not anything major.  We turn back onto the bike path shortly after mile 5 and stay on the path for the rest of the race.

Miles 6-10: The next few miles are on the straightaway portion of the bike path.  I hit the 6 mile mark in 52:43.  That put me in a great position to keep my sub 2:00 streak alive.  I'm always amazed that I don't get bored during this portion of the course.  I think the fact that I don't have to worry about hitting tangents helps.  I can tune out the race and just go at my own pace.  We remain on the straightaway before turning toward Central State University soon after mile 7. This little side trip takes us to a turnaround at mile 8 and we go back to the main bike path, hitting it at mile 9.  Then we hit the same straightaway again.  I was picking up my pace a bit here and feeling pretty good, especially for the first half of the year.

Miles 11-13.1: The last few miles were a blur.  I passed quite a few people and picked up my pace.  At the 12.5 mark we come off the bike path and hit a side street for a straightaway finish at the Y.  I hit the timing mat in 1:52:11, good enough for 259/1059 overall.

This was a nice confidence boost, considering my inconsistent training this winter due to a job change and nasty weather.  I have a couple weeks to go until I hit a half in Canton and another in Columbus on consecutive weeks!

Next race: Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon- Canton, OH

Race to Eliminate 5k

I tackled my second race since moving to Mansfield in the Race to Eliminate 5k.  This event was held at Malabar Farm State Park in nearby Lucas and it gave me my first taste of the hills of Richland County.  Wicked hills.  Oh, and we had snow the day before, which had melted, creating a slippery mess.  I almost decided not to run this one as I knew it was being run on dirt roads and would be messy.  Thankfully, I went through with it.

There was a 10k attached to this one.  If you've ever raced one of these 5k/10k runs, they are very difficult.  You can't really tell who's running which race.  And it can cause you to start out too fast, which is exactly what I did.  We started out from Malabar Farm towards a county road, then made a quick turn onto a hilly dirt road.  One older gentleman started out at an insane pace.  I assumed he had to be in the 5k and not the 10k, so I decided to try to keep up with him.  He was used to the hills and I was certainly not.  I kept within 20 meters for the first half of the race and hit the first mile in 6:31.  Whoops.  I was kind of shooting for a 7:00-7:15 there.  The race went downhill (figuratively) for me from there. 

We hit the turnaround point, giving me a chance to see who this awesome runner was, and noticed he was wearing a bib number with red numbers (for the 10k).  So then I start thinking that I have a legit chance at winning the 5k (while being in awe of this eventual 10k winner).  I tried to pick up the pace, but I was really lagging after that first mile.  The hills were pretty bad and the mud was making it worse.  The second mile came in at 14:00.  I was definitely slowing down but still running a good race.  Another runner came close to me about midway through the third mile but I was just able to fend him off.  See where I'm going with this?

The last 100 meters or so consisted of a straight uphill.  I was gone but took a look behind me.  And saw nobody even close!  I crossed the finish line in 22:31 and, more importantly, won my second race!  I received a very nice trophy for this accomplishment, which is prominently displayed in my living room.  Despite the win, I realize I could have easily broken 22 minutes had I run a smarter race.  Next 5k, perhaps.  But now it's time to start back in with my favorite distance, the half marathon.

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