We (my amazing girlfriend came to lend support) met up with my teammate in nearby Ashland on race morning. It was windy but not too cold for early December. It rained cats and dogs the night before and we were just hoping to not get too wet. Unfortunately, my teammate did not luck out in that regard. I ran the first leg of the race (6.9 miles) and he ran the second leg (6.2). The distances were odd, but the second leg involved more hills than the first.
I started out at a great pace and hung with the 1:35 pacer for most of the race. There were some half-marathoners and 5k runners in the mix, so it was really difficult to tell how we were doing in the relay the entire time I was running. I just focused on hitting my splits. We started with a loop around the neighborhood surrounding Ashland High School and back to where we started. The 5k runners finished here and things really spread out. I stuck with the pace team and was hitting 7:30 mile splits. I felt like I was in a zone and could potentially hit 50 minutes for my portion of the race. We did hit a few minor, rolling hills during the second part of the first leg but it wasn't bad. I was hitting 7:00 miles and some sub-7:00 at this point. The course was so-so, mostly through some nice residential areas. We made our way towards downtown and I kicked it in for the final mile or so. I did come in at 49:53 which is an amazing time for me!
I handed it off to my teammate. He had to tackle a major hill right out of the gate and, of course, it rained like crazy during his last couple of miles. And the wind kicked up, too. He still had a fun time and ran a great time in such conditions. Our team time was 1:42:06, good enough for second overall in the relay and first overall in the all-male division! We each received a cool finisher's medal and a fleece blanket for winning our division. What a fun way to end 2014!
I like to review my races at the end of this year and give my thoughts on them. 2014 was another amazing year and I hit quite a few highlights:
- Added my eleventh state (Vermont) at the Mad Half Marathon.
- I finally ran a sub-1:40 half marathon (1:39:32) at the Capital City Half Marathon.
- I added several new race distances/types this year with my first indoor race (Fremont Indoor 10k), four miler (Flying Feather), and relay (Tour de Ashland).
- Won two races (Race to Eliminate 5k, Drug Free 5k) and came in second twice (Greek Festival 5k, Banking on a Cure 5k).
- 18 total races: nine half marathons, six 5ks, one 10k, one 4 miler, one relay.
- Hit 40 total half marathons.
- Total race mileage for 2014: 153.6
Favorite races of the year:
Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon- This was my third time running this race and I'm already scheduled for the April 2015 race. It's just so well organized and for $25 it's a steal.
Capital City Half Marathon- What is it with me and Columbus? I run so well down there and I felt like I had an out of body experience at it this year. Knocking down 7:30 miles during a half is crazy for me. Very well organized and always a fun time!
Mad Half Marathon- Definitely the toughest race I've ever done, but one of the most gorgeous and friendliest races too! This was a fun summertime race and an excuse to travel to New England. Everyone was very friendly and the organization was fantastic.
Buckeye Half Marathon- This was my second time running this one. It's always cold, being down in the valley, but it's so well organized and a beautiful course. I love getting a hoodie rather than a T-shirt. This one also counted as my 40th half marathon.
What will 2015 bring? My goal is to run ten half marathons as I would love to get to 50. I'm going to try to load up on winter/spring half marathons to help me in this quest. My next race is in a few short weeks, as I'll be travelling to the Southwest for a major race. I'll be doing the Remix Challenge by running my first double: A 5k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday.
Next race: P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon & 5k
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