Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon

This was a pleasant surprise of a race.  GF and I headed to Dublin for this race that I actually vowed to never again run (see my 2011 report here).  However, I wanted to set up a bunch of races in winter and spring in an attempt to get 10 half marathons in this year.  My report will be slightly different than usual because the course is a one mile loop.  Nothing to report there.  Here are some thoughts on this race:

Pros

This is one of the few half marathon options in Ohio during the winter.

You certainly learn the course after a couple laps.

The "course" is pancake flat.

Spectators (GF!) can watch a LOT of the race.

Accurate splits for every mile of the race.

Cons

It was 17 degrees outside.

It's hard to pace yourself because there are so many races at once.  There's a full, half, 10k, 5k, marathon relay, and half relay.  

It was 17 degrees outside.

While a flat race, the course gets dull pretty quickly.

It was 17 degrees outside.

Did I happen to mention it was 17 degrees?  I did?  Good.  Because it was.  GF reported this to me after the race.  I would have been tempted to put a big ol' DNF after my name had I known that prior to the race.  But I surprisingly warmed up only a couple miles into this one.  GF also wanted to wipe the ice out of my beard every time I passed her.  :)

There's not much to report other than I ran a GREAT race.  Seriously, I'm not sure where this is coming from, other than my amazing GF supporting me at all these races.  I ran splits that looked eerily similar to the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon.  It was hard to hit the tangents with all the other races going on, so I had the course at 13.24 miles.  Since I have splits for every single mile, let's look at those.  The race starts .1 mile behind the finish line, so we do that first and then start in on the miles.  That's why lap one is so fast.

Lap 1- 0:57          Lap 2- 7:49           Lap 3- 7:45          Lap 4- 7:36           Lap 5- 7:40

Lap 6- 7:32          Lap 7- 7:44           Lap 8- 7:45          Lap 9- 7:36           Lap 10- 7:30

Lap 11- 7:38        Lap 12- 7:42         Lap 13- 7:27        Lap 14- 7:11

Not bad at all.  I ran consistent times and never had a mile above 7:49.  I was able to run some negative splits toward the end.  My overall time was 1:39:38 which is good enough for my third fastest half and 17/144 overall.  

But it came with a price.  GF was feeling under the weather prior to the race and, after watching roughly half of my race, got worse.  I also got ill (did I mention it was 17 degrees?) but we're both on the mend.  

I originally thought of doing a 5k in March, but instead I'll take a break until my next half at the end of the month.

Next race: Three Creeks Half Marathon- Groveport, OH

Blizzard Buster 5k

I decided to get in a bit of speedwork prior to the Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon.  The GF and I traveled up to Ashland for what I thought would be a nice, easy 5k this past weekend.  Little did I know this would not be easy at all.

We started out from Ashland First United Methodist Church and headed west for a bit.  The going was pretty good, but there were a lot of hills throughout this race.  I knew negative splits weren't a possibility.  Thankfully, I decided to bank some time early and started out the with the lead group.  There were some very fast runners, but I assumed this would be a tough race as only serious runners would brave the elements.  I struggled but ran a 6:58 for the first mile.  We took a nice downhill soon after but then the fun began.  The roads were very clear throughout the race, but we started in to a cemetery at about 1.25 miles in that was nothing but ice!  Plus hills.  This was not fun at all.  I started taking short, choppy steps during this part of the course, which lasted around 1.5 miles, and it really put my time in the crapper.  I almost wiped out several times and I know several people did, judging by the conversations GF and I overheard after the race.  I just tried to maintain my place during the cemetery portion, but my time was around a 7:40 for the second mile.  Plus, the cold air was getting to my lungs and the choppy steps to my core.  We meandered through the cemetery and finished with a downhill out of there.  Finally we made it back to the road at about the 2.75 mile mark.  I tried to kick it in some during the finish but my lungs weren't having it.  The highlight occurred as I saw GF doing a celebratory dance for me at the finish!

Final time- 22:43.  This was good enough for 10th overall, out of probably around 100, and second in my age group.  The age group awards were very cool as I received a coffee mug for my efforts.  I really love my medals, but I have so many that I actually like receiving useful things now.  GF and I made a day of it and ate a wonderful breakfast at a local diner and then hit up the nearby outlet mall for the rest of the afternoon.  Overall, a good day!

My 2014 is starting off very, very well.  I already have two 5ks and a half marathon PR under my belt.  I'm scheduled for a half marathon next week but it depends on the weather.   If it's frigid, I may drop down to the 5k or 10k.

Next race: Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon- Dublin, OH