FW and I stayed in nearby Yellow Springs for the weekend just like last year. The weather was pretty miserable, as temperatures stayed in the low 30s and it was breezy. I've tried to avoid such temps this year, even though I ran great in cold weather last year. It's just not enjoyable getting up at 6:00am for a race when it's in the 20s! I originally had aspirations of going for another PR, especially after my effort at the Alamo 13.1, but the weather made me set my goal at running a sub-1:40.
Getting to the race was easy, as always, and we were able to wait inside the Xenia YMCA for the start. Poor FW had to wait inside the YMCA during most of the race due to the temperatures. Again, I cannot stress enough how patient and kind she is!
Miles 1-5: We started off from the YMCA and headed north through a local neighborhood for a quick mile loop. This helps to spread the field prior to hitting the bike path at mile 4. I felt surprisingly good despite the temps and the dead feeling in my legs coming into the race (same feeling as at the Alamo). We headed back by the Y for a very short jaunt on the bike path prior to turning south of town for some back road running. I felt good powering up and down the only hills on the course and passed quite a few people early on. My splits were right on target, but I was expecting to crap out somewhere on the bike path. We turned north down a long hill and then right onto the bike path for a LONG straightaway. Here are my splits for the first five: 1 (7:35), 2 (7:13), 3 (7:27), 4 (7:08!), 5 (7:15). These are solid splits as I usually hit one or two 8:00 miles during the first five or so. I was on pace for a solid run!
Miles 6-10: This section is always tough because it's such a long straightaway on a flat bike path. If you can shut down your mind and just run, it works well. I was able to shut down for the most part and ran consistently while still passing some folks. I stopped to take a gel at mile 7, right before we turned for the side path leading to Central State University. We ran a quick mile there, turned around, and headed back the way we came around mile 9. I was still feeling surprisingly good but was looking forward to a quick walk break. I wanted to wait until the last 3.1 to take a break. Here are the splits: 6 (7:20), 7 (7:10), 8 (7:20), 9 (7:20), 10 (7:10). I've never seen such consistent splits in the middle of a half before. And with that in mind, I finally realized I was running a PR-type race.
Miles 11-13.2: I turned it on some during mile 11, hoping to get in for a new PR. I forgot all about wanting a walk break and focused in on passing some people. The last full mile was insane as I hit it in under 7:00 prior to turning off the bike path and into Xenia. The last quarter mile of this race is tough as the city streets aren't even and is mostly uphill. The course measured a bit long at 13.2.
Here are the final splits: 11 (7:12), 12 (7:08), 13 (6:50!), 13.2 (1:18). The course was a bit long, but it didn't matter as I high-fived FW right before the finish line and finished with a new PR of 1:35:26!!! Poor FW was worried as I lost all control of my legs shortly after crossing the finish line and had to sit down for a few minutes. The final few miles took a lot out of me as I haven't felt like that since my last full marathon. I'm disappointed I didn't hit the tangents perfectly as that might have gotten me in under 1:35. However, I'm thrilled to take another minute off my PR.
FW is getting back into shape for the Flying Pig 5k in a few weeks. It won't be a PR effort, but I'm very confident she'll do well. I'll be running the half marathon the next day.
Next race: Flying Pig 5k and Half Marathon- Cincinnati, OH
