Thoughts on 2017 Running Year

2017 was an interesting year for me.  While I still ran seven half marathons, I focused more on the 5k.  I ran surprising PRs in both the 5k and 10k while maintaining a good pace in the half marathon.  W and I have a lot of life changes coming up and I figured this would be my last year running in 15+ races.

2017 Race Totals

5k- 9
10k- 1
12.5k- 1
Half Marathon- 7

Grand total of 133.55 miles in races.

Favorite races

• ONU Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon- I enjoyed this one just as much as 2016 and am schedule to do it again in 2018.  I chipped off over a minute and hope to come in near 1:40 next time.  The cross country and track teams do a great job to make this one fun.
• Ohio Road Runners Club Half Marathon- No surprise here.  This was my sixth time running my favorite race.  
• Capital City Half Marathon- The weather made this one nerve wracking at the end, but the fast course more than made up for it.  I came close to getting a PR at this one.  
• Heartland 5k- I got a new 5k PR of 19:39 at this race in nearby Lexington.  I actually really enjoyed the course as over a quarter of it is on bike path and the few hills through town helped to break it up.
• Columbus Half Marathon- This one was run at Alum Creek in nearby Delaware.  I came into it with zero expectations and came out of it with a sub-1:40.  The course is pretty scenic with enough variety to keep things interesting.
• Mohican 5k- This was a surprising first place finish for me this year.  The course is a flat and fast out and back mostly on a bike path.  The small hills at the end were killer but I really enjoyed this race.
• Amish Country Half Marathon- My slowest time came at this one but who cares?  This is a fun race at which you get the opportunity to "conquer the hills".  It's tough but the organization is outstanding.

Let's look at my goals for the year.

• Set another new half marathon PR.  I am signed up for the ORRRC Half again.  I've PR'd three times at that race and I know the course like the back of my hand.   I came close a few times but couldn't get past 1:36.  I very much doubt I'll break this any time soon.
• Break 1:35 in the half marathon.  See above.
• Set a new 5k PR.  Let's try this one again.  I set a new PR with a 19:39 and followed it up with a 19:42 two weeks later.  I finished the year with three sub-20:00s, compared to only two all-time entering 2017.
• Run 6-7 half marathons and start to focus more on local 5ks.   I ran seven half marathons and nine 5ks.  That's a rarity for me.
• Find a trail 5k in the area.  I ran the 12.5k Super Bull Trail over in Wooster in March.  It was tough and my shoelaces were frozen at the end but it was a blast!
• A new 5k PR for W.  W ran a few 5ks but hasn't been able to consistently train.

2018 Running Goals

• Run 3-5 half marathons.  This would get me to 70 overall.
• Shoot for 19:30 in the 5k.  This is lofty but I think I can do it in the right conditions.
• Run 750 miles in 2018.  I've been over 1000 the past several years but I won't be able to maintain it.
• Win one or two local 5ks.  If I'm going to focus on that distance, I feel this is possible.

Amish Country Half Marathon

I finished my 2017 racing season with the same race from the end of 2016.  For whatever reason, the Amish Country half in Berlin felt much more difficult this time around.  I had a slower than usual time at it last year and wasn't expecting a lot going in.  I was only looking for a good hard run and the burning legs afterward. 

I got to Hiland High School in plenty of time for the race start.  It was cool again this year but without the rain.  I toyed with the idea of not wearing my Columbus Marathon jacket, then decided to keep it since there was a breeze.  Overall, I was thrilled the weather was cooperating.

Miles 1-5: My data from my GPS watch got deleted so I don't have splits for this one.  We started out with a lap on the track before heading south and hitting some country roads.  The hills here felt much worse than last year, particularly the downhills in the first two miles.  It just felt like we were going too fast.  This despite the fact I ran with the 1:45 pace group for most of the race.  I remember my splits were all over the place as they were last year.  I wasn't feeling bad by any means but this is a tough race to pace.  The views, however, are really cool.  There's no traffic to worry about and many of the Amish are out to see the race.  It's really a nice experience.

Miles 6-10: Miles 6-7 are tough.  I mean really tough.  The hills continue and there is one that seems to go forever.  It's also one thing to up a hill, it's another to go up one that winds on the way up.  It kills the quads.  Then you get the downhill that almost feels worse.  I was still with the 1:45 pace leader during this section.  Several other runners and I were going back and forth which seems pretty pointless now.  We headed east as we continued on our loop course, then turned north a mile or two down the road.  The section heading north is hilly but not as bad as the previous section.  The problem is that your quads are already destroyed by this point.  I was trying to hang in for a 1:45 finish.

Miles 11-13.1: You know what's coming if you read last year's post.  The loop finishes with a long and gradual uphill along State Route 39.  This makes up for the relatively flat portion we just finished.  We go up, then get a nice downhill, then a steeper uphill to the school.  I was done by the end of this and knew I would be just shy of my goal time.  We headed to the school for a finish lap around the track and I hit the mat in 1:45:39.  That's not a bad time and it was good enough for 37/222 overall.  I did enjoy the race and may even run it again next year.  It's a great way to burn off the Thanksgiving dinner!

Things are looking similar to the past year as I am taking a break after this race and getting back to it at the Ohio Northern University Indoor Half Marathon at the end of next month.  In the meantime, I will be back with this year's review and thoughts.

Next race: ONU Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon- Ada, OH