Flying Feather 4 Miler

FW (Future Wife!) and I headed down to Dublin on Thanksgiving for the Flying Feather 4 Miler.  I ran this one last year and posted a good time just under 30 minutes.  This year we used the race to see how FW is doing after getting back into an exercise routine.  She had a very good day!

Getting to the race was a piece of cake.  We parked at the same high school as last year and immediately jumped on one of the shuttle buses to the start.  One complaint: We got there very early to pick up our packets but The Club at Corazon was not open for runners to warm up.  This was one of the best things about last year's race as it was pretty chilly out.  I can't imagine why it wasn't open this year but it was very disappointing.  I mean, really, poor FW had to try to warm up on her own!

 

But we did get a picture with the race mascot!

 

On to the race!

We started near the end so FW could get into a rhythm and not start too fast.  She had the goal of getting in under 1:20.  We jogged for a bit at the start and then settled into a brisk walk/jog for much of the race.  FW hit the tangents well and was really working hard.  This course has a TON of turns for the first two miles or so.  We hit the first mile in 17:48.  That was well within range of her 1:20 goal but we knew she'd have to pace during the second mile.  We continued winding around some VERY nice neighborhoods near Glacier Ridge Park and just enjoyed the decent weather for a Thanksgiving morning.  FW was still working hard but not feeling bad.  We hit the second mile in 17:54, still well within reach of her goal for the day.  I started thinking she could actually break 1:10 if she continued at this pace.

We finally made our way into Glacier Ridge Park at about the 2.25 mile mark.  This part of the course is a bit more scenic which we enjoyed.  There's still a bit of winding around during this section but not as much.  FW started springkkling in more jogging during this section .  Her time was starting to look better and better.  We passed quite a few people during this part of the race, too.  I think FW has a similar strategy as I do, as she didn't like getting caught up in large groups and would speed up to pass them.  She hit the third mile in 17:17.  She really sped up during the final mile as we had a nice, long straightaway to the finish.  She used some downhills to her advantage and jogged down, took a break, and jogged down the next one.  We made a turn toward the finish and finished hard with a 16:05 final mile, good enough for a 1:09:14 final time!  This was obviously much faster than she thought she would run at this race and I couldn't be prouder!  

FW has started getting into a groove again but she's starting to get some plantar fasciitis again.  We're hoping she'll be able to do the elliptical and stationary bike over the winter to build up her cardio.  

The final race for 2015 will be a local 5k.

Next race: Project Lifesaver 5k- Mifflin, OH

 

Private Heath Warner Memorial Four Miler

GF and I made the trek to Massillon for this four miler.  I had to skip last week's 5k due to illness and found this race online.  I'm glad I did because this was very well organized and I had more fun than expected.  The temperature was in the low 40s at the start which certainly helped.

We started out from the Massillon YMCA and I went out at a strong pace.  I actually went out at a 5k PR type pace.  There weren't many hills on the course, surprising for Massillon, and I took full advantage of the low temps.  The leaders took off at a ridiculous pace.  I was with the second wave and hit the first mile in 6:17.  That's a fast mile for me!  I battled with another runner over the next two miles which kept me focused.  The course wound around a nice park during the last two and a half miles or so.  A two miler was going on at the same time and they veered off around this point.  I kept going back and forth with the other runner and there wasn't many people near us.  The second and third miles came in at 6:31 and 6:45.  I would have ran my second fastest 5k had this race not been a four miler.  Pretty crazy considering I have not spent any time training for these shorter distances this year.

The final mile included a couple minor hills as we doubled back to the 2 mile/4 mile split.  The 4 milers stayed straight this time and wound toward the finish.  My battle with the other runner ended halfway through mile 4, but another runner overtook both of us at the same time.  I still knew I had a solid race in the bag and focused on finishing strong.  I finished in an amazing 25:51, so that last mile came in at just over 6 minutes.  My effort was good enough for 10/235 overall and first in my age group, making it a two medal day.  I was very impressed with the organization of this race and plan on doing it again next year.  GF and I even got in a two miler to help her with her training!

GF Training Update

GF is getting back into the swing of things after her amazing Flying Pig effort.  She had solid 1 1/2, 2, and 3 mile runs this week.  Most of her runs have been around 2 miles and we're trying to get back to the same strength she was at for the Flying Pig.  She's set to run the Kingwood 5k here in Mansfield in mid-June.  I'm really hoping she can set her second PR of the year!

Next race: Medina Half Marathon- Medina, OH

Flying Feather 4-Miler

This was a new race distance and experience for me.  I've ran in several races near Thanksgiving but had never taken the plunge on Thanksgiving Day.  This was a fun race, but there are definitely some areas in which this race could improve.  The swag, however, was top-notch!  A nice tech shirt, gloves, running hat, heavy medal, and a bottle of wine at the finish!

The race is held in Glacier Ridge Metro Park in Dublin, OH, and regularly sells out with 4,000 participants!  It's one of the largest Thanksgiving races in Ohio.  The park is very nice and the race started at a nice club that allowed us to come in prior to the race.  That was great as temps were in the high 20s.  There are shuttle buses going out from the various parking areas near the park.  This was a nice touch and my girlfriend and I were able to get on one right after we parked.

I liked the race overall, but the start was so congested that I couldn't even line up in the right spot.  The start area was very narrow and taped off in some areas, so I had to start near the back even though I needed to be near the front.  That made for a frustrating start for me as I spent the first few miles dodging people.  My goal coming in was to attempt to break 30 minutes, even though my training has been sporadic at best.  I did my best dodging and came in around 7:40 for the first mile and the same for the second.  There were a few hills sprinkled throughout but I liked the change of pace.

I spend the second half of the race doing less dodging and spending more time chasing down pace groups.  I never got to the one I should have started with, but the race was chip timed so it really didn't matter where I started.  The second half was definitely faster as we made our way back to the start.  The best part was the downhill finish!  I was able to hit my goal for the day (barely!) and came in with a respectable 29:47, good enough for 165/3,891 overall and 26/369 in my age group.

The only other gripe I had was getting a bus after the finish to go back to the parking area.  It was a mess and we waited for around 20-30 minutes.  There was no order to how the buses were parking to pick us up, so every time we ran to the one we needed it was already full.  Not a huge deal, but I did see a lot of people walking back to their cars which were a mile or more away.

The next race will be my final one for this amazing running year.  I'll be doing a two-person relay with a good friend, which should be a really fun time!

Next race: Tour de Ashland Half Marathon 2-Person Relay- Ashland, OH