Ranking My Half Marathons

It's been over a month since my last race and I still have yet to post my report.  In the meantime, I started thinking about my favorite distance and wondered how many individual half marathons I've finished (47) and which ones are my favorites

I've ran 71 half marathons since 2009 and will probably be taking a hiatus.  .  Call me nostalgic, but here is my ranking of each half in which I've competed.

Disc

1. ORRRC Half Marathon (6)- Also my PR race three times.
2. Flying Pig Half Marathon (3)
3. Capital City Half Marathon (4)- Definitely a PR race.  I did so twice.
4. Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon
5. Air Force Half Marathon (2)
6. Buckeye Half Marathon (2)
7. Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon
8. Mad Half Marathon
9. Old Port Half Marathon
10. Akron Half Marathon
11. State to State Half Marathon (2)
12. Melbourne & Beaches Music Half Marathon
13. Run the Bluegrass
14. Houston Half Marathon
15. Dayton River Corridor Classic (3)
16. Alamo 13.1
17. Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon
18. Columbus Half Marathon (October)
19. Ohio Northern Indoor Half Marathon (3)
20. Medina Half Marathon (2)
21. Augusta Half Marathon
22. La Porte By The Bay Half Marathon
23. Amish Country Half Marathon (2)
24. Mid Ohio 13er (2)
25. Columbus Half Marathon (August)
26. Carmel (IN) Half Marathon
27. Three Creeks Half Marathon
28. Inland Trail Half Marathon
29. Churchill's Half Marathon
30. Wooster Heart & Sole Half Marathon (2)
31. Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon
32. Presque Isle Half Marathon
33. Millersburg Fall Trail Run (2)
34. Earth Day Challenge Half Marathon
35. YOLO Half Marathon
36. Made in America Half Marathon
37. Cleveland Fall Classic
38. Park 2 Park Half Marathon
39. Somerset Stampede Half Marathon
40. Soaring Eagle Runs Boy Scout Half Marathon
41. Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon (2)
42. Heartland Series Ohio
43. East Bay Half Marathon
44. Geist Half Marathon
45. Findlay Red, White & Blue Half Marathon
46. Little Miami Half Marathon
47. Run to the Wall Half Marathon

Mid Ohio 13er

Wow.  I have never been almost two months behind on this blog.  We have had a lot of things come up in the last six weeks.  To say life is hectic is an understatement.  I've been down to about 5 miles per week over this period.  Seriously.  I'm thankful I can at least go out for a couple easy miles to clear my head every once in a while.

The Mid Ohio 13er is a local race here in Mansfield that I ran in 2016.  This year's came about a week before things got wild in our lives, so I was at least decently trained for it.  Race day was difficult.  It was pretty cool and rainy during the entire event.  I was plagued with GI issues throughout the last five miles or so.  It was a well run race but I didn't bring my A-game. 

Rather than refer back to my splits, I'll give you a quick breakdown of this race.

Miles 1-5:  We started out from downtown Mansfield and I immediately felt "off".  My splits were in the 7:45-8:00 range, which is fine, but I simply felt that I couldn't sustain it.  The course was the reverse of 2016 and so we started off with a long uphill on Marion Avenue.  It goes on for a long time before leveling off around mile 2 when we turned south on Cook Road.  The lead cyclist took a wrong turn somewhere in this area which led to a short course.  My watch showed it being short by about 1/3 of a mile.  The massive hill that we ran up in 2016 was replaced by a wicked downhill.  It was tough on the quads as we were only four miles into the race at this point.  My pace was great during this section.  I was nailing 7:00-7:15 for about 3 miles.  We headed north on the B&O Trail soon after the downhill and would remain on it for a long time.

Miles 6-10:  The trail portion was a great change of pace.  It heads in a semi-circle around Mansfield and we were heading toward its terminus in North Lake Park.  This is a long section of the path with little to no elevation change and good scenery.  We remained on it until the 10 mile marker.  Some light rain started coming down during this portion.  Unfortunately, my GI issues started here and remained for the rest of the race.  My time was still good, but I found myself trying to bank time rather than run consistent splits.  By the time we hit North Lake Park, I knew I was in trouble. 

Miles 11-13.1:  Just try to hang on.  This was my mantra during the last few miles.  My GI issues were getting worse than just about any race I've done.  And of course the race started going up and down to make it more uncomfortable.  I sprinkled in a few 20 second walk breaks to try and compose myself for the finish.  We weaved south through Middle and South Parks (nice scenery this late in a race) before turning east to the finish.  We finally got to Park Avenue for the LONG downhill finish into downtown.  The crowds during this section were out in full force.  This race is definitely getting some fans!  I tried to turn it on for the finish and got in with a very respectable 1:36:07 finishing time.  I was pretty shocked by the time considering the issues I was having during this race.  I still would have had a sub-1:38 had the course been on the mark.  My time was good enough for 10/93 overall and 3/14 in my age group.  Not bad at all!

I was hoping to get in one more half marathon this year but other things have prevented that from happening.  I have no idea when my next half will be.  Running 71 of them since 2009 is something I never thought would happen and I'm very proud of it.  In the meantime, I had a 5k last last month and am looking forward to a two mile (?) trail race tomorrow.

Next race: Mohican 5k- Loudonville, OH

Heart & Sole Half Marathon- Half Marathon #70

It's been a while since I've hit one of these milestones.  I have maybe two more half marathons this year and W and I are expecting our first child.  It will be a while until I hit 80 or even 75.  I always think back to how I started running half marathons in 2009 and am always amazed when I hit a number like this one.  It's been a blast!

I ran this race back in 2014 and had a good showing.  Despite it being 45 minutes away in Wooster, I haven't ran it since then.  The short driving distance, 7:30 start time, and inexpensive cost make this one a winner. 

I came in with no real goals as I haven't ran a half since the Flying Pig.  My training has actually been pretty good recently as I got a 7 and 9 miler in during the weeks leading up to the race.  But I also remembered this race being quite hilly and very humid with the August race date.  Let's get to it.

Miles 1-5: My GPS continues to be a pain so I have no splits for this race.  We headed north from downtown on a slight incline.  I felt loose early on and tried to keep at a conservative pace.  Most of the race heads through residential areas with various levels of hills.  I should say, none of these are massive hills.  There's just a lot of them and they slowly wear you down.  I looked at my watch a few times and guessed I was just under 8:00 miles for the first few miles.  It felt good until we headed east for a long loop through a residential area.  This section is up-down, up-down.  Again, it's not major but it is enough to hurt. 

Miles 6-10:  We finally ended this residential section and headed for a long straightaway north of town.  This is the most dull section of the race but it is easy to zone out.  We then head east for a bit prior to doing a long loop through a city park.  This is probably the best part of the course as the rollers aren't bad and the park is at least pretty.  It breaks up the monotony some.  My miles were more in the 7:35-7:40 range during this section.  The course then doubles back and we run the same course in reverse on the way back to town.  This does include that unfortunate residential area which seems much worse on the way back.  I did slow to a walk for a few minutes during the return.  The temperature was decent throughout the race but the humidity was awful. 

Miles 11-13.1:  Just hold on for a good finish.  This was really all I was thinking.  We did get a nice net downhill to the finish on the return.  But man did it seem long!  The final mile was probably the worst because you can see the finish for a long time.  I thought I might be able to finish around 1:40 but the finish kept looking farther away.  I was able to kick it in for a nice finish of 1:41:20.  This beat my time from 2014 by more than two minutes.  I finished 24/113 overall. 

This was a challenging but good race.  I certainly enjoyed myself and simply thought "This is number 70" several times throughout the event. 

Next race: Mid Ohio 13er Half Marathon- Mansfield, OH

Flying Pig Half Marathon

W and I made our way to her hometown for one of my favorite races, second only to the ORRRC Half Marathon.  I've ran the Flying Pig twice and had surprisingly good showings at both.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect since I've been lowering the mileage this year.

Miles 1-5: We started off from Paul Brown Stadium and headed east before crossing a bridge into Kentucky.  I think this is a cool part of the race as you hit one of the highlights early on.  Plus you get a slight elevation change running toward the river and then up and down the bridge.  It's a good way to break into the run.  We then headed into Newport, Kentucky and headed west along the river.  I felt good during these early miles but held back knowing what was waiting later on.  We then hit another bridge heading back to Ohio and kept heading north to downtown Cincinnati.  You get a nice variety during the first five miles by starting at the stadium, hitting the bridge, going through Newport, and heading back over the river and into downtown.  I was feeling great and nailing some nice splits.  Here are the splits for the first five: 7:34, 7:44, 7:37, 7:24, and 7:20.

Miles 6-10: The downtown Cincinnati portion is always fun.  I like the experience of going through a major metropolitan downtown in the middle of the road.  It's not an experience you can have too often.  I felt good as we headed northeast out of downtown and into the hilly section of the course.  It's nothing major until about halfway through mile 6 when you get a gradual hill followed by some more pronounced inclines.  I love the section near Crohn Conservatory as you continue going up.  Once you peak the hill there is a leveling off during which you can see downtown.  It's very pretty in the morning, plus you know the worst of the hills are over.  There are few up-downs sprinkled in this section of town but nothing major.  Then you begin the descent back into town which is a great way to make up some time.  I kept my pace conservative during this section.  I crapped out some during the last mile in 2016 because I flew downhill during miles 10 and 11.  Here are the next five splits: 7:26, 7:38, 7:20, 7:08, and 7:28.

Miles 11-13.1: Still feeling great!  I figured at this point that a sub-1:40 was realistic and just wanted to bank some more time.  The last 5k went extremely fast and I still felt relatively good.  This portion is tough as you fly into downtown then have a strange little out and back on Fifth Street, I believe.  It's not long but it's an odd little section of the course.  I then made my way back south towards the river before heading west for the finish.  I kicked it in and actually hit a 6:35 during the final mile!  It felt great and I finished very hard.  The final splits were 7:01, 6:51 and 6:35.  Insanely fast at the end!  The course measured long at 13.4 miles, but I still cruised in for my best Pig at 1:37:40!  That took almost two minutes off my 2016 time.  I finished 225/12073 overall which is a great showing.

This makes half marathon number 69 for me.  Believe it or not, I haven't decided what my 70th half marathon will be.  I should probably decide soon as I'd like to get it in this summer.  Between now and then I have some 5ks planned.

Next race: Childhood Cancer 5k- Ontario, OH

ONU Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon

I ran the Ohio Northern University Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon for the third time a couple weekends ago.  If you've read my previous posts you have heard that this is a very fun race.  105 laps on an indoor 200 meter track doesn't sound like fun, but the student athletes who count the laps and cheer you on make this a terrific event.

W and I stayed on campus at The Inn at Ohio Northern again.  This is a great facility with a nice restaurant.  Ada, OH is only a bit over an hour from us but it's worth spending the extra money to stay overnight.  The Sports Center where the event is held is a mere five minutes away.  The convenience is worth it.

We got to the race about 15 minutes prior to the start which is fine for a race this small. There is a limited number of spots available and it fills up fast.  There's a full marathon and it's almost a 50/50 split between the two races (18 in the half, 16 in the full).

I have purposely lowered my mileage this year as W and I have a lot of things going on.  I'm trying to stay in the 15 miles per week range.  This winter has been especially cold and snowy so training has been so-so and almost entirely on treadmill.  I wasn't expecting a lot when we started and just tried to hit consistent splits.  The first couple miles felt very good and I just tried to hold on to the 7:30 range  for a while.  My "goal" was to break 1:45 at this race and I didn't mind banking some time early on.

Running 105 laps on an indoor track does wear out the legs, but thankfully they have the runners change direction every half hour.  And the cross country and track teams do a great job of cheering you on.  My lap counter was very helpful and made sure to shout out each mile split.  Another nice perk is that you can easily bring your own water, sports drink, gels, etc., and place them on one of the 4-5 tables they have around the track.  I always grab my bottle on the run and drop it off at one of the next tables.  It's nice to bring your own aid instead of hoping for the best (such as lemon lime Gatorade...yuck!).

Back to the race.  I had a few slower miles in the middle of the race but that was by design.  They were still faster than my slowest portion of last year's race and I never touched the 8:00 mile.  I knew the leader was well ahead of me and I had no idea whether I was in second or third place.  I really was able to zone out for the most part and just run.  Some people may complain about having to constantly pass other runners on a track but it doesn't bother me.  It just makes it feel like I'm going faster!

I was able to speed up over the second half of the race and popped a gel.  The second half absolutely flew by and I don't remember most of those miles.  The whole race seemed much faster and even more enjoyable than last year.  The winner crossed in 1:33 and change which is a great time on an indoor track.  I just held on for some extra fast final miles and crossed the finish line in 1:39:24!

Here are my splits:

Mile 1- 7:31
Mile 2- 7:28
Mile 3- 7:33
Mile 4- 7:55
Mile 5- 7:40
Mile 6- 7:38
Mile 7- 7:45
Mile 8- 7:20
Mile 9- 7:22
Mile 10- 7:36
Mile 11- 7:20
Mile 12- 7:33
Mile 13- 7:17

These splits are much more consistent than last year's race.  I was able to start strong, run a good middle portion of the race, and finish strong.  I took off almost two minutes from last year's time!  Sometimes (actually...all the time) the low mileage really works in my favor.  I had another third place finish (3/18) and I'm quite happy with that.  A sub-1:40, especially in a tough indoor race, is a great start to the year.

I'm not quite sure about my next race.  There are a few local 5ks and the Super Bull Trail Championships coming up, but I haven't yet decided which race will be next.

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

Inland Trail Half Marathon

I'm a few weeks past this race and have my next in about a week.  This one is run in Elyria, about an hour and a half away, and has been on my list for a few years.  The description reminded me of the ORRRC Half so I've been wanting to give it a try.  It's run on the Inland Trail which covers a good portion of northern Ohio.  I used to run it all the time in Fremont.  However, the course was changed last year and features far less bike path than before.  I guess a lot of runners complained of the monotony. 

Race morning started rough as the forecast called for scattered thunderstorms.  I saw lightning strikes toward Elyria on the way up and pulled over to make sure the race was still on.  The rain stopped soon after I picked up my packet.  I checked the weather again and it looked like we could get the race in, though I'm not sure about the marathoners on the course.  The temperature was also high for early November with temps near 60 at the start.

We headed out from the Murray Ridge School for a loop around the west side of Elyria.  I felt good from the start but didn't want to overdo it.  I ran with a couple marathoners who were trying to stick near a 7:40 pace.  We ran together for about the first 6-7 miles.  The first and only hill hit during the fifth mile, but it wasn't terribly long or steep.  Again, I felt good and was just running on feel since my half training has suffered this Fall.  My splits were amazingly consistent over the first five miles.  Here are the splits: 7:34, 7:35, 7:33, 7:37, 7:33.  I'm not sure if I've ever ran the first miles in a half marathon in such consistent times.

I was surprised that we were still on the road this late in the race and underestimated how much they must have changed the course.  The other two runners I was with agreed that they thought we would be on the bike path by mile 5 or so.  We finally hit it near the 7.5 mile mark.  Again, I'm surprised by the small amount of distance on the path.  If you plan on doing that, maybe go on and off the path a few times to completely break up the monotony.  ORRRC does this with a short bit on the path at mile 2.  I finally left the two full marathoners at mile 8 and just focused on my pace.  I was counting the number of returning half marathoners and guessed I was close to the top ten.  My pace was still consistent, but I did slow down a bit during this stretch.  Here are miles 5-10: 7:37, 7:38, 7:25, 7:47,7:40.  Not bad times but I was starting to feel the race.

We hit the turnaround at mile 10 and headed back to the school for the finish.  I caught up to another runner who I chatted with during the final miles.  We were both shooting for 1:40 times and focused on pushing each other.  There's not much to say as we just stayed on the path until the final half mile or so.  We pushed each other to the school and finished very strong.  My time was a surprising 1:39:53.  Here are the final three splits: 7:39, 7:33, 7:36.

What was more surprising than my time is I took 8/76 overall and second in my age group!  I was very happy to place in my age group, but I'm more thrilled to break 1:40 for the fifth time in a row.  I don't think I'll be so lucky at my next race.

Next race: Amish Country Half Marathon- Berlin, OH

Fall Trail Run Half Marathon

It’s been almost a month since my last race and motivation has been an issue.  I don’t have another race until mid-October as W and I have intense work responsibilities right now.  I should be back to normal in November and hope to finish the year strong.

The last race was the Fall Trail Run in Millersburg.  I ran this one in 2014 and was not terribly impressed, but simply wanted to run a half on Labor Day weekend this year.  W and I spent about five days in Traverse City, Michigan prior this race and I was able to get some nice running around the lake.  Couple that with cooler temps and I knew I could run a fast time on a very flat and fast course.

This one is very low-key and is completely on the bike path.  There are no major road crossings and you can really just zone out and run.  Parts of it remind me of the ORRRC Marathon but with fewer runners.  I found myself completely alone for the majority of the race, making it feel like an intense training run rather than a race.  Here is my full report.

Miles 1-5: This race has a really odd start.  We begin by heading north on the path for not quite a half mile before turning around and heading back the other way.  I think this is done to avoid the road crossings we would have to go through if we simply went south.  The turnaround didn’t seem as quick as it did in 2014 and I immediately had the feeling the course would be long.  Like I mentioned earlier, this race was small with only 48 runners in the half (there was also a 10k and 5k).  I passed a few runners after the first mile and a half and was alone from then on.  This might have been a problem if the weather hadn’t cooperated, but it was a perfect cool day with temps in the low 50s.  I felt great and took in the sights.  The course was much prettier than I remembered as the entire course is tree-lined with an occasional marsh/pond.  The first five clicked off easily.  Here are the splits: 1 (7:38), 2 (7:30), 3 (7:30), 4 (7:38), 5 (7:30).  Those are some very consistent splits.

Miles 6-10:  I was clicking off the mileage but started having mild GI issues during this section.  I stopped off at the turnaround point in the middle of mile 8.  I lost about a minute here but still felt I could get in under 1:40.  It was nice to FINALLY see some other runners as we passed each other near the turnaround.  Everyone was really friendly and encouraging to each other.  I think this is especially noticeable at these smaller races.  Around mile 9 or so I stopped seeing other runners and zoned out again.  The still cool weather was making my legs feel great this late in a half.  Here are the splits: 6 (7:22), 7 (7:20), 8 (8:25), 9 (7:22), 10 (7:25).

Miles 11-13:  Not much to say!  More bike path!  Some 10k runners were still out so I was able to encourage them as I continued on.  I was certain the course was going to be long by quite a bit and I was correct.  My watch measured it at 13.4 at the finish, so it was off by a wide margin.  Even though I had a feeling that it was long, I still knew I could just get in with another sub-1:40.  The last mile flew by as I passed some more 10k runners and finally hit the finish with a solid 1:39:31.  Not bad at all!  The final splits were: 11 (7:22), 12 (7:15), 13 (6:55).  This was good enough for 9/48 overall.  I’m very happy with that result since these smaller races can often bring out very fast, local runners. 

The next one isn’t for a while yet and is a 5k instead of a half. 

Next race: Mohican 5k- Loudonville, OH

Columbus Half Marathon

No, this is not THE Columbus Half Marathon, but rather an older and smaller version held in the summer.  It's moved several times and this year was held in beautiful Alum Creek State Park near Delaware.  Despite not being the big city version, I actually enjoyed the course and crew far more.

This race did require an early wake up time of 4:30.  Ugh.  W stayed at home as I wanted her to rest and didn't anticipate much for her to do at the park.  I got to Alum Creek at about 6:30 for the 7:05 start.  We finally got some much needed cooler weather with highs in the mid-70s.  It was in the low 60s with a slight breeze in the morning which felt great.  I warmed up a bit and headed to the start line.

Miles 1-5: I've focused in on the 5k for the past three months and haven't ran anything over seven miles.  The strategy was to ease into this one and shoot for 8:00 miles.  If I felt great, go.  If not, try to finish around 1:45 which I can normally do on a bad day.  We started out with a loop in the enormous parking lot before heading out the road.  That took up about a mile as we headed for the loop course around Alum Creek Reservoir.  I felt good right from the beginning and settled in to a nice 8:00 pace.  The coolest part of the race was just after mile two when we ran over the dam.  It was a pretty smooth trail surface and it gave us some great views of the lake.  This portion lasted about a mile before we hit Africa Road and headed north.  Here are the splits for the first five: 1 (8:01), 2 (7:48), 3 (7:42), 4 (7:54), 5 (7:54).  The consistency during this first section was a good sign.

Miles 6-10: We continued north and I ran a couple miles with a runner who was training for the Columbus Marathon in October.  She was aiming for 8:00 miles so we chatted for a bit.  The Africa Road portion was definitely a net uphill.  I was still feeling good and would soon speed up.  I hadn't run more than seven miles in a single run since the Capital City Half Marathon, so I wasn't sure if I could keep a strong pace or not.  I made my move just shy of mile 7, as we headed west over a cool bridge over the lake.  I passed 4-5 people during this section of the course and knew I was holding my own.  We finished the bridge and headed south on Old State Road at about the 8 1/2 mile mark.  This final portion of the race was definitely a net downhill.  The grade was never too noticeable, but my pace was great.  I started pacing a much younger runner who had a strong pace.  We went back and forth for the duration and I was feeling really good about my splits.  Here are miles 6-10: 6 (7:56), 7 (7:30), 8 (7:17), 9 (7:26), 10 (7:13).  While I sped up considerably, there was still some consistency to these splits.

Miles 11-13.1: The course continued at a very slight downhill.  There's not much to say about the scenery.  The lake was too far away and the most exciting thing was that the trees were shading us the whole way.  My fellow runner and I kept going back and forth until we entered the parking lot for a final loop.  I finally passed him and I knew I had a solid time.  Here are the final splits: 11 (7:10), 12 (7:12), 13 (6:48).  I hit the finish line in a surprising time of 1:38:41, good enough for 25th overall!  I was pretty shocked with this time considering my focus had not been on the half at all this summer.

For once, I'm not at all sure what the next race will be.  I'm looking at a couple on Labor Day weekend but we will see.

Capital City Half Marathon

W and I made our way to Columbus for one of my favorite races.  We have gone to the Flying Pig in Cincinnati the past few years, but my work schedule didn't fit it this year.  I know the Cap City course as well as I know the ORRRC Half Marathon as I ran it in 2012, 13, and 14.  I was looking forward to a solid race and a nice time in Columbus.

The weather did not cooperate from the get-go.  We first had to make our way to the "expotique" in the Brewery District.  This was my first clue that something was "off" for this year's race.  It was cool, rainy and miserable for the drive down.  Add to the fact that the upscale "expotique" was in a difficult place to get to didn't help at all.  Then it rained while we were walking from our hotel to dinner.  Not a great start.

Race morning was overcast with temps in the high 50s.  That's not too bad.  But radar showed severe storms in Indiana that looked to be heading straight toward Columbus.  We would just have to wait and see.  W and I made our way to the race start on Front Street and I climbed (almost literally) into Corral A for the start.

We started by going north on Front Street, crossing the river, and then heading north on Olentangy River Road.  I felt great right out of the gate and quickly settled into a good pace.  The sky was still overcast and I was hoping we could get the race in.  This part of the race isn't the most scenic until you get to about mile 4.  We then cross over the Lane Avenue Bridge and hit a bit of OSU campus.  Here are the splits for the first five: 7:07, 7:03, 7:10, 7:05, and 7:22.

This is a quicker part of the course as it's a net downhill down High Street.  There weren't nearly as many spectators as in previous years, as the clouds were beginning to roll in.  I kept a solid pace but didn't overdue it.  I flew down this section in 2014 and paid for it during the last few miles.  One complaint I do have is that the quarter marathon participants merge with the half right before we turn to head east.  This becomes a cluster and it's difficult to hit the tangents.  I did the best I could and was still happy with my pace.  We then turn south and head into German Village.  The splits for the second five: 7:15, 7:18, 7:10, 7:20, and 7:41.

I love the section in German Village as we go right through the middle of town and then around Schiller Park.  If you're not familiar with the part, it's gorgeous.  It was around this point, however, when I heard some rumbling just south of town.  At that point I was concerned that the storm was coming in.  I kicked it in a bit as we headed back north on High Street, then west toward COSI.  The clouds were starting to darken.  We went around COSI and then back to High Street for the finish.  Here are the splits for the last few: 6:56, 7:15, and 7:10.  I finished at 1:36:25, good enough for my second fastest half marathon!  It's bittersweet, though, as I had the course measured at 13.3.  That might have been enough for a PR but it would have been close.  Still, this was my second straight solid half marathon.

The real story of the race began right after I finished.  The runners have to walk around several buildings prior to heading into the post-race area in Columbus Commons.  During my walk the sky opened up and it started raining hard.  Worse still, there was lightning.  Pandemonium.  I ran to the reunion area and W (nor anyone else) was not there.  I ran around as the race organizers first announced they were cutting the course short.  They then called the race about ten minutes later.  I looked for W at our hotel (right next to the Commons) and then came back to the post-race area.  There were still some people trying to finish and others looking to get post-race pizza and beer, but the organizers were telling people to leave.  W and I finally found each other and she told me what happened.

An officer told everyone in the reunion area to seek cover in a parking garage across the street.  W told him that I just finished and would be there in less than a minute.  He still made her go across the street even though there were people milling about everywhere.  You can read more of the stories of people getting caught out on the course, or their gear check bags being sent ACROSS town at the Cap City Facebook page.  I think they took a huge PR hit with how they handled the situation.  I love the course but I'm now not sure I'm coming back.  Regardless, I'm happy getting my second fastest half marathon!

I'm extremely late in posting this and have already ran my next one.  It's a good one.

Next race: Heartland 5k- Lexington, OH

Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon

My favorite race of the year.  W and I weren't sure we would make it to Xenia this year, but we were able to move some things around and come for the race and our annual trip to nearby Yellow Springs.  I'll keep it short since you've seen five other reviews for this race.  As I always say, it's well organized, inexpensive ($35), and just a lot of fun.  The weather cooperated this year, as we had temps in the mid to high 40s and sunny skies.  Perfect running weather.

Let's get to my report:

Miles 1-5: I started out slower than the '15 and '16 races.  We headed out from the YMCA through some nearby neighborhoods for a quick mile and a half loop.  I felt good and was simply thrilled to be running this one again.  I sped up as we got a half mile in or so as I wanted to see what I could do.  As I usually say, I had no designs of running a PR.  This time I stuck with that strategy and just enjoyed the race.  We headed back past the Y for our first look at the bike path.  After maybe a half mile on there, we turn back south to run a semi-circle on some country roads.  I felt great on the few hills and was knocking out sub-8:00 miles easily.  We hit the final downhill as we finished with roads and then headed northeast on the bike path.  Here are the splits: 7:29, 7:15, 7:23, 7:15, 7:22.  You'll see throughout my review that I ran very consistent times.

Miles 6-10: Not everyone will enjoy this section of the race as it's just bike path, trees, and not much crowd support.  I actually enjoy it as it's a great place to just zone out and run.  I also feel like the cap size (1,500, I believe) is perfect for this race.  I was still feeling good and knocking out consistent splits here.  I wasn't passing as many people as last year but I was still passing a lot.  We made our way to the turnaround portion near Central State University for about .75 mile before turning around and heading back.  This is a great point in the race to see where you are in relation to other runners.  I knew I was in a good position as I didn't see many people heading back as I was still heading out.  We finally turned back to the original portion of the path for our trip back to Xenia.  Here are the splits: 7:33, 7:12, 7:15, 7:17, 7:25.

I actually remember more from this portion than the past two years.  I was really straining to get a PR in both '15 and '16 and was half dead when I hit the finish.  This year I was running hard but not overexerting myself.  The crowd had thinned out and I just enjoyed the run.  I might have passed four or five runners during the final 5k.  We hit the end of the path and ran back up a city street to the Y for the finish.  This last portion is difficult for several reasons.  The first is that this street has quite a few potholes.  The second is that it's all uphill.  It's a difficult stretch.  I saw W near the finish and gave her a high five!  Then I hit the finish line for a very solid 1:36:57.  This was good enough for 60/732 overall.  Here are the final splits: 7:25, 7:25, 7:20.

This race never disappoints.  W and I had a great time and I hope we can go again next year.  I haven't decided on my next race.  I'm signed up for the Capital City Half Marathon on the 29th, but I might run a local 5k a week before.  My training has been very solid the last few weeks, as Spring is in full bloom.

ONU Polar Bear Indoor Half Marathon

I decided to kick off my running year the same way as last year.  This indoor race is an interesting experience.  I actually enjoyed it even more than last year as I took a minute off my time!  Yes, it sounds boring to run 105 laps on an indoor college track.  But it really isn't!

W and I stayed at the Inn at Ohio Northern and enjoyed it just as much as last year.  It's a gorgeous inn and it has an excellent restaurant.  There aren't many options in the tiny town of Ada so it's nice to have what you need in one place.

W felt a little under the weather but she fought through it and came to the race on Saturday morning.  The ONU track/cross country teams were again ready to count each runner's laps.  My lap counter did a great job of shouting out ever half mile split to me.  He worked hard to make the race enjoyable, and I greatly appreciated it!

Obviously there is not much to say about the course.  I've now seen it 210 times in two years.  I did adjust to it quicker this year but paid for it later on.  My quads were KILLING ME for the two days following the race.  So many laps on a short track brings about different aches and pains than normal running.  I did start much faster than last year and kept up with the eventual winner.  The race was much more competitive as four of us finished within two minutes of each other.  That fast start came back to bite me some, but I felt pretty comfortable throughout much of the race.  That's surprising considering it had been two months since my last race.

Here are my splits:

Mile 1- 7:20     Mile 2- 7:28     Mile 3- 7:45     Mile 4- 7:43     Mile 5- 7:42     Mile 6- 7:44     Mile 7- 7:53     Mile 8- 7:29     Mile 9- 7:36     Mile 10- 7:43     Mile 11- 7:41     Mile 12- 8:14     Mile 13- 7:32

Final Time- 1:41:06

I took over a minute off last year's time.  That surprises me since I had the long layoff and was pretty inconsistent with my training.  I finished 3/19 overall.  The half marathoners actually outnumbered the full marathoners this year.  I found that interesting, as last year was quite a different story.

I'm in another lull between races.  February was slim pickings and there was nothing that jumped out at me.  I'm going to run a trail race next, which I haven't done in several years.

Next race: Super Bull Trail Championship 12.5K- Wooster, OH

Amish Country Half Marathon- Half Marathon #60

My final 2016 race, the Amish Country Half Marathon, was just a few days after Thanksgiving.  I wanted to get one more half marathon so I could hit another milestone.  This counted as my 60th half marathon.  I'm still hitting milestones like this every year.

The race took place in Berlin, OH, a quaint Amish community in nearby Holmes County.  Much of the area is commercialized as tourism is the top industry.  But the Amish in the nearby rural areas were extremely friendly to the runners.  It was a different experience than any other half I've ran.  W sat this one out as I had to leave for the race around 6:00.  I made it in plenty of time to get to the nearby high school for packet pickup.  The shirt is very nice, but I was perplexed by the fake beard and straw hat runners received.  I know the race is Amish themed but that's a bit much.

It was pretty cold out so I kept my running jacket and pants on for this one.  It looked like it was going to rain, but thankfully we never got wet in this one.  On to my brief report:

Miles 1-5:  We started with a quick lap around the school track and headed south on a small country road.  I felt pretty good but knew this race included a lot of hills during the middle portion.  I settled in to a comfortable pace and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  Many Amish were out to say hello to the runners which was a nice touch.  We did hit a few hills during this first portion.  They weren't anything major, but they were just enough to slowly wear out the legs.    Here are my splits: 1 (7:10), 2 (7:55), 3 (7:56), 4 (7:13), 5 (8:22).  My race would remain inconsistent due to the hills.  The goal I kept in mind was to gather as many sub-8:00 miles as possible.

Miles 6-10:  We continued east on another small country road to continue the loop course.  The hills were getting more intense and we hit the biggest of them around mile 7.  You can tell that I slowed down quite a bit here, but gained ground on the downhill.  I was shocked that these five miles were all under 8:00 miles.  My legs were feeling the race.  Plus, I forgot to mention that the smell of horse manure (remember, there were buggies and farms all around us) was strong.  I'm not used to that smell during a race.  Still, I was enjoying the scenery, especially on the hilly portions.  I slowed down again around miles 9 and 10 even though this was the flattest part of the course.  Here are my splits: 6 (7:18), 7 (7:50), 8 (7:11), 9 (7:43), 10 (7:40).

Miles 11-13.1: We finished the loop on a gradual hill leading back to the school.  While it was gradual, it seemed to go on forever!  My legs were completely shot and I really wanted to finish the race.  We headed back to the school for a quick loop on the track to the finish.  Here are the final splits: 11 (8:00), 12 (9:17), 13 (7:35).  My final time was 1:43:01, good enough for 31/227 overall and the dreaded 4th place in my age group.  This time I was only off by a minute or so, which just drive me nuts.  Still, getting my 60th half marathon is quite an accomplishment.

I'll be back with my final thoughts on my 2016 running year.

Next race: ONU Indoor Half Marathon- Ada, OH

Mid Ohio 13er

I am way behind on this blog and hope to update the last two races.  FW (now W) and I were married a couple weeks ago and we just returned from our honeymoon in Hawaii!  Of course that involved a race, but let's get to this local one that delivered in every category.

The 13er is a half marathon in Mansfield.  That gave us a ten minute drive on race morning which was great.  The weather cooperated as we had a cool front move through the day before the race.  We were both impressed with the start/finish area.  It felt like a much bigger race as the organizers really went above and beyond to give everyone a good experience.  I'll keep my report short since it's been over three weeks since the event.

Miles 1-5: We started in downtown Mansfield and moved west on Park Avenue.  This portion was mostly uphill on a slight grade.  We then moved through the three parks in town: South, Middle, and North Lake.  I felt great early on as this part of the race offered a lot of shade.  Mix that with the cooler temps and it felt like a mid-Fall race.  I kept with the first group of runners and simply tried to maintain that until we made our way to the B&O Bike Path in Mansfield.  It certainly helped that I had run at least the first 7-8 miles of this race either in training or in other races.  The first five went like this: (1) 7:31, (2) 7:06, (3) 7:10, (4) 7:25, (5) 7:18.  Very consistent first five.

Miles 6-10:  More of the bike path.  This section offered some great shade and potential for consistent times.  But the dreaded hill would make it's appearance shortly after we turned off the path at mile 8.  I took it easy on the hill as it felt like it was straight up.  And, of course, it's one of those that levels off for a bit only to continue about 20 meters up the road.  It was rough.  Plus, the sun was now out and we wouldn't have much shade the rest of the way.  After the hill, we started making our way back through town.  Here are the splits for this five: (6) 7:19, (7) 7:15, (8) 7:35, (9) 8:25, (10) 7:35.

Miles 11-13.1:  The final section was through town with some nice downhills mixed in.  I didn't do as well as I was hoping at the end.  I probably could have taken another minute from my time had I not been beat.  We made our way downhill, back to Park Avenue, for the finish.  W was cheering me at the finish but I somehow missed her again!  Here are the final splits: (11) 7:45, (12) 7:35, (13) 7:05.  Not bad, but I would have done much better had the last 2-3 miles been more consistent.

My final time was 1:38:29.  I was pleasantly surprised, as this was almost four minutes faster than my goal.  I finished 7/103 overall and 4/9 in my age group.  

I can't say enough about this race!  The course shows the best of Mansfield and is a nice mix of flat and hilly terrains.  The people who were out cheering were great and the water stops were some of the best I've seen for a while.  The organizers made it feel like a big city race.  I plan on running it again next year.

Next race: Maui 10k- Lahaina, Maui, HI

Blueberry Festival 5k

FW wanted to get a 5k in prior the wedding (now one week away!).  Her training has been spotty as work and wedding planning has obviously taken up a lot of our time and energy.  She had the goal of running this local 5k in 55:00.  With how little she's been able to train, I'm extremely proud of her effort in this one.

This summer has been hot as you can tell by my last post.  The morning of this race wasn't bad, but it got warm during the second half.  FW's plan was to sprinkle in some jogging and go from there.

We started out near the Lexington bike path and made our way through town.  FW started right out by jogging for a bit.  She's really improved her pacing this year, which is allowing her to jog for a longer period.  We meandered through some residential areas and hit the only major hills on the course early on.  FW was jogging much more than I thought she would, so I was keeping her hydrated with the bottle I carry for her races.  She hit the first mile in around 16:00 and was looking good.

The second mile started out with a LOOONG straightaway that seemed never-ending.  It was a beast.  Plus, the sun was coming out and there was no shade.  FW was feeling it here.  She was still able to jog the nice downhill that was awaiting us at the end.  Again, she really jogged more than I was expecting in this one.  She was also keeping up with the pace and a 50:00 race for her seemed in the cards.

The final mile was much tougher on her and she slowed down some.  She still jogged a few portions but the heat was really getting to both of us.  I was still keeping her hydrated and trying my best to keep her positive.  But we were both done.  We made our way back through the festival grounds for a small portion on the bike path to the finish.  FW finished ahead of me with a time of 50:04.  This is faster than both her Flying Pig and Kingwood Center 5k efforts.  Not bad on little training.

I've finally caught up with my posts, so it's time to race again tomorrow!

Next race: Mid Ohio 13er Half Marathon- Mansfield, OH

Run to the Wall Half Marathon

I'm way behind on the blog and I have a half marathon tomorrow.  Let's get to it!

I was itching to race.  It had been a month and a half since I ran the BW5K and had a solid effort.  I was also wanting to get in another half to make sure I hit 60 this year.  Well, I got my wish at the Run to the Wall Half Marathon in Clinton, Ohio, which is close to Akron.  But I plan on hitting on the snags presented at this race.

First, I do want to say this race has a terrific cause.  From the website, "All proceeds from the Run to the Wall are used to continue to build and maintain the Ohio Veterans' Memorial Park, which is run and maintained by an ALL volunteer staff."  The OVMP is a very cool park with memorials and statues dedicated to Ohioans who fought in wars from Vietnam on.  It's a small park but very well maintained.  FW and I particularly enjoyed the Cobra AH-F1 display and POW/MIA reflection pond.  It's a nice find in small town Ohio.  I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area.

The race organization on the other hand left a bit to be desired.  This summer has been HOT.  We've been lucky the past few years but this one has been a scorcher.  So imagine everyone's surprise when we hear there will only be three water stops!  Seriously!  What FW and I heard was there would be stops at miles 3, 6, and 11.  Umm...seriously?  No water for five miles on a hilly course in August?  Now they did say they would give us 8oz bottles at the stops, so I'm thinking I can at least carry that for a mile or so.  More on that soon.

Here we go.  My goal for the race was to stay in the 1:45 range.

Miles 1-5:  We started from the park and hit the village of Clinton.  The hills started in right away and stayed throughout the race.  I headed out with the top six runners but knew I couldn't keep that up.  I did not have my GPS watch on me so there are no splits.  That's probably a good thing.  It took a very short time to hit the first snag.  At around 1.5 miles I saw a small water stop right as I passed it (on the opposite side of the road of course).  Nobody was yelling anything and they didn't even look like they were set up yet.  I asked FW about this later and she also heard the announcer say there was a water stop at the 5k mark.  Well, apparently he meant the 5k turnaround mark.  So now I'm down to two water stops for a half marathon instead of three.  And it was getting pretty hot despite the 7:00 start.

Miles 6-10:  I was already starting to give up.  The hills were relentless and water was nonexistent.  I took the little bit at mile 6 but that didn't last long.  Remember the 8oz water bottles?  Well, they didn't leave the caps on so the water just sloshed around.  Rather than losing it all, I decided to just drink it up and hope for the best.  The course was tough but scenic in parts.  We were still going around on country roads and seeing very few people.  I thought I was slowing down quite a bit, but the downhill portions were still helping my time.  I was mostly just thinking of getting to the finish.

Miles 11-13.1: Water!  We hit the final water stop at mile 11 and it was just as wonderful as I imagined.  It at least perked me up a bit and I felt like the last few miles went well.  I was drained, but I was able to pick up the pace as we made our way back into Clinton and the park.  FW was waiting on me during the lap around the park and gave me a high-five!  I probably looked like death as I came in to the finish.  My time was a ho-hum 1:46:44, my worst of the past few years, though I did finish 13/82 overall and won my age group.

Then came the awards.  I've never seen anything like it.  The website said they would not mail awards, so we decided to stay longer since I won my division.  The 5k awards were first...and took over an hour!  Seriously.  There was a raffle mixed in there which didn't help.  Then the 10k awards started.  After another 20 minutes or so, I told FW let's just get going as I needed to eat and rest.

Again, this race was for a wonderful cause that I fully support.  But I do not plan on going back unless they get some better organization.

Next race: Blueberry Festival 5k- Lexington, OH

Heartland Series Ohio Half Marathon

This is the fourth time I've done half marathons on back-to-back weeks. I wasn't planning on doing so, but FW convinced me to do the Medina Half on Memorial Day weekend.  This race is part of the Mainly Marathons race series which is becoming increasingly popular.  If you aren't familiar with it, you have the opportunity to follow a great group of people through a different state each day for a week or so.  It's extremely popular for 50 Staters, Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics.  The Ohio race was in Bryan, Ohio, about two and a half hours from Mansfield.  I didn't do the next day's race in Michigan because it was another 100 miles or so from Bryan.  What's nice is the Mainly Marathons group has offered up one free race to anyone who hasn't previously done one of their races.  What great marketing!  The hotel options aren't numerous but they are inexpensive.  It turned into a nice, low-key race weekend.

FW and I showed up the night before and stopped in at Stoney Ridge Winery about three miles north of our hotel.  This was one of the nicest wineries we've visited!  We really wanted to tour the grounds, but it was raining cats and dogs.  We had some samples and bought a couple bottles to bring home.  Highly recommended!  We then had a nice dinner and turned in for the night as the race started at 6:00am.

The race start is at nearby Moore Park which had plenty of parking.  I don't think I've seen so many Maniacs and Fanatics at such a small race before.  The course was an out and back that we ran multiple times.  There was a marathon, half marathon, and 5k going on which made it a bit difficult at times.  Now, this is different from other races because very, very few people were actually racing.  Most folks were doing multiple days and were going at slower paces.  I was setting up for a solid half marathon to finish out the first part of the year.

As this is a loop course, I don't plan on doing my usual breakdown (Miles 1-5, 6-10, 11-13.1).  Instead I'll simply give my thoughts on the race and the splits I have.  My GPS watch conked out at about the 11.5 mile mark and didn't save the data.

We started out from the meager start line and I felt good right away.  It was warm out, but  it felt much better than Medina the previous week.  The eventual marathon winner took off like it was a 5k, so I settled in well behind him and tried to hold my ground.  The course wasn't bad for 8 laps as we ran through Moore Park.  It offered plenty of shade but it stayed a pretty overcast day for the most part.

My race took an odd turn at the end of the first lap.  We had torrential rains the night before, so the first 200 meters or so were a bit rough through the gravel parking lot.  The rest was on asphalt.  I was making the turn from the asphalt trail to the parking lot at the end of the first lap when I spotted FW.  I gave her a quick wave, took two more steps, and slipped on the one muddy spot.  Well, not slipped, more like went flying and landed on both hands and my right leg.  FW was of course scared that I really hurt myself, but I quickly yelled "I'm fine" and ran toward the water station where I assessed my wounds.  Thankfully, I only had some scratches on my hands and right leg.  It could have seriously broken my arm with the way I landed.  I poured some water on my hands and kept going.

FW saw me a bunch more times and asked if I was ok.  I told her I was indeed fine and just had some minor scratches and a bruised ego.  That's the first time I've fallen in a race and I hope it's the last.  The second and third laps were a bit slower as I kept looking at my bleeding hands, but I eventually settled into a solid pace.

As for the people, they're awesome.  I don't know how many times I yelled "Good job Maniac/Fanatic" only to hear "Good job Fanatic", as I was wearing my Half Fanatics singlet.  Everyone was having a good time and, with it being a loop course, you got to know everyone along the way.

I was able to finish the half in 1:40:18 which was good enough for 1/30 overall.  I'll take it but, again, this isn't a typical race.

Tomorrow morning is the next race which is one of FW's favorites.

Next race: Kingwood 5k- Mansfield, OH

Medina Half Marathon

This is only the fourth time I'm running half marathons on back-to-back weekends.  The first was a repeat in nearby Medina, Ohio.  I ran a surprisingly good time at this tough race last year.  It has the highest number of turns in any race I've done and it has plenty of elevation differences.  We had the added bonus of high temperatures and humidity at this year's event.  The early 6:45 start helped some but not enough.

The race is extremely easy to get to as FW and I parked at a nearby school within three blocks of the start.  The organizers were nice enough to offer race day packet pick up for those who couldn't make it the night before.  FW and I could tell it was going to get hot as I went through my warm-ups, though she was looking forward to going to the nearby coffee shop after the start.  I'll leave the description to her in her spectator report at the end of this post!

This race is in its fourth year but it's very well organized.  They even had pacers, which is nice for an event with fewer than 1000 runners.  I lined up near the front with the 1:40 pace group and hoped to stay in that range.  The gun went off and we started our trek out of Medina.

Miles 1-5: This was the easy part of the course as it was a net downhill for the first six or so miles.  I decided to go against typical race strategy and start off fast and try to maintain in the second half.  You'll see by my splits that this strategy wasn't perfect as there was nothing consistent about race.  We weaved north (remember the turns) away from downtown and started heading east.  This part of the course was nothing difficult and I started out way too fast.  I started feeling it right around mile 5 as we started around Lake Medina.  Here are the splits for the first five: (1) 6:57, (2) 6:53, (3) 7:07, (4) 7:00, (5) 7:20.  Well, I guess this was consistent, but it was way too fast!  I actually would have had a 10k PR in this race.

Miles 6-10:  The section around Lake Medina was actually the roughest because there was no shade and the sun was already beating down.  I didn't start walking quite yet but wanted to.  We then headed south and entered a residential area.  I started walking soon into mile 7.  There were a decent number of people out and about cheering on the runners.  That was appreciated, but I just could not pull it together and sprinkled in more quick walk breaks on hills.  My splits started suffering, which I did expect.  Here are the splits for this section: (6) 7:33, (7) 8:17, (8) 7:45, (9) 8:19, (10) 7:53.  You could tell I was up and down during this section and barely holding on to a good time.

Miles 11-13.1: And the wheels completely fall off!  I pretty well gave up here and just tried to hold on for a good time.  The heat and humidity was relentless and I was done.  I got passed by several people here but I was still running a decent race.  We completed our semi-circle around Medina and headed back north to the finish line.  I did have a very good last mile as I was able to finish without walking.  The final push of this race is very tough as it's about half a mile at a pretty good grade.  Here are the final splits:  (11) 8:52, (12) 8:48, (13) 7:20. 

Despite my very up and down race (figuratively and literally), I was able to finish in a respectable 1:40:31.  This was good enough for 7/49 and 52/790 overall.  Not a bad effort considering the horrible heat and humidity.

There's not much time before my last half marathon for the first half of the year as I'm doing a freebie in NW Ohio in a few days!

Next race: Hearland Series Ohio Half Marathon- Bryan, OH

Flying Pig Half Marathon

I am way behind with this blog!  My next race is in...umm...tomorrow.  In our last entry, we covered the Flying Pig 5k.  FW and I had a lot of fun with it and she gave a great effort.  We spent that night in Cincinnati in anticipation of the half marathon on Sunday.  The forecast was still looking like rain (it rained cats and dogs on Saturday).  But we got lucky and it actually turned into one of the nicest days we have had this Spring.

The half marathon started at 6:30 am outside of Paul Brown Stadium.  As a Browns fan, I found that part disgusting, but it's actually a very well organized start area.  FW was able to come down to the start area with me and find a place to watch the start of the race.  I was signed up to start in Corral A but worked my way back into B.  This race has some massive hills halfway through and I didn't want to start out too fast.  I ran a 1:40:42 last year and I was shooting for a sub 1:40 this go round.

Miles 1-5: The race starts by heading east along the river.  We then head over the bridge to Newport, Kentucky around the one mile mark.  There's not a lot of mileage in Kentucky, but it is very cool to run in two states in the same race.  I felt good early on and focused on running even splits with a target pace of 7:50.  The humidity was going up early on which was a surprise.  After heading west through Newport we cross back into Ohio at the four mile mark.  We head north towards downtown at around the five mile mark.  Here are my splits for the first five: 1 (8:02), 2 (7:43), 3 (7:40), 4 (7:24), 5 (7:28).  I was well below my goal pace and hoped that banking some time early on may just get me to my goal.

Miles 6-10: This is the interesting part of the race.  We finish the downtown section and the small hills start at the end of mile 6.  I was still feeling pretty good, but I realized we were getting close to the Eden Park section.  Eden Park is beautiful (FW and I went to Krohn Conservatory located within the park later that day), but the hills are BRUTAL.  The longest one goes straight up for about 3/4 mile, then turns only to become another hill.  It's a lot.  The scenery is amazing.  There was a low lying mist over the lake within Eden Park.  It was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen during any race.  I was also still feeling pretty good, though my splits took a hit during this section.  But what goes up must come down.  Miles 9 and 10 are mostly downhill and I passed a lot of people during this portion.  It's hard to hit the brakes at all on these downhills, so it does wear out the quads.  Here are my splits: 6 (7:22), 7 (7:59), 8 (7:45), 9 (7:19), 10 (7:25).  

Miles 11-13.1: The final few miles of this race are pretty uneventful.  We hit more downhills as you'll see from the amazing splits for the final three miles.  But there's not much to look at.  I focused in on passing people and coming in under 1:40, which was still in the cards.  I had to walk for about 30 seconds during mile 12 as those downhills had completely destroyed my quads.  I started back up and focused on finishing strong, complete with playing up to the crowd at the finish.  Here are the final splits: 11 (6:55), 12 (6:38), 13 (6:55).  I finished by running a 1:39:20 and finished 210/11,646 overall, which is a pretty good showing.

Let's get to FW's Spectator Report!

This is the first installment of my spectator report :) I definitely recommend this race if you have family with you.  I was able to easily see Chris both at the start and finish.  You are also able to easily walk from the start to the finish area and there are labeled reunion areas to meet your runner after the race. During the race I recommend visiting one of the park areas along the river.  On the walk from the start to finish you will pass a park area with swings right along the river.  There are plenty of goodies in the finish area including pancakes and sliders. After the race I recommend checking out Newport on the Levee, right across the river from Cincinnati.  It has restaurants, shopping, and a great aquarium.

Next race: Medina Half Marathon- Medina, OH

Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon

My favorite race!  This is my fifth time running this race which speaks to how well organized and enjoyable it is.  My previous tries were in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015.  The course hasn't changed one bit so I know it like the back of my hand.  I also set new PRs here in 2012 and 2015.

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