Ah, the joys of living in Northwest Ohio. We've had a rough winter, temperature-wise, so my training has been so-so at best. But today we hit 60 degrees. That's almost unheard of this early in the year. I've been getting in a lot more 4-6 milers the past month or so, but I don't think I went past 8 or 9 in a single run. I was pretty nervous when I signed up for this one, but looked at it as a warm-up for the sure to be challenge awaiting me in Lexington at the end of the month.
This is a no-frills race in Monclova, a southern suburb of Toledo. It starts at the elementary school, does a short out and back for the first three miles, about three more on the Wabash Cannonball Trail, and then another longer out-and-back for the remainder. It's very flat (translation: windy) and fast. It reminded me a lot of the Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon I've done the past few years in Xenia. The race is the same ridiculously low price ($25) while still offering a nice long sleeve tech shirt and finisher medal. I'm becoming a huge fan of these smaller races.
Let's get to my race experience. I had the realistic goal of simply keeping my sub-2:00 streak alive. That's it. I wasn't expecting anything else. We started out with the first out-and-back. I kept it conservative and still finished the first mile in 8:40, even though I was really looking for 9:00. The second mile was similar and I finished this first three mile section at 25:30. Crap. That's a minute and a half faster than I wanted. I wasn't panicking, but I knew that pace was not sustainable. We entered the Cannonball Trail and the wind was in our face. It wasn't terribly strong, or cold, but it was enough to be an annoyance. I don't have splits for this section, but I know I was around 51:30 for the first six miles. Again, whoops. I was hoping for maybe a 54:00 here. But I still felt good. When I hit the 7 mile mark in just under one hour, I really felt like I could get a good strong performance here.
The second out-and-back was the boring part of the course. Not much to report here. Just two long straightaways in farm country. The wind was hitting us on the way out and I overheard some runners complaining about it. Again, I still felt pretty strong here and hit the 10 mile mark in 1:21 and change. I was shooting for 1:30 here, so I was very much ahead of the pace and looking at a possible sub-1:50. We turned around and had a tailwind on the way back. I passed a few people here and felt very strong. The 12 mile mark clocked in at 1:38:15. I kicked it in, knowing a sub-1:50 was a definite, but I was not prepared to run a sub-8:00 last mile. We got back to the school and I crossed the mat at 1:45:27. That's my third fastest time out of 24 half marathon attempts. For the first race of the year, I'll take it!
I don't know what else to say about this, other than I am thrilled with the result. I almost can't believe it. This is the fifteenth straight half marathon in which I've broken the 2:00 mark and it's getting to the point where I'm looking to at least break 1:55 instead. The next race may just challenge my streak, but it should make for a very scenic course.
Next race: Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon- Lexington, KY
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Run Like the Dickens/2012 Review
I realize that I never updated my blog with the results from the Run Like the Dickens 5k here in Tiffin. The race was early in December and there's not a whole lot to report. I ran a decent race but certainly not my best effort. The race ran on the north end of town along the Sandusky River on a simple out and back course. The second portion didn't feel the greatest but I still finished in 21:10, good enough for second in my age group. A rather ho-hum finish to a very good year.
2012 was a very good running year for me, despite the move from Dayton to Tiffin taking up a lot of my energy halfway through the year. I completed ten half marathons, six 5ks, and three races of other various distances. I also broke my half marathon PR on three separate occasions. Here's a look at my thoughts on 2012:
Favorite races
ORRRC Half Marathon- This is one of the best (and cheapest) races you will ever find. The organization is top notch and I set a huge PR when I ran this in March.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- I was covered in muck from all the rain during this extremely difficult trail race, but it was an absolute blast to compete in this one.
Capital City Half Marathon- I love running in Columbus! This was the second PR I set during the year, but I'm certainly hoping for cooler weather at this one next year.
Old Port Half Marathon- I traveled to Portland, Maine for this one and didn't regret it one bit. The course was gorgeous and the post-race atmosphere was the best I've seen.
Carey Twilight 5k- Running outside in a thunderstorm? Why not? This was actually a blast of a race and one I plan to do each year.
Houston Half Marathon- It's always fun to visit family in Houston. The race itself was very well organized and smallish for one in such a big city. Running through downtown Houston as the sun was rising was a definite highlight.
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- I set my PR of 1:41:50 at this one, despite forgetting my timing chip and starting the race a few minutes late. The course was decent with a double look and I was in a zone.
Toughest races
Somerset Stampede Half Marathon- Hands down the toughest half marathon I've ever done. Up, down, up, down for 13.1 miles. And these weren't easy hills. Running a solid 1:50:06 gave me the confidence to run three straight sub-1:50 half marathons in the fall.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- See above. Slipping and almost falling for about an hour.
What's planned for 2013?
I'm signed up for the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington, KY, Capital City Half in Columbus, and Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half. I'm considering going to Florida in either March or sometime in October, which will probably involve a race of some type. I also plan on running half marathons during the summer in an effort to stay in shape rather than taking those hot days off. We'll see how it goes. My main goal is to break 1:40 in the half.
2012 was a very good running year for me, despite the move from Dayton to Tiffin taking up a lot of my energy halfway through the year. I completed ten half marathons, six 5ks, and three races of other various distances. I also broke my half marathon PR on three separate occasions. Here's a look at my thoughts on 2012:
Favorite races
ORRRC Half Marathon- This is one of the best (and cheapest) races you will ever find. The organization is top notch and I set a huge PR when I ran this in March.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- I was covered in muck from all the rain during this extremely difficult trail race, but it was an absolute blast to compete in this one.
Capital City Half Marathon- I love running in Columbus! This was the second PR I set during the year, but I'm certainly hoping for cooler weather at this one next year.
Old Port Half Marathon- I traveled to Portland, Maine for this one and didn't regret it one bit. The course was gorgeous and the post-race atmosphere was the best I've seen.
Carey Twilight 5k- Running outside in a thunderstorm? Why not? This was actually a blast of a race and one I plan to do each year.
Houston Half Marathon- It's always fun to visit family in Houston. The race itself was very well organized and smallish for one in such a big city. Running through downtown Houston as the sun was rising was a definite highlight.
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- I set my PR of 1:41:50 at this one, despite forgetting my timing chip and starting the race a few minutes late. The course was decent with a double look and I was in a zone.
Toughest races
Somerset Stampede Half Marathon- Hands down the toughest half marathon I've ever done. Up, down, up, down for 13.1 miles. And these weren't easy hills. Running a solid 1:50:06 gave me the confidence to run three straight sub-1:50 half marathons in the fall.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- See above. Slipping and almost falling for about an hour.
What's planned for 2013?
I'm signed up for the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington, KY, Capital City Half in Columbus, and Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half. I'm considering going to Florida in either March or sometime in October, which will probably involve a race of some type. I also plan on running half marathons during the summer in an effort to stay in shape rather than taking those hot days off. We'll see how it goes. My main goal is to break 1:40 in the half.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon
This low-key half marathon filled my final half marathon spot for 2012. It started off disastrous and somehow shifted into my best half marathon performance.
The weather was perfect. High 30s at the start with no wind. I showed up at the race with a fellow running friend who was running his second half. Everything was timed out perfectly. We were walking to the park, Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, when I had one of those moments I've only heard about. Where's my timing chip? Oh, it's not on me. I should probably have that. So I ran back the car (almost a sprint), put on my timing chip and sprinted back to the race only to hear the gun go off. I was about three minutes late to the start. And, despite having a timing chip, there was not an actual timing mat at the start. Great. I'm three minutes in the hole and this thing just started.
So I did what I knew at the time would be stupid. I ran hard. Right out of the gate. I just wanted to make up some time and still try for a sub-1:50, which would mean running a PR type race. The first few miles ticked by much faster than they should. As you know, I usually try for 9 minute miles for the first few. But I ran several sub-8 minute miles right off. I was passing people like I never had in a half marathon, but I really had nowhere to go but up after the late start. The three minutes were made up within the first three miles. How long could I keep up that pace? Being the last half for my season, I decided to keep going at that pace.
We looped around the park and I held steady with 8:00 miles. It was feeling pretty good, but I figured mile 8 would be my crisis point for this race. I had gone out way too fast. I finally caught up with my fellow runner somewhere between miles 5 and 6. He was running a great race so I stayed with him for a bit before taking off again. 8 minute miles were still clicking by.
I knew mile 8 would be the crisis point. It was. I slowed down quite a bit as we began our second loop around the park. While it's understandable that we have limited trails through this park, it seems like two loops could easily be avoided. Plus, it a lot of it was one big straightaway. Nice for times, not for scenery. I slowed down for about a mile or so before picking it up again. My time at the 10 mile mark was 1:17. That is way faster than my normal pace. I picked it up again as a PR became a definite possibility, though my actual time versus gun time would be about three minutes off.
We looped back around for the last few miles and I continued passing people. The finish line didn't come into view until about a quarter left in the race. I gave it everything I had left and crossed the mat at 1:41:50 according to my watch. That's a PR by almost four minutes! My gun time was still in the PR range at 1:44:57. My age group place was 9/32 and overall 89/565. That's a nice way to finish the season! One more 5k left in 2012.
Next race: Run Like the Dickens- Tiffin, OH
The weather was perfect. High 30s at the start with no wind. I showed up at the race with a fellow running friend who was running his second half. Everything was timed out perfectly. We were walking to the park, Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, when I had one of those moments I've only heard about. Where's my timing chip? Oh, it's not on me. I should probably have that. So I ran back the car (almost a sprint), put on my timing chip and sprinted back to the race only to hear the gun go off. I was about three minutes late to the start. And, despite having a timing chip, there was not an actual timing mat at the start. Great. I'm three minutes in the hole and this thing just started.
So I did what I knew at the time would be stupid. I ran hard. Right out of the gate. I just wanted to make up some time and still try for a sub-1:50, which would mean running a PR type race. The first few miles ticked by much faster than they should. As you know, I usually try for 9 minute miles for the first few. But I ran several sub-8 minute miles right off. I was passing people like I never had in a half marathon, but I really had nowhere to go but up after the late start. The three minutes were made up within the first three miles. How long could I keep up that pace? Being the last half for my season, I decided to keep going at that pace.
We looped around the park and I held steady with 8:00 miles. It was feeling pretty good, but I figured mile 8 would be my crisis point for this race. I had gone out way too fast. I finally caught up with my fellow runner somewhere between miles 5 and 6. He was running a great race so I stayed with him for a bit before taking off again. 8 minute miles were still clicking by.
I knew mile 8 would be the crisis point. It was. I slowed down quite a bit as we began our second loop around the park. While it's understandable that we have limited trails through this park, it seems like two loops could easily be avoided. Plus, it a lot of it was one big straightaway. Nice for times, not for scenery. I slowed down for about a mile or so before picking it up again. My time at the 10 mile mark was 1:17. That is way faster than my normal pace. I picked it up again as a PR became a definite possibility, though my actual time versus gun time would be about three minutes off.
We looped back around for the last few miles and I continued passing people. The finish line didn't come into view until about a quarter left in the race. I gave it everything I had left and crossed the mat at 1:41:50 according to my watch. That's a PR by almost four minutes! My gun time was still in the PR range at 1:44:57. My age group place was 9/32 and overall 89/565. That's a nice way to finish the season! One more 5k left in 2012.
Next race: Run Like the Dickens- Tiffin, OH
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Houston Half Marathon
I am way behind with this blog. The Houston Half Marathon & Relay was two weeks ago and I have the Cleveland Fall Classic next week. Time to get blogging!
This was my second time visiting Houston. I went for the LaPorte Half Marathon (that dreaded bridge!) last December and had so much fun that I decided to go down for the Houston Half Marathon. The best part is that I was able to visit family again! It doesn't get much better than that. You know what else? The weather was perfect! It felt like Ohio in the fall rather than Houston. It was actually in the mid-40s when we headed out. That is cold for Houston but perfect for me.
The race started near downtown at a small park right off the highway. The pre-race atmosphere reminded me of the Columbus Marathon but with fewer runners. I chose this race because it's the largest city in which I've run a race, but it's not congested due to there being around 3000 runners. That's a good size race without the hassle of getting to the start line, finding the gear check area, etc. It was still dark when we began the race at 7am and we made our way through the downtown area on a short loop. This was a very cool part of the race. The skyscrapers were still lit up and we were running on the road in downtown Houston. How many times do you get that opportunity? The roads were of course wide enough to accommodate the runners and there was none of the congestion that you can experience in these races. I was a bit disheartened by my pace, though. I was going at about 9:15 per mile for the first three miles, but I felt like I was going more at a 8:30 pace. Thankfully that would change.
We then started heading west away from the downtown area. This race had a lot of straightaways, which sounds boring, but it actually helps not having to worry about running the tangents. My pace felt good and I noticed I was hitting some sub-9:00 miles during the long straightaway, slowly chipping away some time. This portion was along the highway, so there wasn't anything too scenic. By the time we hit mile 7, I was well on pace for my 13th straight sub-2:00 half marathon.
Next up were some parks for a few miles. This was a nice portion of the race and it broke up the monotony some. I picked it up quite a bit around mile 8 or so as my gel from mile 6 was starting to do its job. The pace felt surprisingly good, especially considering I ran a great race at the Dayton Corridor Classic two weeks prior. We headed out of the parks and back to the main straightaway. I was at a 1:25 at the ten mile mark.
The last 3.1 was pretty uneventful. I didn't have too many people around me so I just tried to maintain my pace. The race stats show that I was 7:44 pace for the final five miles or so. I'm guessing the last few miles were around a 7:30 pace. Pretty darn good for me. The final mile was a complete blur and I was able to pass a few people and hit the finish in a respectable 1:48.25, good enough for my third fastest half.
Training has been spotty since the race. It's mostly been maintenance runs on the trails and trying to stay fresh for the next half, which will be my third in a five week period.
Next race: Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- Strongsville, OH
This was my second time visiting Houston. I went for the LaPorte Half Marathon (that dreaded bridge!) last December and had so much fun that I decided to go down for the Houston Half Marathon. The best part is that I was able to visit family again! It doesn't get much better than that. You know what else? The weather was perfect! It felt like Ohio in the fall rather than Houston. It was actually in the mid-40s when we headed out. That is cold for Houston but perfect for me.
The race started near downtown at a small park right off the highway. The pre-race atmosphere reminded me of the Columbus Marathon but with fewer runners. I chose this race because it's the largest city in which I've run a race, but it's not congested due to there being around 3000 runners. That's a good size race without the hassle of getting to the start line, finding the gear check area, etc. It was still dark when we began the race at 7am and we made our way through the downtown area on a short loop. This was a very cool part of the race. The skyscrapers were still lit up and we were running on the road in downtown Houston. How many times do you get that opportunity? The roads were of course wide enough to accommodate the runners and there was none of the congestion that you can experience in these races. I was a bit disheartened by my pace, though. I was going at about 9:15 per mile for the first three miles, but I felt like I was going more at a 8:30 pace. Thankfully that would change.
We then started heading west away from the downtown area. This race had a lot of straightaways, which sounds boring, but it actually helps not having to worry about running the tangents. My pace felt good and I noticed I was hitting some sub-9:00 miles during the long straightaway, slowly chipping away some time. This portion was along the highway, so there wasn't anything too scenic. By the time we hit mile 7, I was well on pace for my 13th straight sub-2:00 half marathon.
Next up were some parks for a few miles. This was a nice portion of the race and it broke up the monotony some. I picked it up quite a bit around mile 8 or so as my gel from mile 6 was starting to do its job. The pace felt surprisingly good, especially considering I ran a great race at the Dayton Corridor Classic two weeks prior. We headed out of the parks and back to the main straightaway. I was at a 1:25 at the ten mile mark.
The last 3.1 was pretty uneventful. I didn't have too many people around me so I just tried to maintain my pace. The race stats show that I was 7:44 pace for the final five miles or so. I'm guessing the last few miles were around a 7:30 pace. Pretty darn good for me. The final mile was a complete blur and I was able to pass a few people and hit the finish in a respectable 1:48.25, good enough for my third fastest half.
Training has been spotty since the race. It's mostly been maintenance runs on the trails and trying to stay fresh for the next half, which will be my third in a five week period.
Next race: Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- Strongsville, OH
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Dayton River Corridor Classic Half Marathon
I headed back to Dayton this past weekend to run the River Corridor Classic Half with some friends. It was well worth the drive, though there were some snags that we'll get to. I ran this race in 2010 and almost PRd at the time. The race is very flat, running along the Miami River and through several parks near downtown Dayton. The course changes slightly every year due to the never ending construction in Dayton, but it looked pretty similar to the 2010 course.
The drive to Dayton on Saturday was lovely as ever <sarcasm> and I got into town a little later than I meant to. Packet pickup was a breeze at one of the local running stores. The shirt is a nice New Balance tech tee. The 2010 shirts were odd because the sleeves seriously looked like wings. They were huge. The new shirts are pretty snazzy. I ran a few errands (i.e. spent tons of money at Trader Joe's) and then made my way to nearby Xenia to stay with a friend. The race didn't start until 9:00 on Sunday, so I didn't even get up until around 7:00, which was nice. As always, I got to the race, at UD Arena, around an hour before the start.
The forecast called for warm temps for Ohio in mid-October and wind. The temperature was a bit too high for me and I built a good sweat only a mile in to the race, but the wind was the real story of the race. Running on the path next to the river, lower than street level, made for a wind tunnel. It wasn't bad for the first half of the race as it was to our backs. Let's not worry about splits during this race because there was a miscommunication between the organizers and those guiding the runners. I was running with four others just after a mile in, when we passed someone shouting out times. 13:27. Umm...what the heck? We all looked at each other and said, "That can't be the two mile mark," but that's what they were claiming. I'm usually around 17:30-18:00 for the first two miles. Someone with a Garmin shouted out that we were actually a mile and a half in to the race. The other mile markers came in roughly a half mile off and most people are saying we were anywhere from .4 to .5 off. Regardless, I was running a great race for the first half. I was at around the 8 mile mark (7.5) an hour into the race. That would normally be PR territory for me, but I knew I could not count this as a PR. It does make up for the extra half mile at the Air Force Half Marathon, though.
We ran through several parks and the trees were blocking the wind. So far, it wasn't much of a factor. Until we made our way back to the bike path at around mile 9. Good God. That wind was relentless. Seriously. It was like being smacked in the face for the final four miles. I also remembered this being the ugliest part of the course, which didn't help at all. The path is lower than street level and there's really nothing to look at. Kudos to the volunteers who worked this section. How they were able to hand us water/Gatorade without being blown away is beyond me. Again, I didn't really pay attention to my splits during this stretch. I was more concerned with getting out of the wind. We finally made our way up to the street with a half mile left and I was (barely) able to finish strong with a 1:44:43. That would be a PR for me but not since the course was short. I'm actually not upset about it all. I would still have broken 1:50 with the extra .4 or .5, which would be my third fastest time. That's pretty good considering my lackluster training the past few months. Next up is another out of state race.
Next race: Houston Half Marathon- Houston, TX
The drive to Dayton on Saturday was lovely as ever <sarcasm> and I got into town a little later than I meant to. Packet pickup was a breeze at one of the local running stores. The shirt is a nice New Balance tech tee. The 2010 shirts were odd because the sleeves seriously looked like wings. They were huge. The new shirts are pretty snazzy. I ran a few errands (i.e. spent tons of money at Trader Joe's) and then made my way to nearby Xenia to stay with a friend. The race didn't start until 9:00 on Sunday, so I didn't even get up until around 7:00, which was nice. As always, I got to the race, at UD Arena, around an hour before the start.
The forecast called for warm temps for Ohio in mid-October and wind. The temperature was a bit too high for me and I built a good sweat only a mile in to the race, but the wind was the real story of the race. Running on the path next to the river, lower than street level, made for a wind tunnel. It wasn't bad for the first half of the race as it was to our backs. Let's not worry about splits during this race because there was a miscommunication between the organizers and those guiding the runners. I was running with four others just after a mile in, when we passed someone shouting out times. 13:27. Umm...what the heck? We all looked at each other and said, "That can't be the two mile mark," but that's what they were claiming. I'm usually around 17:30-18:00 for the first two miles. Someone with a Garmin shouted out that we were actually a mile and a half in to the race. The other mile markers came in roughly a half mile off and most people are saying we were anywhere from .4 to .5 off. Regardless, I was running a great race for the first half. I was at around the 8 mile mark (7.5) an hour into the race. That would normally be PR territory for me, but I knew I could not count this as a PR. It does make up for the extra half mile at the Air Force Half Marathon, though.
We ran through several parks and the trees were blocking the wind. So far, it wasn't much of a factor. Until we made our way back to the bike path at around mile 9. Good God. That wind was relentless. Seriously. It was like being smacked in the face for the final four miles. I also remembered this being the ugliest part of the course, which didn't help at all. The path is lower than street level and there's really nothing to look at. Kudos to the volunteers who worked this section. How they were able to hand us water/Gatorade without being blown away is beyond me. Again, I didn't really pay attention to my splits during this stretch. I was more concerned with getting out of the wind. We finally made our way up to the street with a half mile left and I was (barely) able to finish strong with a 1:44:43. That would be a PR for me but not since the course was short. I'm actually not upset about it all. I would still have broken 1:50 with the extra .4 or .5, which would be my third fastest time. That's pretty good considering my lackluster training the past few months. Next up is another out of state race.
Next race: Houston Half Marathon- Houston, TX
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Tiffin Fire Department 5k
I ran a race in town last week and, yes, I am a week behind on posting. This seems to be the trend with my races recently. Perhaps I just need time to reflect.
The race was held at Hedges-Boyer park here in Tiffin and was very well organized. The organizers weren't planning for the 300+ people (just under 300 for the 5k, some more for the 1 mile walk) who showed up, but I really thought they did a tremendous job. The weather was perfect as we seem to actually be getting fall weather this year. Not much to put down here but let's get to my report.
I started roughly right in the middle of the pack since I was looking for a nice, hard run but not really looking to race. That changed. We started off and I noticed the leaders going at what looked like a conservative pace, especially considering how flat it is around here. I felt pretty good and decided to make my way to where the first group was and see how long I could hold that pace. We ran through the park and into town, hitting the first mile in 6:34. That's way too fast for me. Usually I'm around 7:00. But I decided to hold on and keep going. We soon made our way up town to the turnaround and back. Most of this race was made up of two long straightaways. No problems having to worry about running the tangents, which is nice. I was feeling some fatigue when we hit the 2 mile mark, but my time (12:40) made me keep going at the same pace. The first straightaway seemed a lot longer on the way back. Imagine that! We made our way back to the park, wound through the park on the paved path, and I hit the finish in 20:47. This is, by far, my best 5k time this year. I've been lucky to get into the 21s this year. My time was good enough for seventh overall and second in my age group. More importantly, it gave me some extra confidence heading into a two half marathon October.
Next race: Dayton River Corridor Classic Half Marathon- Dayton, OH
The race was held at Hedges-Boyer park here in Tiffin and was very well organized. The organizers weren't planning for the 300+ people (just under 300 for the 5k, some more for the 1 mile walk) who showed up, but I really thought they did a tremendous job. The weather was perfect as we seem to actually be getting fall weather this year. Not much to put down here but let's get to my report.
I started roughly right in the middle of the pack since I was looking for a nice, hard run but not really looking to race. That changed. We started off and I noticed the leaders going at what looked like a conservative pace, especially considering how flat it is around here. I felt pretty good and decided to make my way to where the first group was and see how long I could hold that pace. We ran through the park and into town, hitting the first mile in 6:34. That's way too fast for me. Usually I'm around 7:00. But I decided to hold on and keep going. We soon made our way up town to the turnaround and back. Most of this race was made up of two long straightaways. No problems having to worry about running the tangents, which is nice. I was feeling some fatigue when we hit the 2 mile mark, but my time (12:40) made me keep going at the same pace. The first straightaway seemed a lot longer on the way back. Imagine that! We made our way back to the park, wound through the park on the paved path, and I hit the finish in 20:47. This is, by far, my best 5k time this year. I've been lucky to get into the 21s this year. My time was good enough for seventh overall and second in my age group. More importantly, it gave me some extra confidence heading into a two half marathon October.
Next race: Dayton River Corridor Classic Half Marathon- Dayton, OH
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Air Force Half Marathon
I ran half marathon number twenty last weekend at the Air Force Half Marathon in Dayton. My first experience with this race was last year when I ran a then-PR of 1:50.01. This year I had no aspirations of running a PR and simply wanted to run a good, hard race.
Friday went well as I made the trek from Tiffin to Dayton for the expo at the Nutter Center. This is my favorite race expo, surpassing even the Columbus Marathon. There are so many cool vendors there, many of which I haven't seen at any races. Packet pickup was a breeze which speaks to the organization of this race. I visited with some Dayton friends during the day and stayed with a friend in nearby Xenia the night before the race.
Race morning was cool and I made the drive to the Air Force base at 6:00. Even though the half marathon didn't start until 8:30, it was best to get there early as parking can be a nightmare otherwise. I sat in the car and read on my Kindle until about 7:30 or so. The long walk to the race start was enough to warm me up and I felt ready to go.
I started the race at a very conservative pace, knocking the first few miles out at a 9:10 pace. You know that my training has been very inconsistent this year if you've been following the blog. I didn't want to even have a shot at a PR because I knew I would die during the late miles if I went out fast. But things were about to become very interesting.
Somewhere during mile 4 we made a right hand turn that I didn't recall from last year's race. Races are bound to have little changes from year to year, so I thought nothing of it. A race official then came running towards us calling out that the half marathoners were going the wrong way. That's right. The leaders took a right turn when the shouldn't have and, to my recollection, there wasn't a sign telling us where to go. Those in the front of the pack ran about an extra two miles. I'm pretty sure I did an extra half mile or so, which got to me as my only goal for the race was to break two hours.
We turned around and made up the ground, but it was an absolute nightmare with marathoners trying to pass us and all of us merging back with the other half marathoners. I tried to settle into a good pace after this fiasco, but I never quite felt right. All I kept thinking about is that I have roughly four and a half minutes to make up. I stopped taking split times after the turnaround since my time wasn't accurate. The first few miles after that were decent but not great. I did take a gel at mile 6 and that gave me a little boost. Looking at my watch, I knew a sub-2 was still attainable as long as I didn't do anything stupid.
The hill at mile 8 wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it from last year's race. The downhill helped and we made our way behind Wright State University. This stretch didn't seem as long as last year either. I started taking Gatorade during this stretch and felt pretty good for the last few miles. I picked up the pace at mile 10 and was able to hold it until the finish. Final time (with the turnaround)- 1:56.05
I'm pretty happy with my final time, especially considering the turnaround. The race is taking a lot of hits for this problem. There was a similar issue in the full marathon last year. I'm not terribly upset about it, but I'm obviously not pleased either. This was my second time doing this race and it is a long drive from Tiffin. I'll probably consider doing the Akron Marathon next year in place of this race.
Next race: Tiffin Firefighters 5k- Tiffin, OH
Friday went well as I made the trek from Tiffin to Dayton for the expo at the Nutter Center. This is my favorite race expo, surpassing even the Columbus Marathon. There are so many cool vendors there, many of which I haven't seen at any races. Packet pickup was a breeze which speaks to the organization of this race. I visited with some Dayton friends during the day and stayed with a friend in nearby Xenia the night before the race.
Race morning was cool and I made the drive to the Air Force base at 6:00. Even though the half marathon didn't start until 8:30, it was best to get there early as parking can be a nightmare otherwise. I sat in the car and read on my Kindle until about 7:30 or so. The long walk to the race start was enough to warm me up and I felt ready to go.
I started the race at a very conservative pace, knocking the first few miles out at a 9:10 pace. You know that my training has been very inconsistent this year if you've been following the blog. I didn't want to even have a shot at a PR because I knew I would die during the late miles if I went out fast. But things were about to become very interesting.
Somewhere during mile 4 we made a right hand turn that I didn't recall from last year's race. Races are bound to have little changes from year to year, so I thought nothing of it. A race official then came running towards us calling out that the half marathoners were going the wrong way. That's right. The leaders took a right turn when the shouldn't have and, to my recollection, there wasn't a sign telling us where to go. Those in the front of the pack ran about an extra two miles. I'm pretty sure I did an extra half mile or so, which got to me as my only goal for the race was to break two hours.
We turned around and made up the ground, but it was an absolute nightmare with marathoners trying to pass us and all of us merging back with the other half marathoners. I tried to settle into a good pace after this fiasco, but I never quite felt right. All I kept thinking about is that I have roughly four and a half minutes to make up. I stopped taking split times after the turnaround since my time wasn't accurate. The first few miles after that were decent but not great. I did take a gel at mile 6 and that gave me a little boost. Looking at my watch, I knew a sub-2 was still attainable as long as I didn't do anything stupid.
The hill at mile 8 wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it from last year's race. The downhill helped and we made our way behind Wright State University. This stretch didn't seem as long as last year either. I started taking Gatorade during this stretch and felt pretty good for the last few miles. I picked up the pace at mile 10 and was able to hold it until the finish. Final time (with the turnaround)- 1:56.05
I'm pretty happy with my final time, especially considering the turnaround. The race is taking a lot of hits for this problem. There was a similar issue in the full marathon last year. I'm not terribly upset about it, but I'm obviously not pleased either. This was my second time doing this race and it is a long drive from Tiffin. I'll probably consider doing the Akron Marathon next year in place of this race.
Next race: Tiffin Firefighters 5k- Tiffin, OH
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