Earth Day Challenge Half Marathon

I decided to follow up last week's PR effort in Xenia with a nice, easy run at the Earth Day Challenge at Kenyon College in nearby Gambier, OH.  This is only the third time I've ran half marathons on consecutive weekends.  This trick worked for me last year when I followed up the Pro Football HOF Half with the Capital City Half and the Columbus Half with the Buckeye Half.  I certainly was not looking to attempt a PR at a third straight race, but was rather looking for a solid effort prior to running the 3-Way at the Flying Pig Marathon in two weeks.  This also counted as my 45th half marathon effort.

GF did not attend this race (some people need sleep?!) but she did of course do a post (pre?) race dance for me.  GF is the best!  I headed out for the easy 40 minute drive to Gambier and was immediately struck by the beauty of the Kenyon campus.  It's a very cool campus and provided us with some beautiful early miles.  Packet pickup was a breeze inside the athletic center and we soon lined up on the college track.  I spotted a fellow Half Fanatic (I recently joined) and we chatted about upcoming races, including one we're both doing in the Fall.  I'm looking forward to meeting more Half Fanatics at future races.

I should mention that I did something at this race that I had never done in my previous 44 half marathons.  I decided to leave my iPod in the car and simply go by feel in this one.  My normal routine is to listen to music during a race of ten miles or more.  It's a security blanket knowing the right song will come on at the right time.  But I sometimes zone out too much and forget to check out the course.  I left the iPod in the car and it didn't have a negative affect on my race at all.

Here's my race report.

Miles 1-5: These were the toughest miles of the race.  We ran around most of the track and headed into campus.  The first mile was a bit of a cluster as the trail was quite narrow and there was a good number or runners.  A half mile in was one of the steepest hills I've had the pleasure of running in quite some time.  It didn't last a long time but you could tell it was there.  We leveled out and headed through the heart of the campus on a gravel path for another half mile or so.  My time was around 8:46 for the first mile, so I was definitely taking it easy early on.  I planned on increasing my pace to 8:00 miles after the course started to open up.  We made a loop through Gambier and hit a lot of rolling hills throughout the first four miles.  Finally, we made our way to the Kokosing Gap Trail, an asphalt bike trail leading out of town, right before the five mile mark.  Here are the first five splits: 1 (8:46), 2 (7:54), 3 (7:20), 4 (7:19), 5 (7:27).  I guess my normal pace is around 7:20-7:30 nowadays.

Miles 6-10: Not much to report on this part of the course.  We stayed on the Kokosing Gap Trail until the turnaround point around 8.5 miles into the race.  This was a pretty bike path as we enjoyed nice views of the Kokosing River.  I was able to pass a few runners until the turnaround point, but things had spread out to the point where it seemed more like a training run.  Here are the splits: 6 (7:14), 7 (7:28), 8 (7:02), 9 (7:25), 10 (7:06).  I seem to have a mile in my normal range and then one twenty seconds or so faster.  I wish I could be more consistent and run them all in the 7:20-7:25 range.

Miles 11-13.1:  We finished up the last portion of the Kokosing Gap Trail and made our way back to Gambier with a mile left.  The course was just as pretty entering Gambier as it was leaving the town.  There was nobody near me, but I was able to push it a bit and cruise in for an excellent time of 1:38:28.  Here are the final splits: 11 (7:11), 12 (7:05), 13 (7:08), 13.1 (1:59).  The course measured a bit long for me, but only about 1/10 mile.  I was 15/213 overall and 6/26 in my age group.

This was an excellent effort at a race I wasn't racing.  I wound up cruising to my fourth fastest half marathon out of 45 attempts.  My current sub-1:50 streak was also extended to ten races.  I'm not sure I'll be keeping that up as Skyline 3-Way at the Flying Pig will be a tough one.

GF Training Update

GF had an extraordinary week!  She completed two mile speedwork sessions and followed them up with a fantastic effort on the bike path yesterday.  GF cruised to a 44:56 for three miles!  She's consistently taking off 15-20 seconds every time we complete a time trial.  I'm very confident she'll shatter her former PR at the Flying Pig in two weeks!

Next race: Flying Pig 5K/10K/Half Marathon- Cincinnati, OH

Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon

GF and I headed to the Dayton area for this small and amazing race in Xenia.  We stayed in Yellow Springs, a funky and fun village just minutes from the race, at the Arthur Morgan House Bed and Breakfast.  This gave the weekend a vacation feel and both GF and I loved the B&B.  Highly recommended!

This is my fourth time running this race as it is my absolute favorite half.  You can check out my reports from 2011, 2012, and 2014.  I always run well here and know the course like the back of my hand.  There are a few rolling hills early in the race, but for the most part this one is flat and fast.  The race is growing, too!  There were 522 runners in the half and 168 in the full for the 2011 running.  Compare that to 990 in the half and 269 in this year's event.  The cost of $25, terrific organization, and the fact that the race is in close proximity to Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus helps.

GF and I arrived about 45 minutes from the start and I was already feeling good.  Usually I'm quite nervous for a goal race, especially considering I had an unexpected PR at the Three Creeks Half Marathon last month.  But I felt good because I had already been on this course.

GF took a few pics to commemorate half number forty-four!

Miles 1-5: I felt very good from the beginning.  We started out from the YMCA and headed north for about a mile or so before making a small loop, heading back by the Y, and out toward the bike path.  I started out strong.  Too strong.  This is a fast portion of the course, but we started in with some hills during the third mile.  There's a brief section on the bike path, then we make our way on some country roads.  The hills  aren't terrible, but they can seem long if you started out too fast.  We loop back to the bike path at mile four and start in on some long, flat straightaways.  Here are the first five splits: 1 (7:17), 2 (6:58!), 3 (7:16), 4 (7:06), 5 (7:17).  I like the looks of miles 1, 3 and 5.  The other two are way too fast for so early in a half.  I was shooting for a PR but wondered how long it would take to crap out.  These splits are much faster than at Three Creeks.

Miles 6-10: I was feeling good but felt those first five.  We continued down the bike path until a left turn onto a different section moving toward Central State University.  I banked some more time here and passed a few runners.  There's a turnaround about 3/4 mile and then we head back.  I was surprised there weren't more people in front of me as the ORRRC races are extremely competitive.  We turned, headed back, and made a right turn back toward Xenia at the nine mile mark.  This is where the wheels started to feel the race.  I actually started sprinkling in some 15 second walk breaks as my quads were killing me.  Here are the splits for miles 6-10: 6 (7:23), 7 (7:06), 8 (7:10), 9 (7:29), 10 (7:28).  You can tell I was slowing down at miles nine and ten, but these are still incredible splits for me in a half.  I knew a PR was still a possibility as I was well under 1:15 at the ten mile mark.

Miles 11-13.1:  I was still feeling this race and sprinkled in a few breaks during mile 11.  The PR was still there, but I was going to have to push my pace during the last mile.  There were a few other runners around, so I simply concentrated on moving forward and trying to pick them off.  We turned back toward the YMCA with about a quarter mile left and made our way uphill to the finish.  I gave it whatever I had left, then kicked it in some more when I saw GF cheering and doing her celebratory dance.  I sprinted across the finish to my third PR of the year!  My splits for the last few miles were: 11 (7:38), 12 (7:46), 13 (6:56!), and 13.1 (1:28).  This gave me a new PR of 1:36:24.

I'm getting ever so close to my goal of 1:35.  This race took a lot out of me as I was pretty incoherent for the rest of the day.  Had I paced properly, I probably could have come in another 30 seconds faster.  Running my third PR of the year when it's only April is pretty amazing.  This new gear feels pretty good!  I'm looking at doing a half as a training run next week and shooting for the 1:45-1:47 range.

GF Training Update

GF continues her quest for a new PR and she is well on her way!  We did a two mile speedwork session and she killed it in 31:00.  We also went out to the bike path in Yellow Springs on Saturday and did a three mile time trial.  She started off a bit fast with a downhill first half.  The second half was at a slight grade but enough to feel it.  She still came in with a personal best of 46:15!  We are both counting down to the Flying Pig and I would not be surprised to see her shatter her personal best.  We're going to go out again a few times this week for some speedwork/time trial sessions.

Next race: Earth Day Challenge Half Marathon- Gambier, OH

Three Creeks Half Marathon

 

Let's have a quick chat, winter.  My last half marathon, the Last Chance for Boston, was in 17 degree weather.   I get it.  It was February in Ohio.  Fair enough.  But you got me sick.  Even worse, you got poor GF sick.  So I signed up for the Three Creeks Half Marathon at Three Rivers Metropark in Groveport in late March.  It could still be cold, sure, but I'm thinking 30s or 40s in the morning.  What did we wake up to?  10 degrees with a couple inches of snow here in Mansfield.  Back off, winter.  

GF and I had a quick chat at 5:00 in the morning as I was seriously considering scratching.  I really wasn't sure if I had it in me to run in such temperatures and also worried about getting sick again.  GF encouraged me to go, but it was way too cold for her to cheer me on and there was no place to wait inside at the park.  She saw me off with her usual post-race dance and I made the trek to Columbus.  The snow didn't hit as far south as Groveport so there were no worries on the course.  You'll see in a little bit that all of this was well worth the effort.

The venue itself is really nice.  A bike path runs throughout the park and that's what we ran on.  There were just over 100 people in the half, but there was also a 10k and 5k going on at the same time.  After waiting around in my car (heat, glorious heat!) for 45 minutes, I made my way to the start line.

Miles 1-5: I started out near the front pack and felt good right from the start.  My plan was to use this as a training run for the Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon in two weeks.  The goal time was 1:45.  I set a solid pace right out of the gate as we meandered through the park.  It was VERY difficult to hit all the tangents as there were constant turns during the early miles.  I did a solid job but I know I missed some.  Even though I was aiming for 8:00 miles, I was hitting solid splits from the beginning.  Here are the splits for the first five: 1 (7:52), 2 (7:35),  3 (7:23), 4 (7:26), 5 (7:24).  I really like how this looks as I was very consistent after the easy first mile.  37:40 after the first five is a very solid time and over two minutes faster than where I wanted to be.

Miles 6-10: The course was a bit more varied throughout this section as we had pretty good views of one of the streams and some bridge crossings.  One crossing at about the 6 mile mark was pretty steep, especially on the way back.  I popped a gel at the halfway point and was still feeling pretty good.  No designs on a PR, but I started thinking a sub-1:40 was possible.  I also passed a few people during this section of the course and noticed I was in the top 20 as the leaders were coming back from the turnaround point.  My splits were still solid and pretty consistent.  Here are the numbers: 6 (7:43), 7 (7:17), 8 (7:20), 9 (7:05!), 10 (7:24).  Not sure where that 7:05 came from.  Mile 6 was slower because I kept dropping my gel at the water station.  A 1:14:29 at the ten mile mark is unheard of for me and right in PR territory.  I was thinking it was a slight possibility.

Miles 11-13.1: I was struggling over the last few miles.  My legs were feeling heavy as I was not planning on this race being a PR opportunity.  The meandering course and slight hills were wearing on me, too.  I saw a runner about 100 yards in front of me and kept him in my sights for the remainder.  My splits were surprisingly solid: 11 (7:03), 12 (7:18), 13 (7:14), 13.1 (1:01).  I passed the other runner right at the 13 mile marker and sprinted up the last hill to the finish...

...AND A NEW PR!!!  Talk about unexpected.  I finished this race that I almost didn't run with a new PR of 1:37:09.  This breaks the 1:37:28 from the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona and gives me my third sub-1:40 of the year.  I really don't know how I went from aiming for sub-1:50s last year to consistently running sub-1:40s this year.  I finished this one 16/103 overall and 2/13 in my age group.  This is only the second time I've placed in my age group at a half marathon (the first was the 2013 Park 2 Park) and this race was almost double the size.  Next on the docket for me is my favorite race, the Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon.  My goal may still be to try to PR but we'll see.

GF Training Update

GF is doing an outstanding job of prepping for her 5k at the Flying Pig Marathon in May.  We've been on our local bike path a few times since my last update.  She ran a 46:58 at her second one which would be a PR for her!  It was a pretty nice day out and she was in a zone.  This morning we went out again and she did even better!  It was pretty cold, around 31 degrees, with a fierce wind blowing in our faces during the first half.  She still managed to run a 46:25!  She's doing an amazing job and I'm sure she'll PR in May.

Next race: Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon- Xenia, OH

Liwiro la Malawi 5k

I originally had this on my schedule and decided against it after the Last Chance for Boston Half.  Always supportive GF started talking me into doing it last weekend, so I decided on Thursday to go ahead and give it a shot.  The race is set up to provide assistance to orphans at the Kanyenyeva Orphan Care Ministry in Malawi, Africa, which is an excellent cause I'll support.

GF and I arrived in downtown Mansfield about 45 minutes before the start for registration and warm-ups.  The temps were good but the wind was killer.  We waited around inside for as long as we could before making our way to the start.  I didn't really have a goal in mind because my training has been up and down and geared more toward the half marathon distance.  I was actually pretty nervous for this one because I knew the course would be tough. 

We started out from downtown and ran down Park Avenue for the first mile and a half.  I started out behind a couple people and moved into the top three right away.  Then I moved into second place within the first quarter mile.  Nobody was pushing the pace at all, so I tucked in behind the leader for a bit before passing him within the first half mile.  I was by myself for the rest of this one.  The hill on Park Avenue about a half mile in lasted forever!  It blocked the wind but it was tough to keep up a good pace.  I hit the first mile in 7:22 which is right where I wanted to be.  We finally got a slight downhill before a gradual incline again.  I caught up with the lead bike after we turned off of Park for the lollipop portion of the course.  I was feeling good and knew the worst part was over.  We then turned onto Maple for the last slight uphill and then turned again on Marion moving back toward Park.  I was pushing my pace a bit more and hit the two mile mark in 14:20.  I admit I did look back to see where the second place runner was and felt very comfortable with the lead I built up.  I flew down the long downhill leading us back to Park and the finish stretch.  The final stretch was flat, with the wind to my back this time, and I was able to finish with a solid 22:01 and my fourth first place finish!  Talk about an unexpected result!  GF was again doing a celebratory dance for me at the finish, too!

This was a solid race with the upcoming half marathon next week.  My confidence is pretty high and I'm hoping for a 1:45 or so next week.  GF is training for a 5k at the Flying Pig Marathon in May and we went out for a time trial this morning.  It was very cold and poor GF is just getting over a cold.  She still rocked it!  I'm confident she will be able to get a new PR in May.

Next race: Three Creeks Half Marathon- Groveport, OH

Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon

This was a pleasant surprise of a race.  GF and I headed to Dublin for this race that I actually vowed to never again run (see my 2011 report here).  However, I wanted to set up a bunch of races in winter and spring in an attempt to get 10 half marathons in this year.  My report will be slightly different than usual because the course is a one mile loop.  Nothing to report there.  Here are some thoughts on this race:

Pros

This is one of the few half marathon options in Ohio during the winter.

You certainly learn the course after a couple laps.

The "course" is pancake flat.

Spectators (GF!) can watch a LOT of the race.

Accurate splits for every mile of the race.

Cons

It was 17 degrees outside.

It's hard to pace yourself because there are so many races at once.  There's a full, half, 10k, 5k, marathon relay, and half relay.  

It was 17 degrees outside.

While a flat race, the course gets dull pretty quickly.

It was 17 degrees outside.

Did I happen to mention it was 17 degrees?  I did?  Good.  Because it was.  GF reported this to me after the race.  I would have been tempted to put a big ol' DNF after my name had I known that prior to the race.  But I surprisingly warmed up only a couple miles into this one.  GF also wanted to wipe the ice out of my beard every time I passed her.  :)

There's not much to report other than I ran a GREAT race.  Seriously, I'm not sure where this is coming from, other than my amazing GF supporting me at all these races.  I ran splits that looked eerily similar to the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon.  It was hard to hit the tangents with all the other races going on, so I had the course at 13.24 miles.  Since I have splits for every single mile, let's look at those.  The race starts .1 mile behind the finish line, so we do that first and then start in on the miles.  That's why lap one is so fast.

Lap 1- 0:57          Lap 2- 7:49           Lap 3- 7:45          Lap 4- 7:36           Lap 5- 7:40

Lap 6- 7:32          Lap 7- 7:44           Lap 8- 7:45          Lap 9- 7:36           Lap 10- 7:30

Lap 11- 7:38        Lap 12- 7:42         Lap 13- 7:27        Lap 14- 7:11

Not bad at all.  I ran consistent times and never had a mile above 7:49.  I was able to run some negative splits toward the end.  My overall time was 1:39:38 which is good enough for my third fastest half and 17/144 overall.  

But it came with a price.  GF was feeling under the weather prior to the race and, after watching roughly half of my race, got worse.  I also got ill (did I mention it was 17 degrees?) but we're both on the mend.  

I originally thought of doing a 5k in March, but instead I'll take a break until my next half at the end of the month.

Next race: Three Creeks Half Marathon- Groveport, OH

Blizzard Buster 5k

I decided to get in a bit of speedwork prior to the Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon.  The GF and I traveled up to Ashland for what I thought would be a nice, easy 5k this past weekend.  Little did I know this would not be easy at all.

We started out from Ashland First United Methodist Church and headed west for a bit.  The going was pretty good, but there were a lot of hills throughout this race.  I knew negative splits weren't a possibility.  Thankfully, I decided to bank some time early and started out the with the lead group.  There were some very fast runners, but I assumed this would be a tough race as only serious runners would brave the elements.  I struggled but ran a 6:58 for the first mile.  We took a nice downhill soon after but then the fun began.  The roads were very clear throughout the race, but we started in to a cemetery at about 1.25 miles in that was nothing but ice!  Plus hills.  This was not fun at all.  I started taking short, choppy steps during this part of the course, which lasted around 1.5 miles, and it really put my time in the crapper.  I almost wiped out several times and I know several people did, judging by the conversations GF and I overheard after the race.  I just tried to maintain my place during the cemetery portion, but my time was around a 7:40 for the second mile.  Plus, the cold air was getting to my lungs and the choppy steps to my core.  We meandered through the cemetery and finished with a downhill out of there.  Finally we made it back to the road at about the 2.75 mile mark.  I tried to kick it in some during the finish but my lungs weren't having it.  The highlight occurred as I saw GF doing a celebratory dance for me at the finish!

Final time- 22:43.  This was good enough for 10th overall, out of probably around 100, and second in my age group.  The age group awards were very cool as I received a coffee mug for my efforts.  I really love my medals, but I have so many that I actually like receiving useful things now.  GF and I made a day of it and ate a wonderful breakfast at a local diner and then hit up the nearby outlet mall for the rest of the afternoon.  Overall, a good day!

My 2014 is starting off very, very well.  I already have two 5ks and a half marathon PR under my belt.  I'm scheduled for a half marathon next week but it depends on the weather.   If it's frigid, I may drop down to the 5k or 10k.

Next race: Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon- Dublin, OH

PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona 5k and Half Marathon

My amazing girlfriend (GF) and I traveled to Phoenix this past weekend for six days of fun in the sun!  We did a variety of awesome things (Arizona Botanical Garden, Grand Canyon, shopping/dining in Scottsdale) and I ran my first ever double.  The Rock 'n' Roll series is offering a Remix Challenge at many of their 2015 races.  Run a 5k on Saturday morning and either the full marathon, half or 10k on Sunday.  Plus, you get an extra medal for doing both races.  I believe that brings my medal count to 1,257 (not really).

My plan was to run the 5k at an easy pace, around 23:00-24:00, and then run a solid half marathon from 1:45-1:50.  For whatever reason, I felt great and broke those times in both races, leading to an amazing half marathon performance.

Saturday- 5k

The GF and I drove to the race start at Tempe Beach Park due to the race beginning almost two miles from the hotel.  We were glad we did this as it was actually pretty chilly for Phoenix.  It was probably in the low-40s but the wind was strong.  I had more fun at this one than I normally have at 5ks for several reasons: my supportive GF was there, it was a nice sized 5k with almost 1500 finishers, and we had amazing pacers in running icons like Alan Webb, Ryan Hall and others!  That was a very cool touch!  I loved having the rare opportunity to run next to such legends.

I started out in the 8:00 pace group and felt a little tight for the first mile or so.  I ran next to Alan Webb for the first mile which was amazing.  We made our way north across the Salt River for some awesome views of the city. I passed this pace group at the end of mile one and started feeling pretty good.  The course was flat and very scenic, with a nice view of Camelback Mountain north of Phoenix.  I really picked up the pace and ran just over 7 minutes for mile 2.  I wanted to catch up to the 7:15 group and made my way there near the end of the race.  We crossed the Salt River again on the return and I kicked it for a very strong 22:38.  This was good enough for 69/1488 overall and 9/82 in my age group.  Not bad at all for an easy 5k.  I probably could have hit around 21:00 at this race which would have put me in the top 30 or so.  But I had to leave something in the tank for Sunday.

Sunday- Half Marathon

First, some pre-race pics!

With GF before race!

I love this pic she took!

We had an easy walk to the start and got there about a half hour before the start.  I started out in Corral 2 so there wasn't much of a wait.  This race had a real wave start and it helped tremendously.  There were always people nearby, but I never once felt like the race was too big and crowded.  We started by going west from Arizona State University and I felt pretty tight from the previous day's 5k.  The first mile came in around 8:11 but was the last time I'd be above 8:00.  Something happened during this one and I was in a zone for the rest of the run.  I started clicking off 7:30 miles for the remainder of the race.  There were no designs on running a PR at this point.  I simply wanted to bank some time for when I crapped out late in the race due to it being my first of the year.  The 5k came in at 24:05 which isn't a bad time for my first 3.1 in a half.  My goal of hitting a 1:45 was looking realistic, but I was really shooting for a sub-1:50 at this one.

We headed north toward Scottsdale for the next few miles.  This wasn't the prettiest part of the course but the long straightaway was nice.  I was still hitting 7:30 miles and one or two below that.  My 10k time came in at 47:08.  Still really good for me, but I knew I would fall shy of hitting the first 8 miles in 1:00, which would mean a PR pace for me.  Still, I was running well and enjoying the sites.  We had an amazing view of Camelback Mountain and some of the rock formations north of the city.  I was staying hydrated well, as I knew I would have to hit the water stops more frequently than normal for this race.  I could certainly feel the heat and I did get some sun during this one.

There was a wicked uphill around 9 miles in, but we were treated by an amazing view of Phoenix once we crested the hill.  It was gorgeous!  We then turned around and were treated to an amazing downhill in which I ran about 7:05 for that mile.  I hit the 10 mile mark in 1:15:18.  I'll repeat that...1:15:18.  How did that happen?  I finally got it in my head that a PR was actually a possibility at my first race of the year.  I definitely picked up the pace for the rest of the race.

The last few miles were similar to the 5k the day before.  We made our way around a few rock formations.  I was definitely pushing my pace and feeling it, but I have to try for a PR when the opportunity presents itself.  I stopped watching my watch until I hit the 12 mile mark, clocking in just over 1:29.  I actually knew I would break my PR of 1:39:32 at this point an wanted to break it by a few minutes.  We made our way across the Salt River again and I kicked it in like the previous day.  The pictures as I'm finishing are hilarious as I have a big grin on my face.  I hit the finish line with a new PR of 1:37:26, good enough for 433/11181 overall and 52/591 in my age group.  Talk about a shock of a race!

We even have some celebratory pictures!

I'm still getting over the fact I hit a new PR at my first 2015 race, especially after running a solid 5k the day before.  GF was absolutely amazing and supportive!

 I knew towards the end of last year that I was starting out too conservatively at races and it's something I look to improve upon this year.

Next race: Last Chance for Boston Half Marathon- Dublin, OH