Flying Pig Half Marathon

The final stage in the Skyline 3-Way was the Flying Pig Half Marathon.  I was simply having fun with the series and had no designs on making a PR attempt or anything like that.  I was shooting for around 1:45, but I knew getting a decent time on this course would be difficult.  Everything you've heard about the hills at the Flying Pig are true.  The first half was flatter than I thought it would be but the second half was tough!

GF and I made our way to Paul Brown Stadium for the early 6:30 start.  It was a bit tough to get into the corrals (I was in B) since the race was huge. I didn't run into any problems, though, and still left with the second wave.  Here's my report.

Miles 1-5: I felt good at the beginning, considering the previous day's 10k and 5k attempts.  We made our way from Paul Brown Stadium east and crossed into Kentucky.  This part of the course was the same as the 10k.  The Newport section was very pretty and we saw the sun rise within the first couple miles. We made our way back to the Ohio side and headed toward downtown Cincinnati.  I enjoyed the downtown portion as much as any others on the course.  The crowd support was outstanding.  The congestion of the first few miles was gone and I could maneuver.  I was running some very solid splits, too.  Here are the first five: 1 (8:50), 2 (8:05), 3 (7:55), 4 (7:45), 5 (7:40).  I was executing my plan perfectly and slowly chipping away at the time from the first mile.

Miles 6-10: We continued through the downtown area and getting closer to the famous hills the Flying Pig has to offer.  I was still feeling surprisingly great and lowering my time with every step.  Until mile 6.  The hills started and, good grief, were they long and steep.  The first one took a "take no prisoners" approach and was simply cruel.  There seemed to be no end to it and it lasted about 3/4 mile.  The course flattened out for a very brief time and started right in again with another steep hill.  I've done plenty of half marathons with these long hills sprinkled throughout and others that have rolling hills the whole course.  I'll take the rollers any day of the week.  Having such hills smack in the middle of the course is punishment on the quads.  Even looking forward to the eventual downhill didn't really help as I knew my legs would be destroyed before that.  We exited Eden Park during mile 8 and the course leveled off for about two miles.  Here are the splits: 6 (7:03), 7 (7:52), 8 (7:53), 9 (7:25), 10 (7:25).  You can definitely tell the hilly sections from the flat ones.  My splits were still below 8:00 and I knew a sub-1:45 was a definite, despite the fact the course was measuring 1/5 mile long.

Miles 11-13.1: Now we hit the steep downhill portion of the race.  This was actually a tough part as the quads were destroyed and there was no holding back on such steep declines.  I passed a ton of people during this section and just had fun with it.  We briefly went around Eden Park and headed back downtown.  The final mile was close to the same as the 10k finish.  I was feeling great about my time and decided to pump up the crowd during my final sprint to the finish.  GF even got to watch the end of my race, which is a rarity at a race this size.  I hit the finish line in an amazing 1:40:42.  I can't believe I ran such a tough race in a respectable time, especially after running almost 10 miles the previous day. Here are the final splits: 11 (7:08), 12 (6:42), 13 (6:50), 13.1 (2:08).  I finished 442/11,527 overall and 75/623 in my age group.  Not bad at all for such a huge race!  I also finished 98/701 overall in the Skyline 3-Way Challenge.

GF took a few post-race shots and I also took one of the ridiculous amount of medals for the weekend, including an extra for completing the 3-Way Challenge.

I have actually been running every day since The Pig.  That's a surprise and it really shows how much improvement I've made over the past year.  I do have one half marathon at the end of the month, but I'm starting to switch gears for summer 5ks.  GF plans on doing several with me and I'm sure she's going to break her PR several more times.

Next race: Greek Festival 5k- Mansfield, OH

Flying Pig 10k and 5k

The first day of my Skyline 3-Way Challenge went very well.  I was a bit concerned about going out too fast, warm weather, getting a blister on day one, etc.  Everything was just fine and I'm now prepping for the half marathon on Sunday.  Overall, I'm feeling good as I'm not really racing so much as just completing the 3-Way Challenge this weekend.  Saturday was all about GF's 5k PR attempt!

We did get a chance to take some pictures at the expo.  GF even got one with a flying pig!

10k

I headed to Great American Ballpark for the start of the 10k.  GF stayed in the hotel to get some extra sleep prior to the 5k.  The weather was perfect at the 8:00 start with overcast skies and temps in the high 40s.  I lined up in Corral B and we started right on time.

Miles 1-3- The first half of the course was beautiful.  We made our way around the stadium and headed over the first bridge to cross over to Kentucky.  I started out with a 8:38 first mile and I'm guessing I was pretty steady from there.  My GPS had conked out so I was going by feel.  The course meandered through Newport prior to the next bridge taking us back into Cincinnati.  The course was very pretty during this stretch.  We had a few hills but nothing major.  I felt great and knew I would get a great time.  I was around 24:30 at the halfway point.

Miles 4-6.2- We passed back by the stadium and made our way around a nearby downtown area.  This part of the course wasn't nearly as scenic and was just kind of bland.  I was still having fun, though.  We did hit one major hill during mile 4, at which point I quickly called GF to make sure she got her wake up call.  I'm pretty sure she found that both funny and horrifying!

I was able to use the downhills during the final section to pick up the pace some, even though I wasn't technically racing, and finish with a great time of 49:10.  Overall, a great race!  I quickly collected my first medal of the day and headed back to the hotel to pick up GF.

5k

GF has done an amazing job training for the Flying Pig 5k.  She was set on beating her previous best of 47 and change.  She's been killing it on her training runs and we recently found that short bursts really work well for her.  She was nervous before the race, but I knew GF would get a new PR at this one.

GF before the race!

What almost worked against us was the number of participants.  We started off at a good pace, but we really had to pick our spots for GF to fit in her quick bursts.  There were so many people in the 5k that we spent most of the race weaving in and out of people.  But GF started out at a great pace and held it steady the whole time, despite the fact that it was also getting quite warm.  We hit one big hill about a half mile in and GF used the downhill to her advantage.  She hit the first mile in 14:43.  That's about 40 seconds faster than I had set as a goal for her.

The second mile was very dull.  It was a flat straightaway, but it at least provided some opportunities for GF to fit in some short bursts.  I could tell roughly half way into the race that she had a PR in the bag.  She was just over 22 minutes at the halfway mark and was doing a great job.  We hit another uphill in the downtown area around the two mile mark.  She again hit the mile in around 14:44.  Very steady splits!

The final mile presented a few downhills which really helped.  I reminded GF that there were Skyline Coneys available at the finish (because I was also getting hungry) and she sped up.  :)  She did an excellent job over the last quarter mile and really kicked it in for a strong finish of 45:27.   The course came in long at around 3.17, so I'm certain she did 3.1 in under 45:00.  That's a huge PR for GF!  We were both thrilled by her effort.

Oh, and we did have a few coneys!

Next up is the final race in the 3-Way Challenge, tomorrow morning's half marathon.

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