FIT Fright Challenge 5k

This was a very late addition to my running schedule.  GF and I have been extremely busy the past few months and I didn't have any races scheduled in October.  We had a rare free Saturday morning last week and I decided to sign up for this one in nearby Norwalk.  I'm very happy I gave it a shot as the result was very surprising.

Everyone knows I put minimum effort into training for a 5k.  I normally have a half marathon soon after, so I have to keep my focus on that goal.  This one was no different as my next half is in a couple days.  This was also my first 5k in over three months.  So I did a few three milers at a good pace and came in just hoping for the best.  My left hip has been giving me some issues, too, though it doesn't seem to be affecting my running.

This race started at Veterans Memorial Lake Park in Norwalk.  The scenery was gorgeous for a fall run.  We've also had very mild weather for late fall, so the overall experience was very nice for this time of year.  On to my thoughts.

I lined up near the front of the meager start line as it didn't look like there were too many people looking to race.  Many folks were dressed up for Halloween, giving this race a different laid back feel.  We started by running a trail between two of the park lakes.  A few younger folks started out in front for the first half mile or so.  Ah, youth.  I started out at a good pace and looked to maintain steady splits throughout the race.  It took little time for me and another runner to pull out in front of everyone and make it a two person race.  My first mile came in at 6:42.  We wound through the park and made a few short loops.  The scenery was great throughout as it was either wooded areas or open areas with views of the lakes.  It continued being a two person race, though I would occasionally pass him for a bit, then he'd pass me for a bit.  I think we both decided to give up on that and run step for step for a bit.  The second mile came in at 6:55.  I think this picture shows that I was working my butt off.

I made my "move" early in the final mile because I knew I would not have much of a kick left.  My pace was just too fast compared to my training.  I passed the other runner as we made our way back to the thin strip between the two lakes.  But I didn't build much of a cushion and he was able to stay about 5-10 meters behind me as we headed downhill to the finish.  I tried to hold on but he passed me with a .1 mile left and won by six seconds.  Disappointing as it is to lose a race at the very end, I'm still very happy with my finishing time of 20:25.  This ties my fourth fastest 5k time.  I also just realized that three of my five fastest 5k times have happened in 2015.  That's a surprise.

This race gave me a bit of extra confidence going into Sunday's half marathon.  Massillon will be my last half marathon of the year.

Next race: Made in America Half Marathon- Massillon, OH

Akron Half Marathon- Half Marathon #50!

GF and I celebrated a huge milestone last month as I ran my 50th half marathon!  I couldn't have picked a better race for this accomplishment.  The Akron Half Marathon was perfectly organized, the weather was gorgeous, the swag was terrific, and I had a great time!  GF would like to add that this is a VERY spectator-friendly race.  She was able to see me at four different points in the race and only had to walk a few blocks.  She saw the start, the 6 mile mark, 11 mile mark, and the finish.  GF rated this as one of the most enjoyable events she's attended with me.  If you are looking for a race in NE Ohio, look no further.

Obviously, it has been quite some time since this race and I haven't updated the blog because I haven't entered a race in a long time.  I'll add my basic thoughts to this one as it was more about finishing half #50 than anything else.

We had a bit of a snafu on the way to the race.  GF asked me the day prior if I had ever missed a race for any reason.  I said, "Of course not!  I plan ahead and get to each race with time to spare".  Until this race.  I mistakenly kept thinking it started at 7:30 when it actually started at 7:00.  We got to the parking garage, which is right at the start line, at about 6:40.  I figured we had plenty of time, so we waited a few minutes before making our way to the start...just in time to see Corral C taking off.  Whoops!  I figured I had plenty of time since the race was chip timed, so I had GF snap a few pre-race pictures and then took off at the end of Corral C.  What's amazing to me is that we were able to park right next to the start line 20 minutes before the race!

On to my report:

Miles 1-5: Well, my GPS would not start since I had no time to wait around.  I ran this one without that benefit, but I actually enjoyed running by feel.  The problem was I spent the first 4-5 miles dodging people due to my late start.  We headed north on a nice, long straightaway.  I believe we headed the opposite way when I ran the full back in 2013, so I enjoyed running a slightly different course.  The crowd in Akron is surprisingly good and it makes a medium city race feel like a big city one.  I believe I was right on pace at around 8:00 per mile after the first five.

Miles 6-10: We made our way back toward downtown with and headed east to the University of Akron campus.  This portion was much more enjoyable than in '13 as it seemed we ran through more of the campus and a lot of students were out cheering.  GF saw me early in this portion but I missed her as it was still very crowded.  I still felt very good during this portion of the race and continued running 8:00 pace.  We made our way south out of the campus and then headed back north towards downtown once again.

Miles 11-13.1:  GF saw me once again at mile 11 and I actually saw her this time.  I did my goofy fist-pump and high-fived her.  We had a few rolling hills as we ran through downtown and made a short loop to the minor league baseball stadium for the finish.  Again, I was really enjoying myself and basking in the glory of finishing my 50th half marathon.  We finished in the stadium and I collected my medal and finishing gift, which was a great pair of running socks!  My finishing time was 1:43:35, good enough for 356/4111 overall and 37/279 in my age group.  Not a bad day!

I've already finished ten half marathons in 2015 and achieved my goal of getting to 50 overall.  The last one for the year is in a little over a week.  This has not been my usual October as I haven't raced at all.  To remedy that, I'll be doing a 5k this weekend to prep for the half marathon.

Next race: FIT Fright Challenge 5k- Norwalk, OH

YOLO Festival of Races Half Marathon

GF and I made the long trek back to my stomping grounds for a wedding this past weekend.  It was tiring but a lot of fun.  We spent the time in Sidney and Piqua (yes, those scenic areas) so I naturally looked for a race in the vicinity.  Luckily, I stumbled upon this race in nearby Greenville and signed up.  This one counted as my 49th half marathon.

Lesson learned: Do NOT sign up for a race right after a long wedding day on Labor Day weekend.  We spent all day Saturday with the wedding festivities and the near 90 degree heat.  We were beat Saturday night and had to turn around and get up at 5:30 the next morning.  Have I mentioned recently how GF is the best?  She is patient beyond words.

On to the race.  This one was put on by the same timing company that did the Shawshank Hustle 7k that I despised.  I'm now convinced that the venue was the problem with that race because this one was one of the most well organized smaller half marathons I've had the pleasure to run.  There were two other races, a 5k and 15k, going on at the same time.  The organizers and volunteers were exceptional.  If you are looking for a well organized, small half marathon, look no further.  I would put the organization close to the Ohio River Road Runners Club Half which is my favorite race.  The water stops were well stocked.  The route was very, very well marked.  The medal is awesome!  It was a great event.

Miles 1-5: I started out pretty strong because the temperature was in the mid-60s at the start.  My goal was to get at least 7 miles in before the inevitable warm-up.  We started with half a lap on the high school track before exiting the stadium and running down some streets near the school.  There were a lot of turns on this course, similar to the Medina Half Marathon.  We made our way toward the Darke County Fairgrounds and ran through a few of the trails there.  The first half of the course was rather ho-hum.  There were several nicer residential areas but mostly it was a typical small town tour.  I don't have exact splits for this race as my watch did not save the data.  Most of the early miles were in the 7:45 range.

Miles 6-10: I definitely slowed down and had up and down miles during this section.  The issue with my legs crapping out has not subsided, though it is improving.  I sprinkled in a few walk breaks when we went through the fairgrounds.  The best part of the course was when we made our way through downtown Greenville.  The course support was very good here and the downtown is very nice.  I was in a larger group of runners at this point, too, which made it feel more like a race.  The course merged with the 15k runners for a short time prior to veering off to another neighborhood for a short loop, then coming back to where the 15k runners came through.  We continued north toward the finish and hit a nice bike path.  The shade felt wonderful as the temperature had risen a lot.  I was sprinkling in a lot more walking.My pace was still decent, but the walk breaks took there toll as I was in the 8:00-8:30 range for this portion of the course.

Miles 11-13.1: We then made our way back to the finish, but first we ran through the Treaty of Greenville State Park.  This is a small, but gorgeous, state park to run through.  Plenty of trees and a small pond with a fountain make this a great running location.  One more residential development and we finally made our way back to the finish on the track.  I felt good these last few miles and powered through for a respectable 1:45:20.  I finished 13/118 overall and placed 2/6 in my age group.  Not bad for my second slowest half of 2015.  I really can't say enough about how well the organizers did with this race.  It won't be on my list for next year but only because it's too far of a drive.  I would highly recommend it to anyone near the Greenville area.

The next race will be my 50th half marathon.  That's hard to imagine since I only started running these in 2009.  It should be a great day!

Next race: Akron Half Marathon- Akron, OH

East Bay Half Marathon

GF and I went on vacation to Boston and the Cape Cod area a few weeks ago.  We had a blast!  There was so much to do as we took in the beaches, Fenway Park, a whale watch, and the historic sites.  Naturally, I had a half marathon, #48 for me, on the docket right after we got there.  We stayed a few nights near Providence so I could run the East Bay Half Marathon in East Providence, RI.  This counts as my thirteenth state in which I've ran a half or full marathon.  My performance was lackluster, though I would have been thrilled with the time last year.  I've had an issue in my left hip that may or may not stem from my IT band issue a few years back.  You remember, the one I didn't give much time at all to heal?  Yeah, that one.

Miles 1-5: We started off from Pierce Field in East Providence and ran through some residential areas.  It was nothing too scenic but it was a lovely day.  It was starting to heat up earlier than I'm used to.  I started off at a conservative pace that I just couldn't quite beat and ran most of the race with or near the same fellow runners.  I really liked the size of the race (286) as there was no congestion yet I was never running alone.  The first five was mostly straight as we made our way south along the Narragansett Bay before turning around and heading back north.  We didn't really have much view of the water during this first section.  Here are my first five splits: 1 (7:46), 2 (8:24), 3 (7:52), 4 (7:40), 5 (8:02).  The splits aren't bad by any means, but I really was all over the map with my times.

Miles 6-10:  We meandered through some more residential areas during miles 6 and 7.  I was simply trying to hold on to my pace as my legs were feeling dead.  I went back and forth with a group of ten runners or so.  I'd pass, then walk for a bit, they'd pass, then I'd catch back up.  It went like that for quite some time as I simply could not get into a groove.  We finally made our way to the bike path and were rewarded with views of the Narragansett Bay and downtown Providence further to the north.  This was what I was looking forward to and it didn't disappoint.  Here are the second five splits: 6 (7:51), 7 (7:55), 8 (8:33), 9 (8:15), 10 (7:47).  Again, these splits aren't bad just inconsistent.

Miles 11-13.2: I was wildly inconsistent during the final portion of the race.  Miles 11 and 12 felt horrible and I just wanted to be done.  We continued heading north near a small park and then turned around to head back south to Pierce Stadium.  This was actually quite hilly.  I was really struggling and walked a good portion of mile 12 as the 9:02 split shows.  Once we were done with the hill, we headed east back to the finish.  We finished with a 3/4 lap on the track which I always enjoy.  I also get to see GF doing a celebratory dance at the finish.  Here are the last few splits: 11 (8:05), 12 (9:02), 13 (7:30), 13.2 (1:15).  My final time was a respectable 1:45:56, good enough for 45/286 overall.  This was my slowest time of the year by almost six minutes, but I was simply happy to hang in there and run a respectable pace.

Training has been slow and inconsistent ever since this race.  I'm trying to start slow and build up but 8:00/mile has been my normal training pace all year.  It's tough to change that.  The next race should be a fun one and will count as number 49 for me.  I'll hit big #50 in Akron at the end of September.

Next race: Yolo Family of Races Half Marathon- Greenville, OH

Great Mohican 19k...err...17k

I ran a terrific race at the Great Mohican 17k at nearby Pleasant Hill Lake a few weeks ago and still have not posted my race report.  The race was fun, but there were definitely some big areas in which the experience could improve.  I had signed up for the 19k but road construction forced the organizers to make it a 17k.  No big deal as that was out of their hands.  However, the race was so small it was kind of weird.  The main events were the triathlon and duathlon, which had 22 and 2 participants, respectively.  The 19k had only 7 participants.  There's quite a running community in the Mansfield and Wooster areas, so it seems like some better advertising would help. 

My main problem with this race were the water stops was that there was only one water stop.  Seriously.  A ten and a half mile race in early August had only one water stop.  I was going to bring a water bottle with me but the organizers said there were two stops.  The only one I saw was at the 3 1/2 mile mark, leaving 7 miles without any water.  I made it, but I do wonder how the others in this race fared.

We headed out from the beach area to start the race and I settled into an easy pace.  My main goal was to run a nice, easy pace and use it as training for the upcoming East Bay Half Marathon.  I tucked in behind the two lead runners for the first couple miles, as we wound our way away from the park and onto some country roads.  The hills were simple rollers at this point.  I decided to make a move and humor myself by taking the lead early on.  I was on my own from then on.

The course wasn't too scenic and it was constant up-down, up-down.  Seriously, these hills were killers.  The only race I have done with tougher hills was last year's Mad Half Marathon in Vermont.  This one was constant hills.  The worst part was that I had to fly downhill each time as many of the hills were so steep you couldn't go down at an easy pace.  I walked up many of them and flew down the other side which kept my time respectable.  I was hovering around 8-9 minutes per mile.  I don't have exact splits for this race.

We made a long loop on country roads before making our way back to State Route 95, taking us back to the lake.  I kept looking behind me but couldn't see anyone.  I really eased off the gas over the last two miles as I knew I had the win and wanted to save my legs.  I spotted ever encouraging GF at the finish and high-fived her on the way in.  My finishing time was 1:20:20 which isn't far off of my normal half marathon pace.  The downhills really helped me gain time because I walked A TON in this one.  This counted as my fifth road race victory and I did get a very nice personalized plaque for my efforts. GF and I were able to take a dip in the lake after the race.  That helped my legs immensely!  Next on the docket is state number 13.

Next race: East Bay Half Marathon- East Providence, RI

Shawshank Hustle 7k

GF's plantar fasciitis has improved dramatically the past few weeks, so we went forward with our plan to run the Shawshank Hustle 7k last weekend.  This is the longest race GF has ever competed in and she did a great job despite the numerous snags of this one.

I'm usually pretty forgiving of first year races.  This one had way too many snags for me to consider giving it another shot.  There was way too much confusion about the race distance.  It was listed as a 7k for the longest time, then it was listed as a 4 miler, then I saw stuff listing it as a 7k again.  Seriously.  If you visit the website now (after the race!) it's listed as a 4 miler.  Then there was the busing situation.  Good grief.  We got to the pick-up site, which was about two miles away, with over an hour to spare.  Should be plenty of time, right?  Wrong.  They had a few buses available and we waited for over an hour.  They even moved the start back to 9:00 from 8:30 and there were still people waiting to be bused.  Plus, it was so packed at the reformatory that you could hardly move, making the first mile of the race a total cluster.  The race was capped at 3000 and I'm honestly not sure if the organizers visited the site beforehand to see if it could accommodate that number.  Getting a bus on the way back took another 45 minutes or so.  I've been checking the event Facebook page and people are saying everyone should have been there earlier.  I don't like waiting around for 2-3 hours before a race.  One hour should be plenty of time.  Finally, the water stops.  The first one was around 2 miles into the race.  The second was a half mile after that.  And that was it.  That's dangerous for folks on a hot day in July.  I get this was more of a "theme" race with with the Shawshank theme but it was poorly organized.

Now, the race itself.  The start was a cluster with an uphill right out of the gate.  We then turned toward Mansfield and made our way downtown.  We had a few nice downhills early on and GF did some light jogging during these sections.  She actually wasn't far off her usual pace for the first two miles.  Her plantar felt good for the first few miles, too.  We turned again onto Main Street and made our way south into downtown.  If you know downtown Mansfield, you know this is a huge uphill and it was quite a battle. I grabbed GF a water at the top of the hill and checked how she was doing.  So far, so good.  I could tell she was having a fun time. 

We hit the turnaround and got the nice downhill after all that uphill.  GF was still looking good as we hit the second water station.  She did start to feel the plantar a little bit on the downhill which didn't surprise us.  The varied terrain probably helped her out but a steep downhill wasn't the best thing for her.  We made our way back out of town and I requested regular progress reports.  We turned back toward the reformatory for the last big hill and GF certainly felt this one.  I kept reminding her that this was the last hill left and that she had this one in the bag.  After turning and heading back toward the reformatory, she wanted to try to jog the rest of the way to the finish.  I grabbed her hand (just in case) and we ran to the finish.  For her longest race ever, GF finished in 1:19:07.  She was 1373/1695 overall for the women's division, plus she beat a hundred or so of the guys.  Her pace actually wasn't far off her 5k effort.

I'm extremely proud of how well GF did at this race after battling plantar for well over a month.  She's turned the corner and we're looking at scheduling her a 5k in September or October.  Next up for me is an odd distance that I actually completed this morning.

Next race: Great Mohican 17k- Perrysville, OH

Ontario Liberty 5k

I can't believe it's been two weeks since this race and I'm just now getting to my (brief) race report.  The short of it is that I ran a great race on a relatively short course in perfect conditions.  This was originally going to be a PR attempt for GF, but she's still battling a case of plantar fasciitis.  So I decided to try for a sub-20:00 race only one week after a solid 5k in Tiro.

We started out from the Ontario High School and I tried to keep with the front pack.  That was a no-go as this was an insanely fast 5k.  I tucked in with the second group which was still flying.  The race was made up of some nice straightaways with a few minor rolling hills.  I felt great but came out way too fast.  The first mile clocked in at 5:52.  I'm not even sure when the last time is I've clocked a sub-6:00 mile in a 5k.  Maybe never.  The second mile was also very fast as we made a few turns and made our way through Marshall Park.  I was in a small group of 4-5 runners and was desperately trying to hold on.  The second mile came in at 6:08, despite the fact that the only actual hill was near the end of this mile.  We continued our way through Marshall Park before making a turn back toward the high school.  There wasn't anyone I could catch in front of me, nor was there anyone on my heels during this last mile.  I really wish there would have been as I might have run a PR.  Still, I hurried toward the finish, high-fived a celebrating GF, and made my way to the line in 19:52.  This is only the second time I've broken 20:00 in a 5k!  I finished 9/148 overall and first in my age group.  I can mark another 2015 running goal off my list.

 GF is still battling plantar but she's improving.  She's working on the elliptical and the stationary bike to keep her cardio up and we've gone for a few walks.  We are doing the Shawshank Hustle here in Mansfield this coming Saturday and it looks like she'll have to walk a good portion of it.  We're hoping to find her another 5k in the near future.

Next race: Shawshank Hustle 4 Miler- Mansfield, OH