Columbus Half Marathon

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plymouth Fireman's Festival 10k

On to my 10k for 2017.  I tend to do one 10k each year as a change of pace, though I've never felt very comfortable at this distance.  The 5k is short enough to not require much thinking and the half marathon pace is something I feel confident about.  But the 10k is just an awkward one for me.  The last one I ran (Maui) went downhill for me in a hurry as I started out too fast.

This race was very, very small.  There were only nine of us in the 10k and twenty-five in the 5k.  That's small.  The course was pretty simple as we started in the center of town, made a semi-circle going north to west, west on Baseline Rd., south on a county road, and then back.  I was very surprised with the course.  It was a lot hillier than I expected from the Plymouth area.

We started out through town and the two top runners went out at a ridiculous pace.  I came out too fast as we made our way to Baseline Road and had to slow down.  The first mile was in 6:29 and the second in 6:48.  That's way too fast for me, though I started out in third place and was able to maintain.

After the first long straightaway, we headed south for another one.  The hills here were surprising.  Nothing awful, but they were enough to hurt after the fast start.  My third mile came up to 7:26.  That's better.  We turned around and headed right back the way we came.  The second place runner was well ahead of me and the fourth was well behind.  I do find these quiet pockets in races.  My pace was more consistent as we went, too.  The fourth mile came in at 7:12 and the fifth in 7:35.  We headed back towards town and I was really feeling this race.  Again, I looked around and there was no one near me.

Finally, we made our way back to town and went around the west side.  This included one nice downhill at which I gained a few seconds.  Another downhill into the finish gave me a new 10k PR of 44:06!  That takes off almost a minute and a half from my previous PR, set in 2013, and gives me my second new PR of the year.

Up next is a new half marathon for me.

Next race: Columbus Half Marathon- Delaware, OH

North Fairfield Lions Street Fair 5k

This was one of those "I've got the itch to race" runs for me.  North Fairfield is a tiny burg about 40 minutes from home.  W wanted to go to this one, so we got up a bit earlier than we would like on a Saturday and headed out.

The town is basically two roads intersecting with a few homes and very small businesses.  I haven't done many of these tiny races as I used to, but really enjoyed doing them when I lived in the Dayton area.  There's a certain charm and you get to see some hidden areas of the state.  The race started at the village park, which was actually much nicer and bigger than I would have guessed.

The weather was perfect for mid-July.  It was high 60s, cloudy, with a cool breeze.  I felt decent coming in and thought I might be able to beat my last 5k in Galion.  We headed to the meager start line and headed out on the out and back course.

I felt great from the get-go but tried to not get carried away.  The course was pretty flat with a few very small rollers.  I started in the top five and just held steady there.  A runner who I met and ran a warm-up with earlier was running the same pace, so we just ran together for the majority of this one.  We hit the cones for the first mile in 6:25.  Right on pace for a nice race.  We passed one runner and made our way into a tie for third.

There were two high school runners in front of us and we both thought we might have a chance to catch them.  But my will to run a PR type race lowered when we hit the turnaround.  My watch showed 1.47 miles.  Crap.  This was going to be a short race.  We both slowed down a bit, though still hit the second mile in 6:24.  When the heck is my second mile faster than the first in a 5k?  I can't think of many times at all.  I still knew it was worth pushing for a good time and passed my fellow runner to get into third place.  The return to the park was a net downhill which helped me at the end.  I finished with a 19:05(!) but my GPS showed the course at 2.96 miles.  I'm guess I would have been around 19:45, so I'll go ahead and count this as my third sub-20:00 of the year.  That's more than all other years combined!

I did finish in third overall, out of probably thirty-some runners, and finished first in my age group.  Next up is the dreaded 10k distance.  I've been running better 5ks than ever before, so I am hopeful that will translate to a 10k PR.

Next race: Plymouth Fireman's Festival 10k- Plymouth, OH

Ontario Liberty 5k

I'm very late on getting to this one done and my next race is tomorrow.  How many times have I started a post with that sentence?

This was another of W's races for the year.  A friend of hers walked it with us, which I think made it much easier for W.  She came into it with as much training as the Kingwood 5k so she was nervous.  The race starts at Ontario High School which is about a half mile from our house.  I'm coming to terms with the fact that easier logistics makes for a more enjoyable time.  The weather helped as it was cool with a light rain.  The day before was very humid so we lucked out.

We started out with a long straightaway on Shelby-Ontario Road.  This race was much more competitive than when I ran it two year's ago.  There were only a few walkers in this one.  The three of us started with some light jogging before switching to walking when we turned on to Milligan Road.  This is the best downhill portion of the race and a great way to build up time.  W looked very comfortable.  The conversation was greatly helping her.

I didn't have my watch so there are no splits.  I could tell that W was going to break her time from Kingwood by a good margin.  We went around the park in a loop and back to Milligan.  W did sprinkle in some more jogging at the turnaround point.  She was having fun!  We turned back on Milligan and (remember that earlier downhill?) had to contend with the uphill.  We then turned back toward the school for one last jog into the finish.

W finished with a final time of 51:54.  That chips off almost three minutes from Kingwood!  On little training and a tougher course that's not bad.  I think W is done with 5ks for a little while and will probably hit one in September.  My next one is tomorrow and looks to be very small.

Next race: North Fairfield Lions Street Fair 5k- North Fairfield, OH

Avita Moving Hearts and Soles 5k

I ran this nice local race over in Galion last weekend.  The weather has warmed up, so my 5k times are going to be slower than the blazing fast (for me) times I've been running.  I felt pretty confident going into this one.  I haven't had the dead legs feeling this year that I normally get this time of year.

The race started at the Avita Orthopedic Center in Galion, about a 15 minute drive from the house.  While I'll always prefer the half marathon, I do like the easier logistics of running local 5ks.  There's no real driving, no hotels or restaurants, the registration is cheaper, and I'm more competitive at this distance.

I did not have my GPS watch with me for this one and ran solely on feel.

We started out heading west on Hosford Road.  There were a few rolling hills sprinkled in the first stretch.  This helped my time out a bit.  I started out in the second group of people, as there were some fast looking high school kids in this one.  That's one negative to summer races.  We turned south at the next road for another straightaway.  I caught a few people in this stretch and knew I was in the top ten.  My first mile was probably around 6:30 or so.  It felt faster than it should be considering the heat.

The second mile was dull.  We turned around and headed down a LONG straightaway.  There were very few hills and no real scenery.  I went back and forth with another runner, but both of us wound up where we began.  Nobody was passing me and I wasn't passing anyone.  I guess that's how you know you're in the right place!  We turned around again and headed back toward Hosford Road.  Prior to getting there, we headed through a small residential area to break up the monotony.  I was feeling the heat and was certainly slowing down.

We finally made our way back to Hosford and I was able to finish somewhat fast.  I tried to catch the other runner from earlier but with no luck.  After turning back to the orthopedic center, I was able to hit the finish line in 20:43.  This was good enough for 7/194 overall and second in my age group.  Not a bad outing.

The next one actually occurred a few days ago.  W ran in her second 5k of the year and had a very good effort!

Next race: Ontario Liberty 5k- Ontario, OH

Kingwood Center 5k

W and I did our first race together last weekend.  We have ran the Kingwood Center 5k together the past few years as this amazing place holds a lot of meaning for us.  We had our first date there in 2014 and were married there this past September.  It's certainly W's favorite place in Mansfield as the gardens there are spectacular!

W's training has been inconsistent at best this year.  She was very nervous going into this one.  She did have two things going for her: the heat wasn't nearly as bad as last year and there were no cicadas!  If you look at last year's race, the cicadas were dive-bombing us during the whole thing.  It was no fun at all.

This year's race was in much better temps, though still warm, and it was just an overall nice day.  W had the goal of getting the race in under the one hour mark.  I had a feeling she could beat her time from last year of 55:48.  We started near the back of the pack, but W wanted to start off with some jogging.  That surprised me and she did a good job of starting strong.  We did the usual weird loop in the high school parking lot and made our way toward the B&O Bike Trail.  W was keeping up a strong pace and finished the first mile in just over 17:00.

We continued walking at a brisk pace.  I was walking at a pace just faster than what W was comfortable at, which I'm pretty sure she noticed.  We continued on the bike path as the winners were circling back past us.  North Lake Park offers a change of pace in this race as we head off the path for a quick lap around the lake.  W was still going strong and was doing much better than last year.  The geese weren't out like they usually are at the park.  We finished our loop and hit the second mile marker soon after getting back on the bike path.  W had a slightly slower second mile but was still on pace.

The third mile is primarily on the path.  We were both feeling the heat as the sun had come out from behind the clouds.  W was trying to slow down a bit but I kept her on pace.  She let me know she wasn't pleased with that!  We finally made our way off the path to the Kingwood Center for a loop around the east side of the grounds to the downhill finish.  W finished hard and came in with a final time of 54:17.  She took a minute and a half off her time from last year!  With no training!

Needless to say, I am very proud of W for gutting it out.  She has earned a break and will walk at the upcoming Liberty 5k in Ontario.  I have one 5k between now and then.

Next race: Moving Hearts and Soles 5k- Galion, OH

1LT Michael L Runyan 5k

Shocker of shockers, I am behind on the blog again.  W and I just did a 5k this weekend, but I still have to get to my report of the Michael L Runyan 5k in nearby Ashland.

This race was very well done in memoriam of Michael Runyan, who died serving the country in Afghanistan.  His family has organized this race at Ashland University for the past seven years.  The words before the race were moving and served well to remind everyone of what Memorial Day means.  I can't think of a better tribute.

The race itself was challenging and surprising.  The temperature was higher than the recent Heartland 5k.  I felt great going in and knew I could run a decent time.

We started out with a half lap at the Ashland U track prior to hitting a long straightaway through a residential area.  I started with the lead pack of five or so runners.  This quickly spread out as the top two runners took off and the third place runner kept a good pace in front of me.  There was one small hill near the beginning but not many the rest of the way.  That's surprising in Ashland.  We headed north at the one mile mark for the lollipop portion of the course.  My first mile came in at about 6:15 (I don't have the exact splits).  Very fast and I was feeling more beat than the Heartland 5k.  We continued around another residential area and headed back toward the start.  I kept gaining on the third place runner only for him to speed up any time I got next to him.  He eventually sped up leaving me in fourth place.  The fifth place runner was still far behind me.  The second mile clocked in at 6:40.  I was thinking that I *might* be able to come in under 20:00.

The final mile was rough as the sun came out from behind some clouds.  This warmed things up quite a bit.  I just tried to hang on and hit the last hill prior to turning off toward the university.  A quick lap around the track and I had somehow managed another sub-20:00 5k.  My final time was 19:42, good enough for 4/119 overall and 1/5 in my age group.

I only had two sub-20:00 5ks EVER prior to this year.  Now I have them in back-to-back races.  More importantly, I've been enjoying running some 5ks this year.  Next up is a race with W.

Next race: Kingwood Center 5k- Mansfield, OH