Augusta Half Marathon

I chose this as my get out of Ohio in the winter race for 2012.  Of course we've had such a mild winter that temps in Georgia were about the same as here.  Oh well. 

This race was very, very well organized with excellent communication from the race directors.  I did my usual stay a few blocks away from the race thing which works really well when you're in an unfamiliar city.  Packet pickup and the race start was held at Enterprise Mill right by the Augusta Canal.  This is an actual renovated mill now used for office space and special events.  Packet pickup was easy on Saturday.  A few local running stores were represented as well as some local marathons.  My preference is to go right in and out at these expos (another reason I love smaller races) and go about my business.  I was able to check out some historic sites around Augusta and western South Carolina. 

Sunday morning was chilly.  Almost Ohio chilly.  It was around 40 degrees at race start, but with a pretty strong wind.  I actually wore a hat, gloves and a long sleeve tech shirt.  The first five miles of this race were probably the most eventful of any race I've ever done.  We started right outside of Enterprise Mill where my only complaint about this race takes place.  The race starts and we immediately have to make a u-turn in about 60 yards.  Huh?!!!  This made for a very clustered start.  They definitely need to change this for next year. We made our way through the scenic downtown area on Broad St. which I highly recommend visiting.  It's just a cool downtown with plenty of things going on.  The art and history museums are very cool, as is the Augusta Riverwalk along the Savannah River.  We then turned away from the downtown area and ran down Walton Way.  Now the race is very flat for the first three miles or so.  I was at 26:15 for the first three which is just better than my 9 minute usual pace.  But then all heck broke loose.  Many of the race emails warned us of The Hill.  I like some hills in races but this monster was ridiculous.  It felt like we were running straight up, then there's a slight turn where we're met with more of the same.  I believe it was roughly one mile of this hill if not more.  I kept my pace right at 9 minute miles and hit the five mile mark in 45 minutes. 

We had the nice downhill that accompanies a rugged uphill and the rest of the race had lots of hills.  They were manageable but my quads were definitely feeling it.  The second five miles didn't have anything as interesting as the first five until we hit Olmstead Lake at mile 9.  This was a very cool part of the race as we made our way around the lake (around 2.5 miles).  I hit the 10 mile mark in 1:26.  My usual is to hit this in around 1:30 but I've been hitting these faster times the past few half marathons so I definitely need to adjust my goal pace at these races. 

The final 3.1 felt pretty fast and I'm surprised with how much I had left.  We finished our circuit around the lake and made our way back towards downtown.  It was basically one long straightaway which made for a fast finish.  I crossed the finish line in 1:51.24.  Good enough for my third fastest half!  The medal is one of the coolest ones I've earned.  The food at the finish was a big disappointment.  Bagels, oranges and bananas were pretty much all they offered.  This race definitely has the potential to become a premier half marathon in the South.  There were roughly 1,100 runners and 24 states represented. 

Considering the lack of consistent training (due to odd Ohio weather) and this being my first half of the year, I'm thrilled with this time.  My goal of breaking 1:50 this year is definitely a strong possibility with the first attempt coming in one month's time.

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

Frostbite 5 Miler

I decided to make this my first race of 2012 for a couple reasons- 1) The weather in Ohio has been very nice this winter and today was no exception.  Low 40s and sunny.  Perfect running weather.  2) I joined the Ohio River Road Runners Club and most of their races are free for members.  No brainer.  3) 5 miles is a nice distance to test where I am and to prepare for the Augusta Half Marathon in three weeks.

I didn't come in thinking that I would necessarily race this one more than use it as a tuneup for Augusta.  I went out fairly easy in the first mile, which went around Centerville High School and made its way through the surrounding neighborhood.  Pretty level first mile and I clocked in around 8:17.  The second mile started with a downhill followed by a twisting uphill.  I really liked this course because of all the elevation changes.  I prefer courses with some rolling hills as it works more of the leg muscles than a flat course.  My time was slightly faster for the second mile and I was at 16:20.  For coming out easy, I really felt that I was running a nice pace and kicked it up slightly during mile 3.  More uphills during this miles we continued making our way through some of the local neighborhoods.  I was at 24:10 at mile 3 and was on pace to run a race of nothing but negative splits.

We ran a loop around one neighborhood for mile 4 and I was staying at a good pace.  I kept reeling people in and passing them and felt surprisingly good.  There was one killer hill as we started the final mile and I passed a few people here.  Then we made it back towards the high school and I finished hard, passing five people in the last 200 meters, and clocked in at 38:45.  I came in just looking to run this in 42-43 minutes, so I'll take it.

Next race: Augusta Half Marathon- Augusta, GA

La Porte By the Bay Half Marathon

My final race for 2011 was the La Porte By the Bay Half Marathon in La Porte, Texas.  I was able to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins, which made this one even more fun!  They were even able to follow us on the course and see me at several different points along the course.  Extra motivation!

Getting to the race was a piece of cake.  Plenty of parking at the high school across from the Sylvan Beach area for the start.  I was impressed with the size of the race (890 runners) and the organization.  The swag was pretty nice as we got gloves, a tech shirt, and some running socks.  

The weather wasn't bad at all.  It was around 55 degrees with a  drizzle at the start of the race and it didn't warm up much from that.  We started out from Sylvan Beach and I used a different race strategy than normal.  The key attraction of this race is that we got the opportunity to run the Fred Hartman bridge twice.  I could tell from the pictures of this bridge that it would be tough, so I decided to start out fast to make up for time missed on the bridge.  We made a quick one mile loop around town before we began heading outside of La Porte towards the bridge.  I kept under my usual 9 minute pace for the first few miles and got through the first three miles in 26:04. 

The area before the bridge was not very scenic, but I wasn't really expecting much.  This race was all about the bridge itself, which we started at the five mile mark.  This thing was a beast!  The ascent began with a gradual uphill that really wasn't bad.  Then the uphill changes dramatically.  Check out pictures of this thing online.  Plenty of people were taking some walk breaks.  I had no problem the first time around and just maintained a steady pace.  I hit the halfway point in just under an hour. 

The downhill was nice, but a little too steep.  The quads were beginning to feel this race and I was glad to make my way back to flat ground.  We made a quick detour to the turnaround point and my family saw me twice here.  Then we made our way back to the bridge.  Not so much fun the second time around.  I walked about 100 yards on the initial uphill and was able to slog through the rest.  I stopped taking splits right now because my quads were in a lot of pain and I did something to my left foot during this race.  Thankfully, that has now healed up.  The final three miles were slow, but enjoyable as the bridge was now behind me (though it may haunt my dreams).  I just maintained a steady pace and came in at 1:53.08.  That is way faster than my goal of simply breaking 2:00.  I was in PR shape, but those uphills were just terrible.  

That ends my 2011 running season.  I achieved my goals of new PRs in the half marathon and marathon and I even added a surprising 10k PR, too.  Nine half marathons, one full and twelve other races make this a very successful year for me.  I also ran in several more states: Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas.  I'm taking a well earned break during the holidays before starting in again.  My plan is to start in late February with a half marathon in either Florida or Georgia. 

Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon

I made the trek from Dayton to Louisville this weekend to mark Kentucky off my list.  This was an inaugural event, but put on by the same people who organize the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon.  I figured there would be no problems since that race gets such great reviews.  The organization for this race was definitely top notch.  No major issues that I can think of from this race, but there is room for improvement.

Packet pick up was on Friday and I got to Louisville at about 2:00.  Got right in to the Galt House Hotel for pick-up which was very unspectacular.  One booth for bib numbers, one for the T-shirt and one for free gels (this was a nice touch) and that was that.  I was disappointed that there wasn't a local running store represented, but I didn't need to buy anything anyway.  The shirt is a very nice long sleeve Adidas tech tee.  I don't have too many long sleeve tech tees, so I am happy with that.

I woke up on Saturday at about 6:00 and found a parking garage downtown at around 7:15.  It was about a mile walk to the start line at Waterfront Park.  I had no problem with this as I was parked closer to the finish line so I could get out at a reasonable time since I had a ticket to the Louisville-Pitt game at noon.  The walk also gave me a chance to warm up.  The weather was perfect in the mid-40s but the wind made it feel much colder in the morning.  Gear check was a breeze and I made my way to the start line with plenty of time to warm up. My goal for this race was to just run at a comfortable pace and hit a 1:57-1:58.  I don't have many exact splits, but here are my thoughts from the race.

The start wasn't much of a cluster at all.  I was able to start at a comfortable pace and hold steady throughout the run.  We made our way from the park through part of the downtown area heading east.  The first few miles were around 9:00 each and I believe I was at 27:07 for the first three miles.  That's about where I like to be at for the first few miles as I've finally been hitting negative splits at these races.  The first half of the race was very scenic.  We made our way to Cherokee Park.  This is one of the prettiest parks I've ever gone through at one of these races.  There was an abundance of fall colors in the park and we were lucky enough to spend a few miles making our way around the park.  The only hills that I noticed were in this park, but nothing horrible.  Just the rolling variety.  We made our way to the six mile mark just outside of the park.  I hit this split in about 52 minutes.  I'm guessing I was around 57 minutes at the halfway point of the race.

While the first half of the race was very scenic, the second half was not.  We made our way through some parts of town that have clearly seen better days.  The crowd support was pretty sparse, too.  I kept at a steady pace and started to pick it up some around mile 7.   I wasn't thinking about setting a new PR, but I did think I had an excellent shot at a sub 1:55.  The only real issue I had with this race was that the course support seemed to disappear during the second half.  There were aid stations at every mile during the first half.  I only counted three during the second half.  And there was a huge gap between mile 9 and 12.  That aside, I kept up a strong pace and hit the 10 mile mark in 1:26.  As you know by now, I usually try to hit ten miles in 1:30.

The final three miles wound back through the downtown area and flew by for me.  I always try to finish the final 5k strong and I definitely did so yesterday.  My body is used to running this distance now so I never felt like I was straining too much.  I hit the finish line in 1:50.56.  This is my second fastest time, being behind my Air Force Half time of 1:50.01.  I finished 416/2326 overall.

My confidence is obviously sky high as I came to Louisville just wanting to break 2 hours and prep for the next race.  It was only four weeks ago when I did the Columbus Marathon, so to run a 1:50.56 just blows my mind.  I have one race left on my 2011 calendar and it's in three weeks.  I could very well try for a new PR to finish the year.  We'll wait and see.

Next race: LaPorte By the Bay Half Marathon- LaPorte, TX

Columbus Marathon

This was the big one.  The key race I've been building up to since January.  And it did not disappoint!  I knew coming in that I would do better than last year's Spinx Run Fest Marathon (4:42) for two reasons.  1. Columbus is a much flatter course than Greenville, SC.  2. My training was so much better this year.  My top long run last year was only around 16 miles.  This year I did two 16 milers, a 17 miler, and a 20 miler.  My body is a lot more accustomed to this kind of distance and that showed on Sunday.  My realistic goal for this race was to break 4:30.  My somewhat unrealistic goal was to break 4:15.

I stayed only four blocks from the race start, which was absolutely perfect.  I was able to take my time getting ready, pop a gel, watch the traffic begin to back up outside the hotel, and then make my way to the start.  It was about 7:00 when I made my way to Corral D for the 7:30 start.  Now I've mentioned before that I usually don't run larger races.  Last month's Air Force Half Marathon was the largest race I've done, but it wasn't overwhelming.  This race was huge.  It's like the whole city comes out to support this race, which is so cool.  A band played at the starting line until we started and it was a party like atmosphere.  At 7:30 a huge cannon went off, followed by fireworks, to start the race.  It flowed pretty well and it took about 5-6 minutes for me to cross the start line.  

I went out at a very conservative pace after learning my lesson last year.  10-11 minute miles for the first few miles is fine because I have plenty of time to make it up.  We headed east on Broad St. toward Capital University for the first few miles and I was overwhelmed by the crowd.  Cheering people were packed along every city block and were out in full force in the smaller neighborhoods, too.  The first few miles clicked off like they were nothing and I just settled in and enjoyed myself.  I didn't bother to get splits for every mile (not for a full marathon) but I do have the major splits from the race site itself.  The fact is, I felt pretty good.  The first 10k went by in 58:31.  That's actually not far off from where I like to be in a half marathon but, again, this is a fast course.

We made our way through German Village and back north on High St.  These miles weren't bad, but I began feeling a few aches, nothing major, during this portion.  It seems it's always around mile 10 when I do start feeling the race, but it tends to go away pretty quickly.  Again, the fans overwhelmed me during this stretch.  So much support from the city.  I hit the half marathon mark at 2:03.56.  I think I was at 2:07 at this point at last year's marathon and really hit the wall around mile 17.  It certainly didn't feel like I was going to hit the wall anytime soon, so I kept a steady pace. 

I forgot what a powerless feeling it is when the half marathoners break off to finish their race and the rest of us keep running.  That's the precise moment when you realize you're in a marathon.  It is nice since we actually had room to operate once we lost the half marathoners.  We ran their entire race with them.  That's a bit odd as every marathon I've been to splits up the two races at an earlier point.  With 17,000 combined in the half and full, you really had to watch where you were going.  We continued up High St. and over to the OSU campus.  We even made our way around Ohio Stadium!  I still felt good (minus one pit stop) and was maintaining a steady pace.  Mile 20 was in a residential area in Upper Arlington.  There were plenty of cheering people at the Mile 20 marker, otherwise known as The Wall.  The point every marathoner really begins to feel the race.  We even went under an inflatable sign that said "Break Through the Wall!"  I noticed one sign that said, "Every wall has a door."  Awesome.  I crossed the 20 mile marker in 3:11.52. 

We continued through a few neighborhoods in Upper Arlington and started making our way back to downtown.  I still felt good, but was feeling a few aches in the left knee and in the hips.  My knees sometime ache when I get to about 15 miles and they had remained pretty quiet until this point.  The hips are always an issue for me in a longer race.  Something has to be off with my form and I plan to work on this in the winter.  I stopped at mile 22 to stretch some and walked through the water stop.  There were fewer spectators through a little neighborhood, but the ones who were out were very enthusiastic.  Miles 23 and 24 were very slow.  I was really feeling this race at this point.  I stopped to stretch out again.  Mile 25 was pretty good as I ran with a larger group and chatted with them some.  As we made our way downtown, I knew a PR was a definite, and that a sub-4:15 was a good possibility if I kicked it in some.  We hit the 26 mile marker and I gave it everything I had left, crossing the finish line in 4:13.49! 

I had to have looked like death after crossing the finish line.  After almost collapsing twice, I received my medal from a volunteer and very carefully made my way to the food.  They gave each runner their own bag of food to ensure everyone got something.  That's a nice touch.  I just collapsed on the grass and tried to stretch out.  I can say in all honesty that I gave this one everything I had and I'm very proud of it.  Going from a 4:42 to 4:13 is a huge difference.  Will it be my last marathon?  No.  I'll be doing another at some point.  I'm leaning toward Indianapolis, Kentucky Derby, or maybe Columbus again (I've earned the right to start in Corral C next time).  Rather than going through the post-marathon funk that some people don't believe is possible (it is) I have two half marathons planned to finish 2011. 

Next race: Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon- Louisville, KY

Run for the Rams 5k

I just finished the Run for the Rams 5k at the Miami Valley School here in Dayton.  I wasn't too keen on running a race for the third week in a row, but this one was free.  I'll say that again.  Free.  I've never been to a free 5k and wasn't expecting much, but it was better organized than some half marathons I've attended.  We even got a nice long sleeve tech tee!  For free!  This was also my final 5k in my 20s, so I wanted to have a good showing.

My goal for today was to just go easy, try to place in my age group, and prepare for Columbus in three weeks.  Why do I ever say I'll go out easy?  I never do.  I lined up near the front because a ton of little kids were lining up near the front and I didn't want to dodge them to start the race.  Let the others do the dodging.  We headed out and I ran a very fast pace for the first mile.  There were some nice hills throughout this race.  The first one was about a half mile in and was definitely a nice challenge.  I hit the first mile in 6:31 which is much faster than I wanted to go.  But I also like to establish myself early in a race and maintain distance between myself and the second pack.  There was another runner who I chatted with prior to the race who was now just in front of me.  He said he usually ran around 21 minutes, so I trailed him for the majority of the race.  The second mile was very, very tough with another hill.  This one wasn't as steep, but it was long.  We hit the halfway mark in 10:37 and the two mile mark in 13 and change.  Then we went back around the same neighborhood and met up with the walkers who were nice enough to cheer each one of us along.  Again, there was a hill at about the 2.5 mile mark.  I actually like getting some hills in during races because of the challenge.  It's the only way you'll ever improve.   I passed my runner friend with about a quarter mile in and kicked it in for a strong finish of 21:22.  Pretty happy with this time considering all the hills.  I placed first in my age group and I think in the top 10 overall.

October 16th is quickly approaching and my goal race for the year, the Columbus Marathon, will be here before I know it.  I've got a 19-20 miler planned for Friday and then a two week taper.  I'm focused in and feel much more confident than I did last year before the Spinx Run Fest Marathon.

Next race: Columbus Marathon- Columbus, OH

Air Force Half Marathon

I just finished my first major half marathon earlier today and was thrilled with the result.  The race takes place at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.  The expo at the Nutter Center was very well done and I had no issues.  Same goes for the parking on race day.  Most people complain about it, but it's fine if you get there early.  I arrived two hours before the half started and got right in.  It is about a mile walk from the parking area to the start line by the Air Force Museum, but it's good for a warm-up. 

Let's get to the race itself.  I came in to this one thinking I would just take it easy.  Break two hours, go home, rest up for the Columbus Marathon next month.  But the weather was just too perfect and I felt great during this one!  Here's the breakdown:

Miles 1-5: The start was a bit of a cluster compared to what I'm used to, but there were around 5,000 in the half.  The first part winds around the base itself, so there are very few spectators and nothing too scenic.  I started out at my usual pace and hit the first mile in 9:00.   The second mile was slightly faster and the third was slightly faster than that.  I was feeling pretty good and started flirting with the idea of running a 1:55.  We made our way off the base into a few local neighborhoods.  I took a gel at mile 4 because I felt that I was running a good pace and wanted to keep that going.  I hit the 5 mile mark in 44:22 which is slightly faster that the 45:00 I usually try to hit. 

Miles 6-10:  Something happened to me around mile 6.  I hit the mile marker in 52:26, making it just higher than an 8 minute mile.  Granted, there was a downhill here, but an 8 minute mile doesn't happen to me during a half.  And I still felt great.  So I slowed down just a bit to keep it realistic, but was still running a nice pace.  There was a wicked hill just past the 8 mile mark.  I slowed down a bit during this stretch and hit the downhill pretty hard.  We came in around Wright State University and I hit the 9 mile marker in 1:18.24.  Another little hill during mile 10, but I was still at 1:27.13 at the 10 mile mark.  Usually I try for a 1:30 at this point.  I can safely say that this was when I decided to really push my pace and go for a new PR. 

Miles 11-13.1: We hit a few more hills between WSU and the base, but I know the roads around this area very well since I went to WSU.  Kept pushing my pace and hit the 11 mile mark in 1:35 and change.  My previous personal best is 1:52.57, so I still had to push the pace some to hit that mark.  I definitely did that today.  Not sure what my 12 mile mark was, but I think it was around 1:42, making it a 7 minute mile!  Pretty close to the same for the final mile.  We made our way back to the Air Force Museum, made a few turns, and ran underneath the wings of several planes lined up along the finish (awesome).  Hit the finish line in 1:50.01, beating my previous best by 2:56!  That's a huge PR!  My overall place was 578/4661.

I am obviously thrilled with my time with this race.  It gives me a new PR and the confidence to try to break 1:50 next year.  It also gives me confidence going into next month's Columbus Marathon.  I have an easy 5k next week that I decided to sign up for because it's free.  Can't pass that up!  But I'm pretty focused in on Columbus right now.

Next race: Miami Valley School Run for the Rams- Dayton, OH