I signed up for this race soon after the events at the Boston Marathon. Many races around the country were experiencing record numbers of runners the week after the horrifying attacks. In our own meager way, we were showing support for the people of Boston and showing that we will not change the way we live our lives.
This race was held at the Hoover Reservoir in Westerville, OH. 5k and 10k options were also available. It was the first ten miler I've ever entered and I decided to just take it easy and treat it like a training run. After running a 10k PR the week prior and with the Cap City Half Marathon coming up, it really was my only option.
I arrived at the race an hour early (as always) and could not believe how cold it was for late April! There was frost on the ground! Most runners were staying in their cars until they absolutely had to get out. So, seeing as I was treating this as nothing more than a training run, I decided I might as well be comfortable and threw on a long sleeve tech tee and my lightweight jacket from the Columbus Marathon. I never wear that much in races, but it didn't look like I would be overheating. The race started at the Bel Lago restaurant and ran along the reservoir for the first few miles. There was little to no congestion because the other races started 15 minutes after ours. I started off at a modest pace, hitting 9:21, 9:15, and 9:05 for the first three miles. My legs were still feeling my 10k attempt from the previous week. We crossed the dam during the third mile, which gave us a gorgeous view of the reservoir. Most of the rest of the course meandered through some neighborhoods east of the lake. The scenery wasn't bad and there were some nice hills to break up the race a bit. Surprising, considering the Columbus area is, for the most part, flat. I picked it up some during this stretch and began hitting sub-9:00 miles for the rest of the race. My modest goal of finishing below 1:30 was well within reach.
There were some nice downhills on the way back to the dam, which we crossed again, on the way back to Bel Lago. I was just over one hour at the seven mile mark and made the final push. We made our way back the same exact way we came, so I knew what to expect. I was able to catch a few people during this stretch, too.
Final time- 1:25:09 64/205 Overall
Not a bad effort for a last minute training race. I normally could have come close to breaking 1:20. The Capital City Half Marathon is in just under a week. I am not expecting another PR effort like my last Cap City attempt, but the weather is certainly looking better than last year. Early reports are looking at mid-50s when the race starts. Compare that with the blistering heat and humidity of last year's race.
Next race: Capital City Half Marathon- Columbus, OH
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Run the Res 10k
This past weekend was the Run the Res 10k in Fostoria, Ohio. If you've been following the blog, you know about my aversion to 10ks. I can't really explain it. If I make a mistake in a 5k, I can get through it because it's just 3.1 miles. But a mistake in a 10k can be disastrous. The weird thing is that I had placed in my only 10k attempts (BOSS Summer Run in 2002, Ralph Wade in 2011, and Twin Creek Trail in 2012). The reason I ran this one is because it was placed perfectly in between the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon and Capital City Half Marathon. Pretty perfect for training purposes. My goal was simply to break 50 minutes.
The race started at 2pm at Community Park (I think that's right) in Fostoria. The 5k option started at the same time as the 10k, which made it difficult pacing-wise. I started out way too fast as we made our way around two of Fostoria's reservoirs. It was a very pretty run and very flat for the first half or so. The 5k runners definitely threw me off and I started out with a 7:19 for the first mile. That's not far off from how I start 5ks, so I knew this would be tough. We continued around the way we came and I was still picking people off as we hit the second mile marker. I was still at 15 minutes and change, despite trying desperately to slow down.
Finally, the 10k and 5k split up around 2.5 miles in the race. We made our way up two bridges that consisted of major inclines. I was finally able to assess the situation as I made my way down for a long straightaway heading outside of town. There were some runners in front of me, but not many. My best bet were two groups of two people each. But they were up there a ways. I hit the third mile marker in 23 minutes and change. Still too fast, but at this point I was prepared for some pain.
The next few miles were very uneventful. Two long straightaways on some country roads. It did start raining lightly, which helped to cool things down some. I passed the first group of two runners at the four mile mark. Despite starting too fast, I still felt pretty good and looked to pick off the next two people. The turnaround was just past the four mile mark and we made our way back to town. I gained on the next two runners and caught up to them at the five mile mark, which I crossed in 38 minutes and change. The second of the two challenged me for the next half mile, but I picked up the pace as we made our way up the bridge. I'm a proponent of going hard on the uphills. If you're passing someone, they'll see that you still have some strength left. After that, it was the final push down the bridge and the last half mile to the finish line. I crossed the finish in 45:35, good enough for a new 10k PR!
I didn't place in this race, but still finished a strong 14/64 overall. Despite starting out too strong, this race taught me that I can a little harder in the early miles of future half marathons.
There were no plans for running a race this weekend, but I decided to sign up for one after the events in Boston on Monday. I'm sure there will be plenty of runners there in support and I plan to use this one as an expensive training run for Capital City. I urge you all to make donations to One Fund Boston and to keep those who were effected in your thoughts.
Next race: Hoover Hustle 10 Miler- Westerville, OH
The race started at 2pm at Community Park (I think that's right) in Fostoria. The 5k option started at the same time as the 10k, which made it difficult pacing-wise. I started out way too fast as we made our way around two of Fostoria's reservoirs. It was a very pretty run and very flat for the first half or so. The 5k runners definitely threw me off and I started out with a 7:19 for the first mile. That's not far off from how I start 5ks, so I knew this would be tough. We continued around the way we came and I was still picking people off as we hit the second mile marker. I was still at 15 minutes and change, despite trying desperately to slow down.
Finally, the 10k and 5k split up around 2.5 miles in the race. We made our way up two bridges that consisted of major inclines. I was finally able to assess the situation as I made my way down for a long straightaway heading outside of town. There were some runners in front of me, but not many. My best bet were two groups of two people each. But they were up there a ways. I hit the third mile marker in 23 minutes and change. Still too fast, but at this point I was prepared for some pain.
The next few miles were very uneventful. Two long straightaways on some country roads. It did start raining lightly, which helped to cool things down some. I passed the first group of two runners at the four mile mark. Despite starting too fast, I still felt pretty good and looked to pick off the next two people. The turnaround was just past the four mile mark and we made our way back to town. I gained on the next two runners and caught up to them at the five mile mark, which I crossed in 38 minutes and change. The second of the two challenged me for the next half mile, but I picked up the pace as we made our way up the bridge. I'm a proponent of going hard on the uphills. If you're passing someone, they'll see that you still have some strength left. After that, it was the final push down the bridge and the last half mile to the finish line. I crossed the finish in 45:35, good enough for a new 10k PR!
I didn't place in this race, but still finished a strong 14/64 overall. Despite starting out too strong, this race taught me that I can a little harder in the early miles of future half marathons.
There were no plans for running a race this weekend, but I decided to sign up for one after the events in Boston on Monday. I'm sure there will be plenty of runners there in support and I plan to use this one as an expensive training run for Capital City. I urge you all to make donations to One Fund Boston and to keep those who were effected in your thoughts.
Next race: Hoover Hustle 10 Miler- Westerville, OH
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon
This race, based on Lexington, Kentucky, is billed as one of America's prettiest half marathons. This is absolutely an accurate description of the race. It stars at Keeneland Thoroughbred Racing Assc. right outside of Lexington and winds through the (very) hilly back roads amid the local horse farms. It is one of the toughest half marathons I've completed but also one of the prettiest.
I made the long trek to Lexington on Friday for packet pick up, which was also located at Keeneland. It was a very cool race expo and, thankfully, I was able to get right in and right out. I stayed pretty close to the race start and had no problem getting in on race day. However, they capped the race at 5000 this year and I think that's as far as they should go. Parking became an issue closer to race time and the race was actually delayed 15 minutes. That was really the only negative for this year's race. The weather was perfect, in the low-40s, so the delayed start wasn't a major deal.
We headed out from Keeneland and I immediately set into a nice nine minute pace. I had heard several people say that the second half of the course was tougher than the first and, judging by the first few tough hills, I wanted to save plenty of gas for the second half. The scenery was fantastic. Nice rolling hills. Horse farms on each side of the road. Some of the gorgeous thoroughbreds came to the fence line to watch us. That was quite the experience. Race-wise I felt pretty good. My 3 mile split was around 26:52, which is right where I wanted to be. I did speed up some by the time I hit the halfway mark, which was in 58:20.
The second half started right in with tough, tough hills! Up, down, up, down for miles 6-9. There were a lot of rollers, but the downhills really started to kill my quads. But I was still doing well and hit the 10 mile mark in 1:26:40. My sub-2:00 streak was going to survive and I decided to just coast and enjoy the scenery. This course certainly doesn't have much crowd support but it isn't needed at all. The race actually leveled out a bit over the last few miles, so I wound up speeding up just a bit and hit the finish line in 1:52:18. As I saw this race as a major challenge, I'm very happy with this time.
Next race: Run the Reservoir- Fostoria, OH
I made the long trek to Lexington on Friday for packet pick up, which was also located at Keeneland. It was a very cool race expo and, thankfully, I was able to get right in and right out. I stayed pretty close to the race start and had no problem getting in on race day. However, they capped the race at 5000 this year and I think that's as far as they should go. Parking became an issue closer to race time and the race was actually delayed 15 minutes. That was really the only negative for this year's race. The weather was perfect, in the low-40s, so the delayed start wasn't a major deal.
We headed out from Keeneland and I immediately set into a nice nine minute pace. I had heard several people say that the second half of the course was tougher than the first and, judging by the first few tough hills, I wanted to save plenty of gas for the second half. The scenery was fantastic. Nice rolling hills. Horse farms on each side of the road. Some of the gorgeous thoroughbreds came to the fence line to watch us. That was quite the experience. Race-wise I felt pretty good. My 3 mile split was around 26:52, which is right where I wanted to be. I did speed up some by the time I hit the halfway mark, which was in 58:20.
The second half started right in with tough, tough hills! Up, down, up, down for miles 6-9. There were a lot of rollers, but the downhills really started to kill my quads. But I was still doing well and hit the 10 mile mark in 1:26:40. My sub-2:00 streak was going to survive and I decided to just coast and enjoy the scenery. This course certainly doesn't have much crowd support but it isn't needed at all. The race actually leveled out a bit over the last few miles, so I wound up speeding up just a bit and hit the finish line in 1:52:18. As I saw this race as a major challenge, I'm very happy with this time.
Next race: Run the Reservoir- Fostoria, OH
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Churchill's Half Marathon
Ah, the joys of living in Northwest Ohio. We've had a rough winter, temperature-wise, so my training has been so-so at best. But today we hit 60 degrees. That's almost unheard of this early in the year. I've been getting in a lot more 4-6 milers the past month or so, but I don't think I went past 8 or 9 in a single run. I was pretty nervous when I signed up for this one, but looked at it as a warm-up for the sure to be challenge awaiting me in Lexington at the end of the month.
This is a no-frills race in Monclova, a southern suburb of Toledo. It starts at the elementary school, does a short out and back for the first three miles, about three more on the Wabash Cannonball Trail, and then another longer out-and-back for the remainder. It's very flat (translation: windy) and fast. It reminded me a lot of the Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon I've done the past few years in Xenia. The race is the same ridiculously low price ($25) while still offering a nice long sleeve tech shirt and finisher medal. I'm becoming a huge fan of these smaller races.
Let's get to my race experience. I had the realistic goal of simply keeping my sub-2:00 streak alive. That's it. I wasn't expecting anything else. We started out with the first out-and-back. I kept it conservative and still finished the first mile in 8:40, even though I was really looking for 9:00. The second mile was similar and I finished this first three mile section at 25:30. Crap. That's a minute and a half faster than I wanted. I wasn't panicking, but I knew that pace was not sustainable. We entered the Cannonball Trail and the wind was in our face. It wasn't terribly strong, or cold, but it was enough to be an annoyance. I don't have splits for this section, but I know I was around 51:30 for the first six miles. Again, whoops. I was hoping for maybe a 54:00 here. But I still felt good. When I hit the 7 mile mark in just under one hour, I really felt like I could get a good strong performance here.
The second out-and-back was the boring part of the course. Not much to report here. Just two long straightaways in farm country. The wind was hitting us on the way out and I overheard some runners complaining about it. Again, I still felt pretty strong here and hit the 10 mile mark in 1:21 and change. I was shooting for 1:30 here, so I was very much ahead of the pace and looking at a possible sub-1:50. We turned around and had a tailwind on the way back. I passed a few people here and felt very strong. The 12 mile mark clocked in at 1:38:15. I kicked it in, knowing a sub-1:50 was a definite, but I was not prepared to run a sub-8:00 last mile. We got back to the school and I crossed the mat at 1:45:27. That's my third fastest time out of 24 half marathon attempts. For the first race of the year, I'll take it!
I don't know what else to say about this, other than I am thrilled with the result. I almost can't believe it. This is the fifteenth straight half marathon in which I've broken the 2:00 mark and it's getting to the point where I'm looking to at least break 1:55 instead. The next race may just challenge my streak, but it should make for a very scenic course.
Next race: Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon- Lexington, KY
This is a no-frills race in Monclova, a southern suburb of Toledo. It starts at the elementary school, does a short out and back for the first three miles, about three more on the Wabash Cannonball Trail, and then another longer out-and-back for the remainder. It's very flat (translation: windy) and fast. It reminded me a lot of the Ohio River Road Runners Club Half Marathon I've done the past few years in Xenia. The race is the same ridiculously low price ($25) while still offering a nice long sleeve tech shirt and finisher medal. I'm becoming a huge fan of these smaller races.
Let's get to my race experience. I had the realistic goal of simply keeping my sub-2:00 streak alive. That's it. I wasn't expecting anything else. We started out with the first out-and-back. I kept it conservative and still finished the first mile in 8:40, even though I was really looking for 9:00. The second mile was similar and I finished this first three mile section at 25:30. Crap. That's a minute and a half faster than I wanted. I wasn't panicking, but I knew that pace was not sustainable. We entered the Cannonball Trail and the wind was in our face. It wasn't terribly strong, or cold, but it was enough to be an annoyance. I don't have splits for this section, but I know I was around 51:30 for the first six miles. Again, whoops. I was hoping for maybe a 54:00 here. But I still felt good. When I hit the 7 mile mark in just under one hour, I really felt like I could get a good strong performance here.
The second out-and-back was the boring part of the course. Not much to report here. Just two long straightaways in farm country. The wind was hitting us on the way out and I overheard some runners complaining about it. Again, I still felt pretty strong here and hit the 10 mile mark in 1:21 and change. I was shooting for 1:30 here, so I was very much ahead of the pace and looking at a possible sub-1:50. We turned around and had a tailwind on the way back. I passed a few people here and felt very strong. The 12 mile mark clocked in at 1:38:15. I kicked it in, knowing a sub-1:50 was a definite, but I was not prepared to run a sub-8:00 last mile. We got back to the school and I crossed the mat at 1:45:27. That's my third fastest time out of 24 half marathon attempts. For the first race of the year, I'll take it!
I don't know what else to say about this, other than I am thrilled with the result. I almost can't believe it. This is the fifteenth straight half marathon in which I've broken the 2:00 mark and it's getting to the point where I'm looking to at least break 1:55 instead. The next race may just challenge my streak, but it should make for a very scenic course.
Next race: Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon- Lexington, KY
Monday, December 31, 2012
Run Like the Dickens/2012 Review
I realize that I never updated my blog with the results from the Run Like the Dickens 5k here in Tiffin. The race was early in December and there's not a whole lot to report. I ran a decent race but certainly not my best effort. The race ran on the north end of town along the Sandusky River on a simple out and back course. The second portion didn't feel the greatest but I still finished in 21:10, good enough for second in my age group. A rather ho-hum finish to a very good year.
2012 was a very good running year for me, despite the move from Dayton to Tiffin taking up a lot of my energy halfway through the year. I completed ten half marathons, six 5ks, and three races of other various distances. I also broke my half marathon PR on three separate occasions. Here's a look at my thoughts on 2012:
Favorite races
ORRRC Half Marathon- This is one of the best (and cheapest) races you will ever find. The organization is top notch and I set a huge PR when I ran this in March.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- I was covered in muck from all the rain during this extremely difficult trail race, but it was an absolute blast to compete in this one.
Capital City Half Marathon- I love running in Columbus! This was the second PR I set during the year, but I'm certainly hoping for cooler weather at this one next year.
Old Port Half Marathon- I traveled to Portland, Maine for this one and didn't regret it one bit. The course was gorgeous and the post-race atmosphere was the best I've seen.
Carey Twilight 5k- Running outside in a thunderstorm? Why not? This was actually a blast of a race and one I plan to do each year.
Houston Half Marathon- It's always fun to visit family in Houston. The race itself was very well organized and smallish for one in such a big city. Running through downtown Houston as the sun was rising was a definite highlight.
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- I set my PR of 1:41:50 at this one, despite forgetting my timing chip and starting the race a few minutes late. The course was decent with a double look and I was in a zone.
Toughest races
Somerset Stampede Half Marathon- Hands down the toughest half marathon I've ever done. Up, down, up, down for 13.1 miles. And these weren't easy hills. Running a solid 1:50:06 gave me the confidence to run three straight sub-1:50 half marathons in the fall.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- See above. Slipping and almost falling for about an hour.
What's planned for 2013?
I'm signed up for the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington, KY, Capital City Half in Columbus, and Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half. I'm considering going to Florida in either March or sometime in October, which will probably involve a race of some type. I also plan on running half marathons during the summer in an effort to stay in shape rather than taking those hot days off. We'll see how it goes. My main goal is to break 1:40 in the half.
2012 was a very good running year for me, despite the move from Dayton to Tiffin taking up a lot of my energy halfway through the year. I completed ten half marathons, six 5ks, and three races of other various distances. I also broke my half marathon PR on three separate occasions. Here's a look at my thoughts on 2012:
Favorite races
ORRRC Half Marathon- This is one of the best (and cheapest) races you will ever find. The organization is top notch and I set a huge PR when I ran this in March.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- I was covered in muck from all the rain during this extremely difficult trail race, but it was an absolute blast to compete in this one.
Capital City Half Marathon- I love running in Columbus! This was the second PR I set during the year, but I'm certainly hoping for cooler weather at this one next year.
Old Port Half Marathon- I traveled to Portland, Maine for this one and didn't regret it one bit. The course was gorgeous and the post-race atmosphere was the best I've seen.
Carey Twilight 5k- Running outside in a thunderstorm? Why not? This was actually a blast of a race and one I plan to do each year.
Houston Half Marathon- It's always fun to visit family in Houston. The race itself was very well organized and smallish for one in such a big city. Running through downtown Houston as the sun was rising was a definite highlight.
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- I set my PR of 1:41:50 at this one, despite forgetting my timing chip and starting the race a few minutes late. The course was decent with a double look and I was in a zone.
Toughest races
Somerset Stampede Half Marathon- Hands down the toughest half marathon I've ever done. Up, down, up, down for 13.1 miles. And these weren't easy hills. Running a solid 1:50:06 gave me the confidence to run three straight sub-1:50 half marathons in the fall.
Twin Creek 10k Trail Run- See above. Slipping and almost falling for about an hour.
What's planned for 2013?
I'm signed up for the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington, KY, Capital City Half in Columbus, and Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half. I'm considering going to Florida in either March or sometime in October, which will probably involve a race of some type. I also plan on running half marathons during the summer in an effort to stay in shape rather than taking those hot days off. We'll see how it goes. My main goal is to break 1:40 in the half.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon
This low-key half marathon filled my final half marathon spot for 2012. It started off disastrous and somehow shifted into my best half marathon performance.
The weather was perfect. High 30s at the start with no wind. I showed up at the race with a fellow running friend who was running his second half. Everything was timed out perfectly. We were walking to the park, Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, when I had one of those moments I've only heard about. Where's my timing chip? Oh, it's not on me. I should probably have that. So I ran back the car (almost a sprint), put on my timing chip and sprinted back to the race only to hear the gun go off. I was about three minutes late to the start. And, despite having a timing chip, there was not an actual timing mat at the start. Great. I'm three minutes in the hole and this thing just started.
So I did what I knew at the time would be stupid. I ran hard. Right out of the gate. I just wanted to make up some time and still try for a sub-1:50, which would mean running a PR type race. The first few miles ticked by much faster than they should. As you know, I usually try for 9 minute miles for the first few. But I ran several sub-8 minute miles right off. I was passing people like I never had in a half marathon, but I really had nowhere to go but up after the late start. The three minutes were made up within the first three miles. How long could I keep up that pace? Being the last half for my season, I decided to keep going at that pace.
We looped around the park and I held steady with 8:00 miles. It was feeling pretty good, but I figured mile 8 would be my crisis point for this race. I had gone out way too fast. I finally caught up with my fellow runner somewhere between miles 5 and 6. He was running a great race so I stayed with him for a bit before taking off again. 8 minute miles were still clicking by.
I knew mile 8 would be the crisis point. It was. I slowed down quite a bit as we began our second loop around the park. While it's understandable that we have limited trails through this park, it seems like two loops could easily be avoided. Plus, it a lot of it was one big straightaway. Nice for times, not for scenery. I slowed down for about a mile or so before picking it up again. My time at the 10 mile mark was 1:17. That is way faster than my normal pace. I picked it up again as a PR became a definite possibility, though my actual time versus gun time would be about three minutes off.
We looped back around for the last few miles and I continued passing people. The finish line didn't come into view until about a quarter left in the race. I gave it everything I had left and crossed the mat at 1:41:50 according to my watch. That's a PR by almost four minutes! My gun time was still in the PR range at 1:44:57. My age group place was 9/32 and overall 89/565. That's a nice way to finish the season! One more 5k left in 2012.
Next race: Run Like the Dickens- Tiffin, OH
The weather was perfect. High 30s at the start with no wind. I showed up at the race with a fellow running friend who was running his second half. Everything was timed out perfectly. We were walking to the park, Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, when I had one of those moments I've only heard about. Where's my timing chip? Oh, it's not on me. I should probably have that. So I ran back the car (almost a sprint), put on my timing chip and sprinted back to the race only to hear the gun go off. I was about three minutes late to the start. And, despite having a timing chip, there was not an actual timing mat at the start. Great. I'm three minutes in the hole and this thing just started.
So I did what I knew at the time would be stupid. I ran hard. Right out of the gate. I just wanted to make up some time and still try for a sub-1:50, which would mean running a PR type race. The first few miles ticked by much faster than they should. As you know, I usually try for 9 minute miles for the first few. But I ran several sub-8 minute miles right off. I was passing people like I never had in a half marathon, but I really had nowhere to go but up after the late start. The three minutes were made up within the first three miles. How long could I keep up that pace? Being the last half for my season, I decided to keep going at that pace.
We looped around the park and I held steady with 8:00 miles. It was feeling pretty good, but I figured mile 8 would be my crisis point for this race. I had gone out way too fast. I finally caught up with my fellow runner somewhere between miles 5 and 6. He was running a great race so I stayed with him for a bit before taking off again. 8 minute miles were still clicking by.
I knew mile 8 would be the crisis point. It was. I slowed down quite a bit as we began our second loop around the park. While it's understandable that we have limited trails through this park, it seems like two loops could easily be avoided. Plus, it a lot of it was one big straightaway. Nice for times, not for scenery. I slowed down for about a mile or so before picking it up again. My time at the 10 mile mark was 1:17. That is way faster than my normal pace. I picked it up again as a PR became a definite possibility, though my actual time versus gun time would be about three minutes off.
We looped back around for the last few miles and I continued passing people. The finish line didn't come into view until about a quarter left in the race. I gave it everything I had left and crossed the mat at 1:41:50 according to my watch. That's a PR by almost four minutes! My gun time was still in the PR range at 1:44:57. My age group place was 9/32 and overall 89/565. That's a nice way to finish the season! One more 5k left in 2012.
Next race: Run Like the Dickens- Tiffin, OH
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Houston Half Marathon
I am way behind with this blog. The Houston Half Marathon & Relay was two weeks ago and I have the Cleveland Fall Classic next week. Time to get blogging!
This was my second time visiting Houston. I went for the LaPorte Half Marathon (that dreaded bridge!) last December and had so much fun that I decided to go down for the Houston Half Marathon. The best part is that I was able to visit family again! It doesn't get much better than that. You know what else? The weather was perfect! It felt like Ohio in the fall rather than Houston. It was actually in the mid-40s when we headed out. That is cold for Houston but perfect for me.
The race started near downtown at a small park right off the highway. The pre-race atmosphere reminded me of the Columbus Marathon but with fewer runners. I chose this race because it's the largest city in which I've run a race, but it's not congested due to there being around 3000 runners. That's a good size race without the hassle of getting to the start line, finding the gear check area, etc. It was still dark when we began the race at 7am and we made our way through the downtown area on a short loop. This was a very cool part of the race. The skyscrapers were still lit up and we were running on the road in downtown Houston. How many times do you get that opportunity? The roads were of course wide enough to accommodate the runners and there was none of the congestion that you can experience in these races. I was a bit disheartened by my pace, though. I was going at about 9:15 per mile for the first three miles, but I felt like I was going more at a 8:30 pace. Thankfully that would change.
We then started heading west away from the downtown area. This race had a lot of straightaways, which sounds boring, but it actually helps not having to worry about running the tangents. My pace felt good and I noticed I was hitting some sub-9:00 miles during the long straightaway, slowly chipping away some time. This portion was along the highway, so there wasn't anything too scenic. By the time we hit mile 7, I was well on pace for my 13th straight sub-2:00 half marathon.
Next up were some parks for a few miles. This was a nice portion of the race and it broke up the monotony some. I picked it up quite a bit around mile 8 or so as my gel from mile 6 was starting to do its job. The pace felt surprisingly good, especially considering I ran a great race at the Dayton Corridor Classic two weeks prior. We headed out of the parks and back to the main straightaway. I was at a 1:25 at the ten mile mark.
The last 3.1 was pretty uneventful. I didn't have too many people around me so I just tried to maintain my pace. The race stats show that I was 7:44 pace for the final five miles or so. I'm guessing the last few miles were around a 7:30 pace. Pretty darn good for me. The final mile was a complete blur and I was able to pass a few people and hit the finish in a respectable 1:48.25, good enough for my third fastest half.
Training has been spotty since the race. It's mostly been maintenance runs on the trails and trying to stay fresh for the next half, which will be my third in a five week period.
Next race: Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- Strongsville, OH
This was my second time visiting Houston. I went for the LaPorte Half Marathon (that dreaded bridge!) last December and had so much fun that I decided to go down for the Houston Half Marathon. The best part is that I was able to visit family again! It doesn't get much better than that. You know what else? The weather was perfect! It felt like Ohio in the fall rather than Houston. It was actually in the mid-40s when we headed out. That is cold for Houston but perfect for me.
The race started near downtown at a small park right off the highway. The pre-race atmosphere reminded me of the Columbus Marathon but with fewer runners. I chose this race because it's the largest city in which I've run a race, but it's not congested due to there being around 3000 runners. That's a good size race without the hassle of getting to the start line, finding the gear check area, etc. It was still dark when we began the race at 7am and we made our way through the downtown area on a short loop. This was a very cool part of the race. The skyscrapers were still lit up and we were running on the road in downtown Houston. How many times do you get that opportunity? The roads were of course wide enough to accommodate the runners and there was none of the congestion that you can experience in these races. I was a bit disheartened by my pace, though. I was going at about 9:15 per mile for the first three miles, but I felt like I was going more at a 8:30 pace. Thankfully that would change.
We then started heading west away from the downtown area. This race had a lot of straightaways, which sounds boring, but it actually helps not having to worry about running the tangents. My pace felt good and I noticed I was hitting some sub-9:00 miles during the long straightaway, slowly chipping away some time. This portion was along the highway, so there wasn't anything too scenic. By the time we hit mile 7, I was well on pace for my 13th straight sub-2:00 half marathon.
Next up were some parks for a few miles. This was a nice portion of the race and it broke up the monotony some. I picked it up quite a bit around mile 8 or so as my gel from mile 6 was starting to do its job. The pace felt surprisingly good, especially considering I ran a great race at the Dayton Corridor Classic two weeks prior. We headed out of the parks and back to the main straightaway. I was at a 1:25 at the ten mile mark.
The last 3.1 was pretty uneventful. I didn't have too many people around me so I just tried to maintain my pace. The race stats show that I was 7:44 pace for the final five miles or so. I'm guessing the last few miles were around a 7:30 pace. Pretty darn good for me. The final mile was a complete blur and I was able to pass a few people and hit the finish in a respectable 1:48.25, good enough for my third fastest half.
Training has been spotty since the race. It's mostly been maintenance runs on the trails and trying to stay fresh for the next half, which will be my third in a five week period.
Next race: Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon- Strongsville, OH
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