Maui 10K

W and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon.  It was just as spectacular as advertised!  We climbed to the top of Diamond Head, took submarine and helicopter tours, went to the beach, and ate some great food.  Being the sick runner that I am, I found this race only two miles from our hotel.  I considered running the half marathon but I simply cannot handle heat and humidity.  I opted for the 10k, a rare distance for me, instead.

I figured this would be a low-key race but, who cares, it's Hawaii!  There were a few little oddities but nothing major.  The views were good but my performance was lackluster.  I haven't had that one CRAP race yet this year.  This one qualifies.  Certainly the travel, heat and humidity affected me in this one.  But the worst part is that I abandoned my race plan and stunk up the joint.

Miles 1-3: We started out on a side road near some beach resorts.  This was the typical road race type of thing to settle in prior to the nice views.  We ran down several straightaways only to double back and head the other way.  You could tell this was just to build up mileage but it was fine.  I started out WAY TOO FAST.  My goal was to place in my age group but I started out in third place for the first mile.  I could tell the humidity was going to be killer but ignored it at first.  We hit the only hill on the course and made our way out to the main highway.  We were then treated to ocean views about three miles in to the race.  Here are the first three splits: 6:52, 7:10, 7:51.  Yeah, it got bad in a hurry.

Miles 4-6.2:  Things really fell apart and I just focused on having fun and enjoying the views.  I was running really slow for a 10k and, honestly, pretty slow for a half marathon.  I tried to keep in position for an age group award but had a feeling it wouldn't happen.  The course was very cool with views of the water.  But it changed with about 1 to 1.5 miles left in the race.  We moved off the waterfront trail into hotel parking areas.  That's not exactly what I envisioned when signing up for this one!  It was odd and actually kind of difficult to figure out where you were to go.  I wound up on the wrong side of the straightaway at the finish, though that only cost me a few seconds.  I did finish pretty hard.  Here are the last three splits: 8:04, 8:28, 7:30.  My final time was 47:07 which was good enough for 12/173 overall and 4/22 in my age group.  I missed placing by a mere nine seconds which just drives me nuts.

My next race is a new distance for me and one that sounds fun!

Next race: Wooster Brick Run 25K- Wooster, OH

Mid Ohio 13er

I am way behind on this blog and hope to update the last two races.  FW (now W) and I were married a couple weeks ago and we just returned from our honeymoon in Hawaii!  Of course that involved a race, but let's get to this local one that delivered in every category.

The 13er is a half marathon in Mansfield.  That gave us a ten minute drive on race morning which was great.  The weather cooperated as we had a cool front move through the day before the race.  We were both impressed with the start/finish area.  It felt like a much bigger race as the organizers really went above and beyond to give everyone a good experience.  I'll keep my report short since it's been over three weeks since the event.

Miles 1-5: We started in downtown Mansfield and moved west on Park Avenue.  This portion was mostly uphill on a slight grade.  We then moved through the three parks in town: South, Middle, and North Lake.  I felt great early on as this part of the race offered a lot of shade.  Mix that with the cooler temps and it felt like a mid-Fall race.  I kept with the first group of runners and simply tried to maintain that until we made our way to the B&O Bike Path in Mansfield.  It certainly helped that I had run at least the first 7-8 miles of this race either in training or in other races.  The first five went like this: (1) 7:31, (2) 7:06, (3) 7:10, (4) 7:25, (5) 7:18.  Very consistent first five.

Miles 6-10:  More of the bike path.  This section offered some great shade and potential for consistent times.  But the dreaded hill would make it's appearance shortly after we turned off the path at mile 8.  I took it easy on the hill as it felt like it was straight up.  And, of course, it's one of those that levels off for a bit only to continue about 20 meters up the road.  It was rough.  Plus, the sun was now out and we wouldn't have much shade the rest of the way.  After the hill, we started making our way back through town.  Here are the splits for this five: (6) 7:19, (7) 7:15, (8) 7:35, (9) 8:25, (10) 7:35.

Miles 11-13.1:  The final section was through town with some nice downhills mixed in.  I didn't do as well as I was hoping at the end.  I probably could have taken another minute from my time had I not been beat.  We made our way downhill, back to Park Avenue, for the finish.  W was cheering me at the finish but I somehow missed her again!  Here are the final splits: (11) 7:45, (12) 7:35, (13) 7:05.  Not bad, but I would have done much better had the last 2-3 miles been more consistent.

My final time was 1:38:29.  I was pleasantly surprised, as this was almost four minutes faster than my goal.  I finished 7/103 overall and 4/9 in my age group.  

I can't say enough about this race!  The course shows the best of Mansfield and is a nice mix of flat and hilly terrains.  The people who were out cheering were great and the water stops were some of the best I've seen for a while.  The organizers made it feel like a big city race.  I plan on running it again next year.

Next race: Maui 10k- Lahaina, Maui, HI

Blueberry Festival 5k

FW wanted to get a 5k in prior the wedding (now one week away!).  Her training has been spotty as work and wedding planning has obviously taken up a lot of our time and energy.  She had the goal of running this local 5k in 55:00.  With how little she's been able to train, I'm extremely proud of her effort in this one.

This summer has been hot as you can tell by my last post.  The morning of this race wasn't bad, but it got warm during the second half.  FW's plan was to sprinkle in some jogging and go from there.

We started out near the Lexington bike path and made our way through town.  FW started right out by jogging for a bit.  She's really improved her pacing this year, which is allowing her to jog for a longer period.  We meandered through some residential areas and hit the only major hills on the course early on.  FW was jogging much more than I thought she would, so I was keeping her hydrated with the bottle I carry for her races.  She hit the first mile in around 16:00 and was looking good.

The second mile started out with a LOOONG straightaway that seemed never-ending.  It was a beast.  Plus, the sun was coming out and there was no shade.  FW was feeling it here.  She was still able to jog the nice downhill that was awaiting us at the end.  Again, she really jogged more than I was expecting in this one.  She was also keeping up with the pace and a 50:00 race for her seemed in the cards.

The final mile was much tougher on her and she slowed down some.  She still jogged a few portions but the heat was really getting to both of us.  I was still keeping her hydrated and trying my best to keep her positive.  But we were both done.  We made our way back through the festival grounds for a small portion on the bike path to the finish.  FW finished ahead of me with a time of 50:04.  This is faster than both her Flying Pig and Kingwood Center 5k efforts.  Not bad on little training.

I've finally caught up with my posts, so it's time to race again tomorrow!

Next race: Mid Ohio 13er Half Marathon- Mansfield, OH

Run to the Wall Half Marathon

I'm way behind on the blog and I have a half marathon tomorrow.  Let's get to it!

I was itching to race.  It had been a month and a half since I ran the BW5K and had a solid effort.  I was also wanting to get in another half to make sure I hit 60 this year.  Well, I got my wish at the Run to the Wall Half Marathon in Clinton, Ohio, which is close to Akron.  But I plan on hitting on the snags presented at this race.

First, I do want to say this race has a terrific cause.  From the website, "All proceeds from the Run to the Wall are used to continue to build and maintain the Ohio Veterans' Memorial Park, which is run and maintained by an ALL volunteer staff."  The OVMP is a very cool park with memorials and statues dedicated to Ohioans who fought in wars from Vietnam on.  It's a small park but very well maintained.  FW and I particularly enjoyed the Cobra AH-F1 display and POW/MIA reflection pond.  It's a nice find in small town Ohio.  I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area.

The race organization on the other hand left a bit to be desired.  This summer has been HOT.  We've been lucky the past few years but this one has been a scorcher.  So imagine everyone's surprise when we hear there will only be three water stops!  Seriously!  What FW and I heard was there would be stops at miles 3, 6, and 11.  Umm...seriously?  No water for five miles on a hilly course in August?  Now they did say they would give us 8oz bottles at the stops, so I'm thinking I can at least carry that for a mile or so.  More on that soon.

Here we go.  My goal for the race was to stay in the 1:45 range.

Miles 1-5:  We started from the park and hit the village of Clinton.  The hills started in right away and stayed throughout the race.  I headed out with the top six runners but knew I couldn't keep that up.  I did not have my GPS watch on me so there are no splits.  That's probably a good thing.  It took a very short time to hit the first snag.  At around 1.5 miles I saw a small water stop right as I passed it (on the opposite side of the road of course).  Nobody was yelling anything and they didn't even look like they were set up yet.  I asked FW about this later and she also heard the announcer say there was a water stop at the 5k mark.  Well, apparently he meant the 5k turnaround mark.  So now I'm down to two water stops for a half marathon instead of three.  And it was getting pretty hot despite the 7:00 start.

Miles 6-10:  I was already starting to give up.  The hills were relentless and water was nonexistent.  I took the little bit at mile 6 but that didn't last long.  Remember the 8oz water bottles?  Well, they didn't leave the caps on so the water just sloshed around.  Rather than losing it all, I decided to just drink it up and hope for the best.  The course was tough but scenic in parts.  We were still going around on country roads and seeing very few people.  I thought I was slowing down quite a bit, but the downhill portions were still helping my time.  I was mostly just thinking of getting to the finish.

Miles 11-13.1: Water!  We hit the final water stop at mile 11 and it was just as wonderful as I imagined.  It at least perked me up a bit and I felt like the last few miles went well.  I was drained, but I was able to pick up the pace as we made our way back into Clinton and the park.  FW was waiting on me during the lap around the park and gave me a high-five!  I probably looked like death as I came in to the finish.  My time was a ho-hum 1:46:44, my worst of the past few years, though I did finish 13/82 overall and won my age group.

Then came the awards.  I've never seen anything like it.  The website said they would not mail awards, so we decided to stay longer since I won my division.  The 5k awards were first...and took over an hour!  Seriously.  There was a raffle mixed in there which didn't help.  Then the 10k awards started.  After another 20 minutes or so, I told FW let's just get going as I needed to eat and rest.

Again, this race was for a wonderful cause that I fully support.  But I do not plan on going back unless they get some better organization.

Next race: Blueberry Festival 5k- Lexington, OH

BW5K

Well, this is certainly the latest I've ever done a race report.  I'm in a strange lull between races and have not had one in over a month.  I still have a few weeks until the next one and realized I haven't reviewed this terrific local race yet.

This one was at nearby Pleasant Hill Lake in the Mohican area.  I ran the Mohican 17k last year from the same site, but this 5k was FAR better organized.  Ohio Race Day does a wonderful job organizing races in the Mansfield area and I've enjoyed every single one.  This race was on a hot day but offered plenty of shade.  I felt pretty good and had a strategy of starting off slower than other recent 5ks and seeing if I could run more even splits.

The race included a high school challenge, so there were a bunch of fast kids lined up in the front.  I tucked in behind them and started off at a good pace.  My goal was to stick with the second pack of high school runners (this race made me feel old) and try to hang on.  We moved away from the lake on a paved trail and weaved around the south portion of the lake.  It wasn't particularly scenic but the shade was wonderful.  I passed several younger runners early on and had a nice first mile in the 6:50 range.  That's right where I planned to be and hoped to stay in that range.

We continued weaving around in several small loops and I passed a few more younger runners late in the second mile.  I did miss a turn for one loop and had to make it up which cost me a few seconds.  Thankfully, I was feeling stronger than in my last few 5ks.  The second mile came in around 6:45 so I was holding steady.  The only real hill on the course showed up around 2.5 miles in and it was a rough one.  There was no shade and we were still on asphalt.  It was tough but I was able to pass one more runner and glide in for a great 20:11.  This is actually one of my top five 5k attempts and it was good enough for 24/92 overall (there were 23 sub 20:00 times!) and first in my age group.

Hopefully I can keep up with this blog in the near future!

Next race: Run to the Wall Half Marathon- Clinton, OH

Kingwood Center 5k

FW and went to the Kingwood Center 5k last week.  Last year, FW ran a personal best at this race.  Her goal for this year's was to beat her time at the Flying Pig 5k last month.  She's been able to get outside more, but she's still getting into the swing of things.

First, we had to fight cicadas.  They're back with a vengeance after a 17 year absence.  And they're really not bright.  Seriously, they fly right into you no matter what you're doing.  They were all over the Kingwood Center, which isn't surprising with all the trees and flowers for them to munch on.

We started out near the local high school for a straightaway and turnaround in the parking lot.  FW surprised me by mixing in some light jogging during the first mile.  It was very warm out, but she's improved by running a lighter pace and lasting longer.  We then went down a grassy trail to hit the nearby bike path where we would stay for the majority of the race.  I could tell FW was feeling pretty good despite the up and down training.  Her first mile clocked in at 17:29.

The bike path portion went on for a while and, thankfully, the cicadas were not bothering us here.  We saw several people we knew heading back toward the Kingwood Center which was nice.  FW sprinkled in some more jogging and was still feeling good.  We then made our way around a long loop at North Lake Park.  The park is very pretty this time of year.  The jogging stopped momentarily, so I grabbed a water for FW at the water stop.  We then made our way back to the bike path and hit the second mile marker in 17:25.

FW was finally feeling the race during the third mile and had to slow down.  We walked most of the mile until we came back to the grassy trail leading us back to Kingwood.  There was one hill here but FW jogged up in a good effort.  We then stayed made our way into Kingwood for the downhill finish.  Our last mile was in 18:10 and FW finished her 5k in 55:48.  This was a bit faster than her effort at the Flying Pig, plus it was much hotter at this one.

FW is planning on running the Ontario Liberty 5k on July 4 which is coming up fast.  We're ramping up her training over the next week.

Next race: BW5k- Pleasant Hill Lake, Ohio

Heartland Series Ohio Half Marathon

This is the fourth time I've done half marathons on back-to-back weeks. I wasn't planning on doing so, but FW convinced me to do the Medina Half on Memorial Day weekend.  This race is part of the Mainly Marathons race series which is becoming increasingly popular.  If you aren't familiar with it, you have the opportunity to follow a great group of people through a different state each day for a week or so.  It's extremely popular for 50 Staters, Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics.  The Ohio race was in Bryan, Ohio, about two and a half hours from Mansfield.  I didn't do the next day's race in Michigan because it was another 100 miles or so from Bryan.  What's nice is the Mainly Marathons group has offered up one free race to anyone who hasn't previously done one of their races.  What great marketing!  The hotel options aren't numerous but they are inexpensive.  It turned into a nice, low-key race weekend.

FW and I showed up the night before and stopped in at Stoney Ridge Winery about three miles north of our hotel.  This was one of the nicest wineries we've visited!  We really wanted to tour the grounds, but it was raining cats and dogs.  We had some samples and bought a couple bottles to bring home.  Highly recommended!  We then had a nice dinner and turned in for the night as the race started at 6:00am.

The race start is at nearby Moore Park which had plenty of parking.  I don't think I've seen so many Maniacs and Fanatics at such a small race before.  The course was an out and back that we ran multiple times.  There was a marathon, half marathon, and 5k going on which made it a bit difficult at times.  Now, this is different from other races because very, very few people were actually racing.  Most folks were doing multiple days and were going at slower paces.  I was setting up for a solid half marathon to finish out the first part of the year.

As this is a loop course, I don't plan on doing my usual breakdown (Miles 1-5, 6-10, 11-13.1).  Instead I'll simply give my thoughts on the race and the splits I have.  My GPS watch conked out at about the 11.5 mile mark and didn't save the data.

We started out from the meager start line and I felt good right away.  It was warm out, but  it felt much better than Medina the previous week.  The eventual marathon winner took off like it was a 5k, so I settled in well behind him and tried to hold my ground.  The course wasn't bad for 8 laps as we ran through Moore Park.  It offered plenty of shade but it stayed a pretty overcast day for the most part.

My race took an odd turn at the end of the first lap.  We had torrential rains the night before, so the first 200 meters or so were a bit rough through the gravel parking lot.  The rest was on asphalt.  I was making the turn from the asphalt trail to the parking lot at the end of the first lap when I spotted FW.  I gave her a quick wave, took two more steps, and slipped on the one muddy spot.  Well, not slipped, more like went flying and landed on both hands and my right leg.  FW was of course scared that I really hurt myself, but I quickly yelled "I'm fine" and ran toward the water station where I assessed my wounds.  Thankfully, I only had some scratches on my hands and right leg.  It could have seriously broken my arm with the way I landed.  I poured some water on my hands and kept going.

FW saw me a bunch more times and asked if I was ok.  I told her I was indeed fine and just had some minor scratches and a bruised ego.  That's the first time I've fallen in a race and I hope it's the last.  The second and third laps were a bit slower as I kept looking at my bleeding hands, but I eventually settled into a solid pace.

As for the people, they're awesome.  I don't know how many times I yelled "Good job Maniac/Fanatic" only to hear "Good job Fanatic", as I was wearing my Half Fanatics singlet.  Everyone was having a good time and, with it being a loop course, you got to know everyone along the way.

I was able to finish the half in 1:40:18 which was good enough for 1/30 overall.  I'll take it but, again, this isn't a typical race.

Tomorrow morning is the next race which is one of FW's favorites.

Next race: Kingwood 5k- Mansfield, OH