Two weekend ago, I drove with a friend to Columbus, IN to run events in the inaugural Mill Race Marathon (and half marathon and 5k). Our old Xavier XC and Track team had a few people from Columbus, and they were the ones who talked us into the race. It ended up being a fun little reunion (and we also had a couch to crash on...instead of paying for a hotel room).
As for the race: I finished in 1:07:11 (5:07-08 per mile pace) and placed 6th - one spot out of the money! (Here's the link to the results) It was a flat course and the weather wasn't too hot, so it made for a fast race. That, and the competition...the race directors brought in a fair amount of local East Africans to go along with the tough regional competition.
I went into the race with a specific plan: don't go out too hard; start off the first four miles by easing into half marathon pace, run five through ten at a constant effort, and then see what I have left for the last three. Overall, I was really pleased that I was able to execute my plan -- that meant starting out conservatively and not getting caught up in a fast early pace (something I've consistently struggled with in the past), which ended up meaning I ran most of the beginning of the race by myself. That part took some self control, but again, that's something I need to work on...and a race like this was the perfect place to do it.
By mile five people started coming back to me, which was a huge mental boost. I latched onto a runner through mile ten until he surged and dropped me over the last 5k. We helped each other push through those middle miles, and I may have been a little too nice -- while I was feeling good, I probably should have sacked up and dropped him. But hindsight is 20/20, and I'm glad I stayed under control the whole race. Gotta keep my eye on Detroit in ten days.
But the things that pleased me the most with this race were my 5k and 10k splits. I blogged a little while ago about two 5ks I ran over the summer that were very mediocre. Well, this time I ran basically the same time (15:47)...during a half marathon. And I split 31:34 for 10k...almost exactly the same time I ran at the Thanksgiving Day Race a year ago. So I'm really pleased to be running splits that I was racing in the recent past.
Overall, my first real half marathon race in the first Mill Race half marathon was a very positive experience. There was definitely room for improvement, but I ran within myself and put myself in good position going into Detroit. That's the one I really want to do well in, so this was a pretty solid dress rehearsal.
As for the race: I finished in 1:07:11 (5:07-08 per mile pace) and placed 6th - one spot out of the money! (Here's the link to the results) It was a flat course and the weather wasn't too hot, so it made for a fast race. That, and the competition...the race directors brought in a fair amount of local East Africans to go along with the tough regional competition.
I went into the race with a specific plan: don't go out too hard; start off the first four miles by easing into half marathon pace, run five through ten at a constant effort, and then see what I have left for the last three. Overall, I was really pleased that I was able to execute my plan -- that meant starting out conservatively and not getting caught up in a fast early pace (something I've consistently struggled with in the past), which ended up meaning I ran most of the beginning of the race by myself. That part took some self control, but again, that's something I need to work on...and a race like this was the perfect place to do it.
By mile five people started coming back to me, which was a huge mental boost. I latched onto a runner through mile ten until he surged and dropped me over the last 5k. We helped each other push through those middle miles, and I may have been a little too nice -- while I was feeling good, I probably should have sacked up and dropped him. But hindsight is 20/20, and I'm glad I stayed under control the whole race. Gotta keep my eye on Detroit in ten days.
But the things that pleased me the most with this race were my 5k and 10k splits. I blogged a little while ago about two 5ks I ran over the summer that were very mediocre. Well, this time I ran basically the same time (15:47)...during a half marathon. And I split 31:34 for 10k...almost exactly the same time I ran at the Thanksgiving Day Race a year ago. So I'm really pleased to be running splits that I was racing in the recent past.
Overall, my first real half marathon race in the first Mill Race half marathon was a very positive experience. There was definitely room for improvement, but I ran within myself and put myself in good position going into Detroit. That's the one I really want to do well in, so this was a pretty solid dress rehearsal.
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