Chasco Challenge Half Marathon - 1:30:55, 4th overall. Splits: 7:16, 7:14, 7:09, 7:01, 6:54, 7:00, 6:54, 6:52 (+ 0:17 garmin adjust), 6:49, 6:51, 6:42, 6:35, 6:25, 0:55 (0.16 @ 5:53)
I had meant to do this
as more of a training run, with the goal of running it at marathon goal pace, but the plan changed a little bit.
Took it easy the first half. Started out with Dixie and soon Mike was running alongside us, also. First mile was at 7:16, then 7:14, then 7:09 for the next two. Dixie was hoping to match or come close to his old PR from October which was run on basically the same course but at the peak of his marathon training. We stayed together for about the first 3 miles, then I started to drift ahead.
The next few miles I had picked up the pace a little bit and was hovering right around 7:00, sometimes a little faster and sometimes a little bit slower. I had taken a gel just before the start of the race, and I had one gel on me which I took with around 5 miles left. They had plenty of water stops along the way, but only water. I was slightly worried because usually I'm grabbing gatorade at each stop. It's probably more fuel than I need, as I was fine with two gels (and I'm sure there are some people who would say that even that is too much).
After the turn around I began picking it up a little more and was now solidly under 7:00 without seeming to expend extra effort. Sometime around 4 miles left to go, I saw Eudair who was not racing today, heading toward me. She said that I wasn't that far behind the 3rd place guy. I was pretty sure it was actually the 4th place guy, but still I ended up going faster to see if I could close the gap. The course had a small out and back at the end of mile 10. I could see the 3rd place guy and 4th place guy. 3rd place guy was pretty far ahead, but I was gaining on the 4th place guy. Finally, with about a half mile left to go I caught the 4th place guy, passed him slowly, and then held the new faster pace, and then kicked it in after the 13 mile marker. Dixie and Mike were the next ones in. We jogged back out a bit to catch Jamie as she was coming in, then went back out again as Victoria was finishing up. Except for the last 3 miles, where I started going significantly faster than planned, I felt good and mostly relaxed while running. They had a nice pancake breakfast afterward and the sun had warmed things up to a good hanging out after the race
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