Halloween Halfathon 2021 Race Report
Very nice weather with cool temps and not too much wind (there's always some wind at this race since it is so close to the water, unless maybe it's warmer/hot).
I had signed up for this race a few weeks ago but last night was regretting it as I wasn't feeling well. I slept horribly with crazy/stressful dreams. Anyway, when the alarm went off decided to make the best of it and be grateful for each step and each mile I made it. Thought I might crash sometime during the race, but that wouldn't happen today.
Race line up was done with some of the typical covid era protocols with runners lined up in rows with gaps between us. Start time at 7:05 meant it would be dark for the next 15 minutes or so. Race was a few minutes late getting started so that helped cut down on the darkness. Race director called for people running 7:00 pace or faster and almost no one stepped up, then he said "how about somewhere in the 7's?" so I came forward. At the last minute, Alan Graff showed up and I had him get in front of me as he'd be running closer to 7 flat. Jacki was also there just ahead of me.
I decided I wasn't going to run by pace, I'd just go out and try to get behind people I thought I could hang on. Race starts going through several sections of parking lots before turning, crossing the street and running on a bike path and then a little after that is the 1 mile sign, 7:32. Felt about right. The course then winds in and out of a treed in area before coming back out to the bike path, crossing the street and back to the parking lot where we run through the start line now about 3 miles into the race. Next two miles were 7:33 and 7:31.
After this sort of "warm up loop" we are on the big out and back section. When I'm trying to hit a certain pace I find myself slowing during mile 4 but today it was faster, 7:20, which would be my fastest mile. Surprised a little that I had 4 good miles in me this morning, it soon turned into a 5th good mile at 7:31. Maybe this won't be a bad day after all.
At the start, I was probably lined up as the 6th or 7th person, several people passed me during the first half mile but at this point I'd caught up to a few of them and for the most part the runners were in their places that they would finish except for a few exceptions.
Miles 6 and 7 were a little bit of a slow down, but still both under 7:50. At 7 point something there's a loop turnaround, then an aid station and a little past that is the 8 mile marker. This is usually a tough mile for me. I had slowed a little more, but squeeked under 8:00 with a 7:56. Now my goal was to string together at least 10 sub-8:00 miles. At the aid station just before 8 miles I took my PowerBar tangerine gel (they don't make those anymore, it's kind of old and was slightly chunky). But between the gel and the psychological boost of the turnaround and mile 9 was 7:35. I knew I could make my 10 mile goal. I closed in on a guy that I had traded places with a few times. There was also this taller very fit looking guy who seemed to come out of nowhere that cruised by us effortlessly.
As I passed the guy that I was closing in on I told him I'd been hanging onto him for a while. He said he might try to hang onto me for a while so I told him I'd try to hold a steady pace. Made it to mile 10 at 7:39, had done it, and now decided to bring it home. Mile 11 was a pretty good 7:40. But then mile 12 became a struggle. I dipped past the 8:00 pace, slowing to about 8:20 at some point but slowly brought it back. With 0.1 to go to the mile 12 sign tried to surge a little, got just under 8:00 and then puhsed through the last mile and homestretch 0.1. Just missed breaking 1:40 but had shaved off a minute from BDR just two weeks ago.
I had started out the night before regretting I'd signed up and finished with no regrets. Still no after race party with guy with a guitar singing "Wish You Were Here" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and pasta from the pasta crew and maybe a Mich Ultra, but still nice to walk around a little and take in the people finishing and the morning air.
Later in the day Jessica, the baby and I and her kids and parents went up to Sweetfield Farms for corn maze, hay ride, and apple cider and then back to Palm Harbor for trick or treating in the neigborhood. Charlotte Dani was more excited by houses that had a dog than by which candy they had (or in one case no candy but a banana).
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