The Long Run

Florida Holiday Halfathon Race report

 1:32:30, 26th overall , 3rd age group

Always like coming back here to the place of my first ever half marathon.  Starting in Madiera Beach, running a few miles through a couple other beach communities before crossing the intra-coastal waterway and making our way to the Pineallas Trail as the second half heads into Taylor Park.  And over the years, there are more and more familiar faces.  This year, I drove down with Joe (who I had talked into running it about a week ago).  Before the race I saw Terri R. as well as Christina (the woman I was chasing at the Brass Tap Half) and her husband Quint (who I ended up chasing and getting a tow for the last mile at the Turky Trot 10K even though I didn't realize it was her husband).  Several Striders were also there (Mike, Tracy, Stan, Amber, Suzan, Run Jodi).  I was  feeling cold at the starting line (a good sign almost always), but not too cold.

30 minutes prior to the race start, the walkers and run/walkers got their start and then 5 minutes before the start, a row of Ainsely's Angels headed out next.

Sometimes when I start out a half marathon I run with the starting crowd and soon look at my pace and see I'm going way too fast and should slow down.  That did not happen this morning.  So, then I sped up to a 6:40ish pace.  It felt hard but I figured I would give myself sometime to warm up some more (did a short 0.9 mile warm up before the race with a few strides).  Second mile hanging on with 6:53.  I came up to Angel Run Jodi pushing a stroller and said hi and wished her well.  (It turns out they often have a running partner take turns pushing the stroller but Jodi was alone today.  Tracy would catch up to Jodi and turn into an Angel for the morning and give Jodi (literally) a hand to help push).  

Third mile was not feeling good and I couldn't seem to lock into the pace I wanted but was determined to make first mini-goal of at least the first three miles under 7:00, so 6:54.

Lost the sub-7:00 feeling and hit the Park Blvd bridge, part way up to the mile 4 sign, for a 7:12 mile.  I wasn't upset but felt a strong attraction to wanting to just go for an easy run.  A guy with no shirt passed me on the way down the bridge.  I trailed behind him for a while.  Was contemplating what pace to try and run.  I didn't want to get passed by too many people, but this early on in the race I would need to run a little faster.  Mile 5 was 7:16.  Was playing tag team with shirtless guy.  So, shortly after the 5 mile sign (and maybe an aid station), I went to catch up to someone who just passed me and then I was sub-7:00 again (6:56), but just for one mile.

We did the little loop around the park and onto the Pinellas Trail.  This is usually my slowest mile of the race no matter how fast I run and today's time was 7:21 (and soon after that I felt like I was running slower).  A new woman came up behind me and she passed me.  I passed her back in a little bit but she seemed determined to get ahead of me.  This finally ended my pace slide with mile 8 a little faster (7:15), and mile 9 I wanted to really make sure I lost her and got back below 7:00 again (6:50).  So, I even caught back up to shirtless guy and was rigtht behind him.  Mile 10 and 11 were both right at 7:11.  I closed in on shirtless guy and passed him as we turned off of the trail to run through the first half of Taylor park and managed a 6:50.  We also passed a couple other guys (an 18 year old and a 66 year old guy (who would win 1st place grand master, hope I can run 1:33 half when I'm 66)).

Just past the 12 mile sign I couldn't keep the drive to stay ahead of shirtless guy and figured I'd try following him.  But, once that happened I couldn't stay close enough to have a chance to out kick him at the end.  I didn't realize he was in my age group or maybe I might have tried a little harder to stay in the lead, but fortunately it was just the difference between 2nd and 3rd age group.

And just like that, the race was done.  I did not get sub 1:30 (or even 1:30 "and change"), but also did not fall apart and also looked at it as PR marthon pace run.  Terri wasnt too far ahead of me as well as Bill Cottrell (24th place).  Shirtless guy was 25th place and also had a name (Anthony).  Mike took 2nd place Masters with a 1:30:29 time (19th place).  And Joe finished under 1:40.

Looking back, I kind of wished I'd started out faster, not so much pace wise but enough so that I could lock onto and try to run with a familiar face (or more likely a familiar back) - like Mike, Terri, Bill, or maybe even Christina again.

Summary, my splits:  6:47, 6:53, 6:54, 7:12, 7:15, 6:56, 7:21, 7:15, 6:50, 7:11, 7:11, 6:50, 6:58, 0:51 (0.14@6:18)

Hung around watching friends, acquaintances and other familiar faces finsh their races.  Michael MacDonald (local FRBer) took second place overall, got to say hi to him and chat a little, good to see him again after Brass Tap half).

And now I'm ahead (slightly) of the 10 miles per running day that I need for the rest of the year to make 3,000 miles for 2016.

AM - 10.36 mi, 1:35:30, 9:15 avg, HR 128 avg, 142 max

Ran with Striders starting from near Longleaf.  Out and back on Starkey Blvd for 8.25 miles.  Grabbed the last cup of coffee that Clark had saved for me, then I drove home to wake up the boys.  Walked both dogs then ran Stella around the neighborhood for a little over 2 miles.  It was cool and foggy this morning, nice.  

PM - 1.7 mi, 18:54, 11:07 avg

After dinner run/walk with Stella around the neighborhood loop.  New record time.  Becoming more run than walk each time.

9.69 mi, 1:20:05, 8:16 avg

Ran solo from my house and was originally planning on doing 5x2k at goal 10k pace.  After a warmup, and running the first one I was going to grab some water at the golf course water fountain and take a gel but a golf course worker yelled at me about not jogging on the golf course, so no water for me.  I did the second repeat and ran it faster due to being warmed up and just having gotten yelled at.  But, I had started too late, so I headed home.  I thought I would break up the next one and did a 1k repeat to get to my house, woke up the kids of school and then did the second half.  Since it was faster than the original plan I ended up doing just one more.  After all that took another lap around the neighborhood to try and get close to 10 miles.

Summary of speed work: 1st 2k 7:50 (6:20 pace), 2nd 2k 7:45 (6:15 pace), 1st 1k 3:43 (5:57), 2nd 1k 3:39 (5:52), 3rd 5k 3:34 (5:45)

I felt really good about the 1k repeats progressing like that

10.24 mi, 1:39:42, 9:44 avg, HR 121 avg, 136 max

Ran at Longleaf with the Striders.  This morning I ran with Daisy and Leah.  Leah was doing 6 miles and Daisy was doing whatever so we went out and back for about 6 miles, then Daisy and I ran an out and back into Longleaf to get 8 miles.

Drove home, woke up the boys, walked the two dogs, then ran Stella for another two miles.

A bit tired later that morning but glad I got ten in again.  I'll do a little less tomorrow and then make it up after the race on Saturday (Say No to Drugs 10K in Clearwater).

7.15 mi, 1:06:18, 9:16 avg

Ran solo in the neighborhood.  Was feeling a bit tired but also wanted to do a little bit less today due to the race tomorrow.  I ran a little bit over 6 miles, then stopped at home, walked the dogs, and then ran Stella for about a mile.

Say No to Drugs 10K

20th overall, 20th male, 3rd AG  (last race of 45-49 AG)

I did this race 6 years ago and came pretty close to breaking 40 minutes, and with the last 10k I did at just over 42 minutes I was hoping to come someplace in between, maybe break 41 minutes perhaps.

I arrived there in plenty of time, get signed up, warm up a bit, and then get Jamie's stuff for her as she was running a little bit late.  Went to use the POP one last time but this was cutting it too close and ended up running to the starting area and could not get that close to the starting line before it was time to go.  Looked hopeless at first due to the size of the crowd.  But, after about a half mile I was slowly heading towards the pace I wanted and steadily pacing people.  It had taken me 24 seconds to cross the starting line so I figured anyone I was next to I was alread ahead of (sort of) at this point.  

Finished the first mile at 7:01 pace and that was at the top of the bridge.  As I picked up speed I had some hope that I could salvage my race, because 7:01 was my slowest mile at Turkey Trot so if I could hang on maybe still break 42:00.  I passed a big body builder guy wearing a Santa style womans nighty.   The 5k turnaround point came and went and it was no longer a crowd but a very long line stretching pretty far.  On the downhill I was running about a 6:20 pace but didn't hold it once the road flattened out but still ended up with a pretty good 6:30.

I was still passing people including a guy pushing a stroller making it look way too easy.  A few minutes from the turnaround I could see the leader, Michael Poole, with no one nearby behind him.  3rd mile was 6:44, then came the turnaround and passsed 2 or 3 more people as we headed to the roundabout.  The people I was passing must have been fading a bit because my pace was slowly slowing, with the next mile at 6:56.

The next mile was just a straight flat line to the bottom of the Clearwater bridge and a reconverging with the 5K.  The organizers did a good job of announcing before the race for 5k'ers to keep to the right, they had signs posted and course marshalls.  I lost a lot of speed going up the bridge and was hopeful I could get most of it back on the way downhill.  Made it to the helix, wound around to the bottom and made the sharp right turn.  Then just one more shorter hill up before the remaining flat and downhill to the finish.

Miles 5 and 6 were 7:04 and 7:08, but I was still passing people.  There was one more person to close in on, a woman that looked like maybe in her 20's wearing a red outfit.  As I approached the mile 6 sign and headed to the last turn I picked up the pace trying to catch her but she had also picked up the pace and slowly opened up a bigger gap as we ran under the finish clock.  It was a hard fought battle but I could not catch this last runner.  It turns out she was actually 12 and was the first place female for the race.  Although I didn't catch her my chip time was about 20 seconds faster (not sure if this counts as being chicked, not sure what the official rules are, I'm guessing that goes by gun time and not chip time but I wasn't able to find anything on the USATF web site).

Splits: 7:01, 6:30, 6:44, 6:56, 7:04, 7:08, 1:47 (0.3 @ 5:56)

I jogged around a bit to get some cool down miles and ran Jamie back to her car before heading down for awards.  One reason I signed up for the race was for the pancake breakfast, but I couldn't get my stomach to calm down and just had a banana and some juice.  Went up and got Jamie's award (3rd AG F40-44) and then looped back around the stage for mine.  I said I'd bring the boys home some cinnamon melts so was heading straight to my car.  I could hear them announce 50-54 AG awards and heard "Rob Murphy" wasn't sure if it was THE Rob Murphy from FRB, turns out it was, would have been nice to say hi.

1.17 mi warmup, 6.3 mi race, 3.07 mi cool