Get me to Boston or at least get me to the start

Colonial Half Marathon

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201120122013
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Location:

Richmond,VA,

Member Since:

Feb 18, 2011

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

From 10/2009 to 12/2010, I ran a marathon each month - completing 15 marathons, 1 50k, and 1 33 mile "endurance run" -- I had a great time, learned a lot, met a bunch of fantastic people and developed some mental toughness.

My PRs at various distances:

  • 5k: 22:57 (7/11/11 - Cul-de-Sac)
  • 10k: 45:25 (5/15/11 - Carytown)
  • 15k: 1:19:03 (1/27/08 - Frostbite)
  • 10mi: 1:25:31 (8/29/10 - Annapolis)
  • 20k: 1:36:49 (8/14/11 - Leesburg)
  • Half: 1:44:18 (2/27/11 - Colonial)
  • Marathon: 3:53:53 (12/5/10 - Las Vegas)
  • 50k: 5:14:59 (11/13/10 - Rosaryville, MD)

15 states (plus DC) done: DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, MD, MI, NC, NV, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WA, WV 

Short-Term Running Goals:

2013:

  • 8/24: Cove Island Marathon - Stamford, CT 
  • 10/13: Atlantic City Marathon - Atlantic City, NJ
  • 11/16: Richmond Marathon - Richmond, VA
  • 12/14: Rocket City Marathon - Huntsville, AL

2014:

  • 11/2: New York marathon (deferred)

Long-Term Running Goals:

  • 50 States (15 + DC done)
  • Pikes Peak
  • Comrades

I'm not sure if this belongs in a Running Goals section, but I'd like to do a triathlon. I'm not much of a swimmer, so this will be a quite a stretch for me.

Personal:

I am married with two boys ages 13 and 14. They are very supportive of my running, allowing me plenty of time for training and out of town races. We like to travel and camp. I'm the only runner in the family, the boys are still looking for the sport that interests them the most.

I grew up in Maryland but now live just outside of Richmond, Virginia. I ran a few 10k races in the early 1990s (when I was in my 20s). In 2006, a friend talked me into training for a half marathon. I finished that half then continued training to run my first marathon the same year I turned 40.

My favorite marathon was the Grand Island Trail marathon off the coast of Michigan's upper penninsula. It's a beautiful course that demands a lot from runners. We travelled to the race, then spent the next two weeks on vacation in Michigan - what's not to love?

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
NEW White - Pegasus 28 Lifetime Miles: 242.15
Red Trail Shoe Lifetime Miles: 4.47
Black - Pegasus 29 Lifetime Miles: 4.20
Race: Colonial Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:44:18, Place overall: 167
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
1.2013.2014.40

Colonial is a hilly course, mostly on a smooth bike path, but also portions on mulch/grass/roads/sidewalks. Chip timing was introduced this year -- BUT they only used the chip for finishing time, although we ran through a structure at the start, they used a single start time -- a bit of a bummer.

I ran the same course last year at 2:06 - about 20 minutes slower. My goal for this year was to run even or negative splits with a finish under 1:48. I also had a stretch goal of 1:45 to help me feel confident about my goal of 3:30 for a full - knowing that this is a tough course, hitting half the distance in half the time would be huge. Crossing the finish line in under 1:44 net time really boosted my confidence. I also realize that my core was not ready to keep good form for >15 miles.

Felt great. We did about 1 mile warm up at an easy pace, then waited about 10 min for the start. I thought I was going too slow for the first mile then read 8:01 for a split. Held back through the first 10 miles, then opened up. Mile 11 (for about a mile), I drafted on some guy then took off up the hill by the golf course. Very good finish although I don't think my core was ready for another 13 miles - still more work to do.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70492493

Nike Air Max Moto+ 8 Miles: 14.40
Comments
From Mack on Thu, Mar 03, 2011 at 20:42:35 from 71.111.188.189

Nice job! Great improvement over last year. Those negative splits/strong finishes feel good don't they.

From Crash Crider on Wed, Mar 09, 2011 at 11:42:51 from 72.82.38.20

Was awesome to see the improvement first hand. Great job making the score even :-)

Colonial 1 / Snuggie Bear 1

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