Wesley Hunt

2011 Little Rock Marathon:  

Unofficially, I finished in 2:54:55, comfortably qualifying for the Boston Marathon and posting a PR nearly an hour better than my previous PR.  It was great weather, and I executed my race strategy, running nearly even splits at 6:36/mile (Garmin) for the entire course.  

More to follow when official results post, but it was a good day, and I am very happy with the results.  

But there's no rest for the weary...I'm off to a three-year old's birthday party!  

Official Results (9:00pm) 

Overall:  18/1808

Div. 25-29:  4/97

10K:  40:31 (6:32)

Half:  1:25:07 (6:30)

20.4:  2:16:29

Final 10K:  38:20

Finish:  2:54:49 (6:41) 

It's a bit silly (and cool at the same time), but the Little Rock Marathon folks take pride in having one of the largest, if not the largest, finisher's medal in the world. The 2011 medal weighed a whopping 1.5 pounds and measured 7.75 inches long and 5 inches wide. The thing actually made my neck sore...if you have 20 seconds, check out the link below for some local media coverage of the medal "unveiling" a few weeks back.  

http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=391206 

Its a great little race (2,100 person limit for full marathon) in a very hospitable, southern city. I hope some of you take the opportunity to give it a go in the future. For purposes of full disclosure, my only connection to the race is as a three-time finisher and born and bred Arkansan. I just think Little Rock does a nice job making it a fun weekend for everyone involved.   

Best, 

Wesley 

Twenty minutes on the elliptical to get losse followed by 3 Miles Easy on the treamill set to 1.0 incline.  Working through a little soreness, but actually feeling pretty good. 

I learned today that, assuming the NY City Marathon Qualying times do not change before next year's registration period, my Little Rock Marathon finish of 2:54:49 guarantees my entry into the 2012 NY City Marathon.  

Given that the qualifying standard for the Open Division (18-39) is sub 2:55:00, I now know that you cannot take anything for granted on the race course.  A strong final 10K and 100m kick got me there with plenty of time to spare... 

Eleven seconds!

Wesley  

45 minutes on the stationary bike (spin class) followed by upper body strength training; lots of stretching and hydrating.  Recovering well.   

Wesley 

6-Mile Progressive Run at easy, comfortable paces on treadmill: 

2 Miles at 8:00/mile;

2 Miles at 7:30/mile; and

2 Miles at 6:58/mile. 

Very little soreness today; more stretching and strength training following run.   

Wesley

Visiting the grandparents in Hot Springs on a beautiful weekend in central Arkansas; Today's run included 5 Miles Easy with my Dad, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Wednesday.  My son, Max, and I picked out a really cool "super-hero" card for Grandpapa (my Dad).  Given his performance and Boston Qualifier in his first marathon last weekend, I thought the card was perfect. 

Wesley

Beautiful morning in Hot Springs, Arkansas for a run.  I ran a flat 6-mile loop out from my parents home along an old Arkansas highway, and for the first time in a week, I picked it up a little to see how my post-marathon legs would respond.  The results were good: 

2 Miles at 7:00 (including a half-mile offroad and a quick climb over my parents' locked gate);

2 Miles 6:30; and

2 Miles at 6:20 (including a quick return climb over my parents' locked gate and a half-mile offroad);

Fun little run that I both needed and enjoyed.  My Mom is cooking two chocolate pies tonight for my Dad's birthday, and I've committed to taking down at leat half a pie, maybe more...it's an understatement to say that I'm excited. 

Wesley