Rock The Parkway Half-Marathon Race Report

So, I did not really originally plan to run this race. Well, looking back at my last post (from a million years ago), I did plan on running it as a training run with a goal of 2:05. But, then I have this thing about actually signing up for races because I generally wait until the last minute because of hating to press the "spend" button.

But, then my running buddy, Pat, torn his meniscus and could not race it and let me run for him instead.

I'd been running fairly well and wanted to finally break the 2:00 barrier. My half-marathon PR to date was 2:04:59. So, at the last minute (two weeks prior) I both decided to run this race and to break 2:00. And, then I started to have problems with plantar fascitiis in my left foot.

Anyway, I stopped running a couple of days prior to help my foot and wore the special sock every night. Friday night I got ready. I gathered all of my gear, put a banana, a half a bagel, and some Gatorade by my bed, and then I crawled in bed before 10.

Strangely, I slept well. Normally, I don't because I'm so worried that my alarm clock won't go off. I woke up shortly before my 5:00 a.m. alarm was set to go off and ate the banana and bagel, had a swing or two of Gatorade, and went back to bed. I woke up again right before my 6:00 a.m. alarm was set to go off, got out of bed, got dressed, and headed out. I even remembered my Garmin the first time I left the house.

I arrived at the race in plenty of time to warm up and hit the porta potties (oh, there were plenty - this race has far fewer racers than the Kansas City Marathon, but probably had double the porta potties).

I lined up with the 2:00 pace group. This race used smart pacing, so the splits are not the same every mile. They start a bit slower while the runners warm up, run the uphills a bit slower, and pick up speed on the downhill. And, we were off:

Mile 1: 9:38

Mile 2: 9:45

I was feeling good and strong and was thinking that I would definitely be able to meet the 2:00 goal. My foot hurt a bit, but not enough to pose any problems.

Mile 3: 9:23

Mile 4: 8:23

Mile 5: 8:54

It was around here that my foot began to start affecting my gait. I wasn't limping, but I was largely dropping my heel.

Mile 6: 9:02

Mile 7: 9:23

Mile 8: 9:01

Around this point, I started dropping behind my pace group, but they were not so far away that I couldn't catch up if I wanted to.

Mile 9: 9:26

Mile 10: 9:40

Mile 11: 9:54

And, here is where I lost them. And, I knew that I was not going to sub 2:00, but I also knew I would PR.

Mile 12: 9:57

Mile 13: 9:25

pace for the last .1: 8:14.

And, then I crossed the finish line, got my medal and water and took off my chip. I have a new pet peeve: people who come to a full stop right after the cross the line. KEEP MOVING until you get out of the shoot, please. But, once I stopped running, I started limping. It took me a while to get to my car. By the time I got home, I could barely walk. Mostly, I'm jumping around on my right foot.

Garmin time: 2:03:15.49

I don't have the official time yet, but will update when I do.

My left foot not withstanding, I feel good. I'm glad I did it and I look forward to finally getting the two-hour monkey off my back. I'd like to really go for it again as soon as I deal with the foot problem. I know I can break it this year and I'd like to do it sooner rather than later.

Race review:

I think that this is my favorite half-marathon course ever. I really wish that my foot had not been hurting as much because I would have liked to have enjoyed it more. It was rolling with gradual downhill at the end and coursed through some lovely neighborhoods. The water stops were frequent and there were more than adequate portapotties. The medal was my best yet and the shirt was tech and had women's sizes.

I have only one complaint: too many people for the course. They capped it at 1400 and it really only started to thin out around mile 10/11.

I will do that one again for sure.

Back to Running; Time to Train.

I've sort of being running aimlessly without a real or a well thought out plan. Part of the problem has been that I had not settled on my racing schedule for this year. Originally, I had the goal of doing the 50 States by 50, but, realistically, I cannot do that. I could run 50 marathons by 50, but not 50 States. There is more time and money involved in achieving that than I have at this time. I'm still going for the 50 States, but without the goal date of my 50th birthday.

So, my first, most important goal for 2011 is to run a half-marathon at or under 2:00:00. I'm also going to run two marathons and I'd like to PR both of the, but that shouldn't be a huge challenge since I've not been fast yet. Also, I will be adding in core, strength, and flexibility since I've done exactly nothing in that regard in about two years. I started with some yoga today.

My racing schedule for your viewing pleasure:

1. Rock the Parkway, Kansas City, MO, Saturday, April 2. This will largely be a training run and I will line up with the 2:05 pace group.

2. Olathe Half-Marathon, Olathe, KS, Saturday, April 16. Also, a training run. My goal will be to PR, but not push for 2:00.

3. Five Trails Half-Marathon, Lawrence, KS, Sunday, May 15. This is a hilly race that should be a challenge. My goal will be to do it in 2:05 given the hills.

4. Hospital Hill Half-Marathon, Kansas City, MO, Saturday, June 4. Though this is also a hilly race, it replicates much of my HM PR route (Kansas City Half-Marathon is a similar route) and will be my goal marathon. I will hit it in 2:00:00.

5. Deseret News Marathon, Salt Lake City, UT, Saturday, July 23. I'm not sure about this one. July 24 is Pioneer Day in Utah and the race generally coincides with Pioneer Day, but this year, the 24th is on a Sunday and a Pioneer Day race will not be held on Sunday. They have not yet posted this year's race details, so I'm assuming that it will be on Saturday the 23rd. This race is nearly all downhill which, for non runners to understand, is actually much harder than it sounds. My marathon PR is around 4:35, but I'm not looking it up and it wasn't impressive enough for me to remember. I honestly have no idea how fast I could do this race. When I look up past times, it is much slower than you'd think. And, it is hard to train for a race that drops nearly a mile over the course of 26.2 miles. But, it is part of why I picked the two hilliest half-marathons I could find in Kansas. So, the goal for this one is to just do it. I could finish in 4:00:00 and have the advantage of speed in the downhills or I could finish in 5:00:00 because of the hard work involved in breaking in the downhills. I just have no idea. I do know that my legs will be exceedingly sore when I am done.

Then, I will return to some half-marathons for the fall, especially if I have not yet hit 2:00:00.

6. I will run the Patriot's Run on 9/11 because I have a passion for this run. I do not know how much I will run. There is a marathon, a time run of 9:11:00, and a "run whatever you want" run. Don't know what I will do, but I will certainly be there to support this race.

7. Kansas City Half-Marathon, October 15, 2011. Sub 2:00:00 even if it is 1:59:59 (actually, that would be so hilarious that it would be better than a 1:59:52).

8. Route 66 Marathon, Tulsa, OK, Sunday, November 20, 2011. I would have a time goal for this one. Probably 4:20:00. Realistically.

I would say that would be the end of my season, but, it won't. There is a wee little fun race in a super-happy place in early January that I will be racing. Shhh. . . . don't tell the kids. That is going to be a surprise.