Sunday, April 27, 2008
2008 Country Music Half
I finished yesterday's Country Music Half Marathon in 1:45:37, which was over an 8 minute PR for me. It was also much faster than my 2:14:47 last year. Just about everything went right, including the weather. It rained all morning right up until the start of the race, but then it stopped. During the race it stayed cool and overcast, and the wind was very mild.
The only thing that went wrong was I accidentally started off in corral 4 instead of in corral 5 with the 1:45 pacer. I somehow got ahead of the rope when the corrals moved forward. So I ran an 8:20 pace until the pacer caught me in mile 4, then I hung with him until the end (at a little under an 8:00 pace). Overall, it probably did me some good to start off slower the first 3 miles. I hadn't done any warm-up since I was trying to stay out of the rain as long as possible.
Here are my final splits and stats from the race:
The only thing that went wrong was I accidentally started off in corral 4 instead of in corral 5 with the 1:45 pacer. I somehow got ahead of the rope when the corrals moved forward. So I ran an 8:20 pace until the pacer caught me in mile 4, then I hung with him until the end (at a little under an 8:00 pace). Overall, it probably did me some good to start off slower the first 3 miles. I hadn't done any warm-up since I was trying to stay out of the rain as long as possible.
Here are my final splits and stats from the race:
- 5K: 26:01 (8:23)
- 6Mi: 49:02 (8:11)
- 10Mi: 1:20:13 (8:02)
- Finish: 1:45:37 (8:04)
- O'All: 1335 / 21398 (6.2%)
- Sex: 1040 / 7921 (13.1%)
- Div (M35-39): 162 / 1249 (13%)
- Age Grade: 57.10%
Last year, the CM Half was my first huge race (>5000 people), and it was exciting because of all the fanfare. But this year, I guess I'm just older and more crotchety because I found all the fanfare annoying. It really made me appreciate small, quiet local races that have no expo, crowds, corrals, chips, bands, buses, spectators, charities, certification, or cheerleaders. I like quiet running with beautiful scenery.
My next race is the Wild Thang 9 Mile Trail Run in Long Hunter State Park this Saturday (May 3, 2008). My next big, long-term goal is the Greenway Marathon on October 4, 2008.
Labels: Running
# posted by Bill Menees @ 5:28 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
Doug Renfro caught me. I started in corral 4, but Doug and corral 5 started 1 minute after me. So by me running 8:20 pace, that gave Doug 3 miles (at 8:00 pace) to make up the minute difference and catch me.
What's funny is it took me about a quarter mile to realize that I had started in corral 4 instead of 5. When that finally sank in I looked all around for the 1:45 pacer that I knew was supposed to be in corral 4. :-) Needless to say, I didn't find him/you, so slowing up and waiting for Doug to catch me seemed the best choice.
I'd have liked to finish a minute faster, but there's no guarantee that would have happened if I'd started with Doug or you. So I'm happy with how it turned out.
Post a Comment
What's funny is it took me about a quarter mile to realize that I had started in corral 4 instead of 5. When that finally sank in I looked all around for the 1:45 pacer that I knew was supposed to be in corral 4. :-) Needless to say, I didn't find him/you, so slowing up and waiting for Doug to catch me seemed the best choice.
I'd have liked to finish a minute faster, but there's no guarantee that would have happened if I'd started with Doug or you. So I'm happy with how it turned out.
<< Home
