12:1 RUN - RunHalf Marathon

Wore short sleeve technical tee shirt, long sleeve Under Armour shirt, and a long sleeve technical tee shirt - tri shorts, fleece hat, and thin gloves. I was a little chilly at the start but fine within a mile. Legs were a little cold for a couple more miles but where fine before the midpoint of the race. Ended up sweating through the shirt layers and had damp hair under the hat but this was the right outfit combination for the 50 degree sunny but windy weather.

They started the 5k and half marathon at the same time so I started at the front of the pack and ran a fast 7:04 first mile to stay out of the crowds. Slowed to a good pace of about 7:50 for the next few miles. A guy just a little faster than me passed me at about mile 4. I paced off him as we visited until about mile 10 when we turned into a head wind and I couldn't continue this fast for me pace. Overall it was good to run with him because it helped pass the time in the middle of the race that always seems to drag and he made me faster than I would have been by myself.

I never took water on the run. I was fine most of the way but probably could have taken some water at the last two aid stations but I didn't want to have to break stride and it was too cold to risk spilling any water on myself. I was able to run the full length of this race which was half marathon first of mine. I have always ended up walking at least a few aid stations at every half marathon in the past.

Ended up with a couple blisters where I have calluses on the sides of my feet. Should probably put some Vaseline or band-aids on these areas pre-race as a preventative measure.

Walked and stretched a little. Ate some pretty good home made cookies


Nothing really


Very well organized race with great volunteer and police support. Live bands on course provided entertainment. The course was gentle rolling hills through a state park. The roads were open to traffic but the traffic was very light. Overall a great race that I would recommend for anyone looking for a good 5k, 10k, 15k, or Half Marathon. They also had kids races the night before.