One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

In a word WINDY!! The paper said we had 26mph winds at race time. It was a good thing they were out of the west so we started running into the wind and it was at our backs at the end. I would not have liked it if we finished going into the wind.

In any case the race started and it was the usual mass of people in the start. I was seeded in the B corral so it was not that bad and the people around me we going at a good pace. I was told to go out a little slower than my goal pace and then get faster as the race went on so when I was seeing that I was going about 7:05-7:10 for the first couple miles I thought it was perfect. The wind was not much of a factor as I though it would be because of being in a pack of people.

I suppose I get to caught up in my own thoughts and forget what other people tell me. Just before the race, my wife said to double knot my shoes. I was going to but forgot about it. Wouldn't you know it, but at about mile 4.5 my left shoe came undone. I stopped to tie it - double knotting it this time - and was off again, but lost about 15 seconds.

Took a Hammer Gel at mile 5. At that point I was feeling really fatigued and I was afraid that I would not be able to go the race without stopping, but I was determined go give it my best shot. We wntered the Speedway and passed the 6 mile marker and I was still averaging about 7:10 per mile. I was feeling pretty good about that until we reached the north end of the track and started to turn west again. That's when the wind hit. By this point the runners had spread out so not as many people running around me as before. Those winds were just right in my face and I sooo wanted to stop but I pressed on. It got a little better once we went by the pits and were shielded by the grandstand, but I was worn down from the last headwind. I exited the track and there were 5 miles to go.

As I was exiting the track, I started to feel a blister on my right foot in the same spot I got one at the Lake Country HM last fall. That one burst during the race, but I started feeling it earlier in the race that I was feeling this one, so I just pressed on and tried to ignore it.

Took another Hammer Gel just before mile 10. Tried to pick it up a bit at that point. The wind was at my back, but we were on a residential street so I didn't really feel it that much. I was still pacing at about a 7:10 pace so a PR was GOING to happen! my previous best averaged just over 7:20 so with 3.1 to go I had a lot of banked time to play with and still get a PR. It was on!!

When I hit mile 12 I turned down the last straightaway and tried to give all I had left. That last mile feels like the longest because you can see the finish line in the distance and the markers count down 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 mile to go but it seems to take forever. Finished strong and just wanted to fall over but just kept walking. I knew I had a good time going over the last few miles, but after looking at the time I realized I had a PR by 2:53!! I just blew it away. That feels GREAT!!!!

After crossing the finish line, one guy thanked me for pacing him the whole race. He said he saw the carrot on the back of my jersey and knew he could focus on that and just followed me the whole way. That made me feel good. I am usually the one using others to pace off of, but now people are using me. I have come a long way!

I know they measure the courses by taking the shortest possible distances on the roads from corner to corner so weaving and going wide around corners will increase the distance ran. My Garmin had me at 13.16 miles so my splits are a little off of the official averages. I averaged 7:09 per mile for the distance I ran but my official average was 7:11. I took the following splits at their mile posts so I list the distance on my garmin as well:

1st 5 miles: 35:51 5.09mi 7:08 pace
2nd 5 miles: 36:02 5.01mi 7:12 pace
Post 10to12: 14:24 2.01mi 7:10 pace
last 1.1: 7:42 1.11mi 6:57 pace

Being 984 overall put me in the top 3.1% of all finishers and 140th in my age group was top 6.4% in the age group.

Not much. I would remember to double knot my shoes. With 35,000 people running the 15 seconds I lost tying my shoe cost me about 20 places in the overall standings!

Walked a lot and ate some of the food they were giving out. Went back to the parking structure to keep warm and out of the wind. Stretched a bit while there.


The temps although cold were good because there was no way I was going to overheat. The wind was not good, but everyone had to deal with that and there was noting I could have done about it. My training leading up to the race was awful. I just never felt "it" for weeks leadign up to it. It was not until the last few taper runs that I was feeling good at all. I think that may have placed some doubt in my head, but I was able to push through it.


The blister on my foot is the size of a quarter. I have to figure out what I am doing because this is the second HM I have done in a row that I got it in the same spot. I thought after the last one that it was the socks, but for this race I work socks that I have been wearing for a while. I also got blood blisters under the second toe on both feet and will probably lose the nails, but I am so happy with the time I don't really care!