US Air Force Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Once the gun went off we shuffled to the start area, I sure could not call the first bit anything other than a shuffle. Once we got over the timing mats, it picked up a little, but not a lot.

I started out nice and easy, since I knew this was going to take a long time I was not in any hurry at the start. Just start slow and easy.

Miles 1 - 2 were pretty easy, had to dodge all the people that wanted to start up front (why they did I'll never know, common sense says if you are SLOW start in the BACK. I am sure they think those extra 5 seconds they started up front of someone will help them beat that person. rant off). So after dodging the slow runners, and walkers I finally caught back up to the 2:20 pace leader. Fell into the group about 20-30 feet back, hit the first water station at just under a mile, got a glass and drank it. Next station was about 1/2 a mile down the road, drank one glass (should have had more.) Feeling pretty good not breathing too hard, heart rate was right where I figured it would be.

Miles 3-5 - Still feeling great, legs are working fine breathing not labored. I can talk but not super easy. Met Dewayne and Charles, and another guy in here. We chatted and I found out 2 of them were pastors at a local Methodist church, just hang out. Mile 4 water station they were playing Mexicain cha-cha music, boy I would have loved to have had that for the rest of the run. Great beat (maybe a little fast, but hey it was nice). Took a gel at mile 5, well tried to take one. Ended up with half of it on my shirt, and got the rest down me. Heart is still doing fine, I am drinking some water at each station, but not really enough (I figure this out later.)

Miles 6-8 - Well this is where I start feeling the draining, legs are still doing well, but the HR starts getting a little funky. Somewhere in the mile 7-7.5 area the HR starts spiking, I am not pushing any harder. HR sores up into the 170's. I slow down and it drops back. Some where in this area I lost the pace group, I walked some and just try to keep everything together. I start walking th water stations, and taking 2-3 waters not just one.

Miles 9-10 - I am still finding the HR spiking, and finding the miles a lot harder. My pace really drops back here, and I am working a lot harder. Around mile 9 the hills start up again, again it is not a tall hill, but long enough. It was in the section we came back through the Salsa station, music was still playing, but I was NOT feeling it as much this time. Again got some water, ate a couple of gel blocks (not gonna do those again.) I was in the 2 hour range here, not quite but close.

Miles 11-13.1 - Started in the down hill section toward the finish. I am really feeling the effects of running for 2 hours. Just getting tired. I was able to tell myself, that I only had 3 miles to go, only another 30 minutes. You can push for 30 minutes, I was really pleased with the mental efforts this time. Sure I was tired, but I kept pushing. I wanted to get to the end, as I was going down the big hill, I focused on just keeping a nice pace. Hit the water station that had been 1.5 miles, got a glass or 2 gulped it down and kept going. Walked a little, then started pushing again. I focused on someone ahead of me, and then would chase them down. Focus on the next one, go get them... did that pretty much the rest of the way in. 1.25 miles focus, chase, pass...repeat.

The last 1/4 - 1/2 mile is in front of all the old planes for the base museum. I had used enough energy to get to this point, that sprinting was not an option. Just keep right on going, sprinting would have been nice but I needed to stay upright at the end. I figure if someone was in front of me if I couldn't catch them by just running them down, I was not going to catch them.

Train more, drink more earlier on, and take a gel not gel blocks. (Later in the day, I was belching those dang blocks for about 60 minutes.)

Walked around, got some water, gatoraide, a banana, cookies, and other food. I was watching for my wife, since she was going to try to get there before I finished. I think she said she got there about 10 minutes after I was done, son's swim class and loading 4 kids into the van and driving to the race site.

Saw Tammy Tnickerson and yelled for her as she was finishing. She had a much better time than she thought she was going to have. Found her husband, and we walked to the finish line to find her again. Well it took him about 30-45 minutes to find her.

I finally found my family (well they found me) and I sat down with them.


Having extra pounds that I am carrying. Not having trained enough. Changing shoes about 10 days prior to the race, and having blisters that were still sore.


This was the 10th Air Force Marathon. My first time running it. It was a very well done race, and one that I will very likely do again. I don't know that I will do the full marathon, but the half is very nice.