Well this was my first half-marathon so I was a little clueless on how to pace and what I should feel like at different stages of the race. Actually I've done one half before but I was injured and had to walk the whole thing. That took me like 3 hrs, so I guess this is a 1hr and 20 min PB :).

Race strategy: Being unfamiliar with the distance I wanted to go out slow (HR under 170) till around the 10k mark and then evaluate how I was feeling. The course is a net gain in elevation on the way out and a net downhill on the way back. So if I felt good I knew that I could push the pace at the turnaround. If not I could probably just try to cruise home at the same pace.

I was pretty calm before the race, which is kind of unusual for me, and it seemed like the gun went off in no time. It was a race of around 500 people so I seeded myself in the top quarter, which seemed appropriate. I tried to keep telling myself to relax the first k and just take it really easy. Well that didn't happen. I ran it in 4:30 and was planning on running 4:45's all the way out to the turnaround.

So I slowed myself down for the next one and started getting passed left and right! I couldn't believe the waves of people passing me. It was nuts. I ran the next k in 4:37, which was still faster then planned, but my HR was under control so I decided to go with it. I figured I would see how the next k went and if the pace was faster then planned but the HR was still low I would throw out the time goals but stick to taking it easy on the way out.

The next k came under 4:40 as well and I decided to just go by HR. I crossed the 5k mark 22:57 and was feeling great. About a k later it started to get a little hilly. At 8k I took a gel and it started and the elevation gain was getting quite noticeable. I was feeling pretty great and the race leader just passed me on his way back (to a 1:04 half!) so I decided that this would be a good point to make a bit of a move. I pushed the HR to around 175, tried to keep it there and started to pass people. A lot of people.

I hit the 10k mark in 47:11 making my second 5k in 24:15 which is a little slow but it was also in the hilly part of the race. At the turn around I felt awesome. I felt fresh had a lot of spring in my step and knew that I had a few fast k's coming up. Somewhere between the 11 and 12 k mark I saw Kristi on her way out to the turn around. She looked really happy and it was a huge boost to see her out there on the course.

At around the 13k mark my stomach started to hurt. I think that I really had to pee! I could either stop and take a leak or deal with the pain. Everything was going so well to this point I figured that I would just tough it out over the next 8k and hit the porta potties at the finish line. I'm happy I made that choice even though from that point on my stomach was in a lot of pain.

I hit the 15k mark in 1:09:56 doing the third 5k in 22:54. That was the best 5k of the race. I pasted a lot of people who were looking really strong and it was a HUGE mental boost. I would run to catch the next person ahead of me and sit on their heels for about 15 seconds and then make a move to the next person. I knew I had a really good chance of coming in under 1:40 and was really happy. I didn't want to get to happy though because I knew that I still might blow up. I hadn't slowed down yet in the race and was waiting to hit a bit of a wall. The wall came with about 3k to go. I clocked a 4:57 k and thought it was all over and I was going to suffer the rest of the way. I slapped myself (not really) told myself to purge the negative thoughts and just keep pushing it.

To my surprise the next k was faster and I crossed the 20k mark in 1:33:30 making the fourth 5k in 24:34. I was slowing. I only had one more k to go though and just went all out to the end. Did the last k in 4:18 and crossed the finish line. Also had a negative split for the race by just over 1 min which is awesome :)

My goal for the race was to finish under 1:45 and my happy dance goal was to finish under 1:40. I seriously thought that 1:40 would be out of reach.


Well I didn't taper at all for this race and did almost a 4hr ride the day before. So my legs weren't all that fresh. I also think that I could have gone out a little faster at the beginning. All in all though for a first crack at the distance it went awesome.

Went pee! Oh my god I had been holding that for 8k!


No taper, inexperience, long ride the day before.


I will do it again next year :)