I've been keeping a fairly busy training and racing schedule this summer. On Saturday, it paid off. I ran a personal best, breaking 2 hours at the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. Just two months ago, I ran the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon in 2:13. I think that's a sign that the training is going well.
The real victory is that my race management was almost perfect. Other than the fact that I couldn't find my good shoes on race day, requiring me to don the pair I wore to train for and run my first marathon last spring, I felt well prepared, and ran comfortably the whole way. Averaging a 9:08 pace, I ran at the high end of my Zone 2 (goal heart rate/pace range for a race this distance) to the low end of my Zone 3 the whole race. To me, this demonstrates that I've not only improved in strength and speed since our time trials last month (where zones are determined), but also I've learned some self discipline in my racing. Typically I sprint from the start line and run the first 2-3 miles at top speed, only to burn out by Mile 10. Flanked by two trusty running buddies, Christine and Stacy, we took the first 3 miles easy, averaging a 9:30-10:00/mile pace and let our bodies warm up to the altitude (9,000 ft +) and terrain (rolling hills descending 1,000 ft over the course). We were all amazed at how quickly the miles clicked by and how good we felt, even at mile 8. After mile 9, Christine broke off and picked up the speed (8:00/mile). I kept on her heels to mile 10 then set my own pace the last three miles (8:30/mile) Stacy maintained a solid pace, finishing just at minute behind me. The last tenth of a mile, I pushed hard and finished strong to eke out a sub-two hour race. Jim was lucky enough to find parking and make his way to the finish line just in time to snap a quick photo of me crossing in record time.
Walking around after the race, stretching, eating, drinking, I started to feel the effects of how hard I had just run. That's the sign of a good race, I think, it feels so good during the race, you don't even realize how far and fast you ran until you're done.
While I still love the 26.2 miles of the marathon, the half-marathon could easily become my favorite race. It's long enough to be challenging but short enough to see improvement over a relatively short training period. Also, I never feel completely wiped out after a half while marathons leave me sore for at least a couple days.
This is definitely not the end of the racing season for me. In fact, it's just beginning to get interesting. With a 20-miler next weekend, a 10-miler in three weeks, Imogene Pass in about a month, then the Denver Marathon in October, I have a full schedule. I was hoping to knock off the Boulder (Backroads) Half Marathon in September, but Uncle Sam has other plans for me that weekend.
Also, I ran into a former coach at the race this weekend and he has some exciting training going on too. I may decide to join up with him and his team for the California International Marathon in Sacramento this December. Somehow a year doesn't seem complete with only one marathon on my legs. Since New York didn't work out as I anticipated, I've been searching for a replacement race. Maybe this is the answer?
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