Post Berlin through the end of 2012

Post Berlin

More race recaps.  I’ll try to do a few at a time but I know I’m about 30 races behind as I type. 

Dayton Corridor Run (10/10/10)- I ran this one a few years before and was looking at it as a training run before I ran the full at Columbus the following weekend.  They changed the course from the prior time and I wouldn’t say it was for the better.  I went w/my friend Deb and the temps were definitely a factor for both of us.  My race plan was to run the first 5 miles hard, the next 5 easy and then even easier to the finish.  At the 5 mile mark, I was ahead of plan but shortly after, my hamstring began to bark at me and I slowed way down because it didn’t feel like a cramp.  I got to the 10 mile mark about 90 or so seconds behind where I wanted to be but because the race was exposed and in direct sunlight, the 80-85 degree day was taking its toll on me.  By the time I hit 12, I decided to walk it in because I wasn’t feeling all that great.  I crossed the finish line about 10 minutes slower than plan but I really didn’t care.  Deb passed out after the finish and I nearly did at lunch right after the race.  Definitely not fun and a lesson learned.  Truthfully, though, the race isn’t that great and not that scenic so it’s not a recommended one. 

Columbus Half Marathon (10/17/10)-I had actually signed up for both the half and the full for this one and decided a few days before to do the half due to the hammie tweak I had in Dayton the weekend before.  Plus all the race mileage was adding up and I was pretty spent from the travel!  My good friend Hansen decided to run the race w/me as a bandit (he didn’t take any fluids, medal or anything of the sort).  I gave him my race plan and we started off in the streets of Columbus a little faster than plan.  My HR wouldn’t elevate to the normal levels so I continued to push at the same pace.  What a great day for a run, though!  By the time we hit the 10 mile mark, I had about 5 minutes in the bank so I decided to just cruise on into the finish.  Hansen was trying to get me to go faster and finish up but I really was enjoying the morning.  At the 13 mile mark, I was glad we were done because it was getting a little warmer out there and I was glad to only doing 13.1.  After a quick trip through the finishing chute, we hustled to the car then back to my house to see the 3:10 group go by at 22.5.  My Mom came down as well to cheer on all the marathoners and we had a little late breakfast that morning.  I always enjoy running C-Bus!

Circleville Pumpkin 5 miler (10/23/10)-This race is fun.  No two ways about it.  Decent course and not a huge race at all.  I got after a it a little early and had to hang on at the end but still a respectable finish for me (about 2 minutes off my 5 mile PR). 

Silver Comet Half Marathon (10/30/10)-A very fun Halloween weekend spent in ATL!  This race was run almost entirely on the Silver Comet Trail in Northwest Atlanta area.  I flew in the night before and did an easy 5k shakedown run the night before the race.  Race morning the temps were nearly perfect and it was a very enjoyable run on the trail.  The only downside to the race was the start/finish were about a mile apart and you couldn’t park at the finish so we jogged back to the car after the race!  After a quick shower and some fast food chicken joint, I checked into a different hotel downtown and picked up Geri from the airport so we could continue the festivities of the weekend.  Band of Horses played at the Fox Theater that evening.  The next morning was another 4 miles on the trail while Geri did her 10 mile training run.  We followed it up with a quick lunch, relaxing, some beers at the ale house next to the Fox Theater and ended the night with the 311 show on Halloween.  We had great seats (about the 5^th or 6^th row on the aisle) and had a blast seeing 311 do their thing Halloween style!  Unbelievably fun show and an all around great weekend!  I’m 100% sure Geri had fun, too…..haha!  Oh, and I know the concerts had nothing to do with running but it’s always great when you can do stuff like that and pair running w/other things and make a great weekend out of it!

Marshall (WV) half marathon (11/7/10)- I had every intention to take this one somewhat easy but wanted to run it a little harder than the weekend before.  A perfect running day and very cool temps made this nearly six minutes faster than Silver Comet!  I even ran back to the hotel after the race.  I’ve run it faster before but I don’t know if I’ve had anymore fun here any of the other 4 or so times I’ve run it!

Buckeye Classic 10k (11/14/10)- This race is my nemesis!  I have no idea why but I wasn’t into it and it showed!  It’s a quasi-trail race with about 1-2 miles of road and it’s crowded so the trails from 2-5 can be somewhat slow going.  I knew early it’d be a struggle but since it was a shorter race, it was over somewhat quickly!  Post race Panera w/some of the running crew made it much better!

Cleveland Fall Classic half marathon (11/21/10)-I tried to equal the effort from Marshall two weeks earlier on a day where the weather wasn’t as good.  I paid for it at the end!  This course is a double loop and pretty plain as far as races go but enjoyable nonetheless.  Deb and I rode up together so the trip was great and since it’s a later start, you can do the entire travel thing in one weekend day.  I was only 2 minutes slower than Marshall but I lost all the time in the last 5k or I would have beaten it.  I did have to stop for 30 or so seconds because my garmin actually stopped!  A recommended race for someone who wants something a little more low-key.

Rehoboth Beach (Delaware) Half marathon (12/11/10)-A great overnight trip flying in/out of Philly and the drive from the airport to Rehoboth Beach was cool as I saw a caravan of buses w/a military and police escort going into Philly for the Amry/Navy game.  All traffic on the other side of the road was stopped.  Very cool!  Once I got to the race destination  I ran an easy 5k the evening before the race on the boardwalk and around the area just to loosen up. It was great running on the beach in December!  Cooler temps race morning (in the 30’s) and surprisingly we only saw the ocean for about a half mile or less!  While the race was fun, there were a few parts that were a little lacking in view on the 5-6 miles of out and back we did.  I went out too hard in this one, too and faded badly after about 15k.  Nonetheless, it was a fun race on a nice day.  I even got back to Philly for an earlier flight! 

Huff (IN) 10.8 mile fun run-  I’ve run this a few times and decided this would be a great way to end 2010!  My friend Kathie had never run a trail race before and decided to tag along to see what it was about and why I enjoy it so much.  She said she’d run w/me despite my tortoise like pace.  Temps at the start were in the low teens.  It was cooooooooooooooooooooooold!!  We started out a bit faster than I wanted and after a mile or so we slowed down to a fast hike w/some light running in there.  I just wanted to enjoy it!  The rest of the run was pretty uneventful but I always have liked the last mile or so of the course.  Post race was some soup, extra shower time to thaw out and then a nice, leisurely drive back to C-bus.  I did feel sorry for Kathie since she wanted to run faster but all she’d do was run ahead and then back. She probably ran 12-13 miles instead of the 10.8 advertised!

That’s 2010!  2011 coming soon!