NEW PR IN HALF MARATHON!

Final chip time: 1:43:21 (7:54 pace)

Finished 144th out of 1049 runners in the half marathon.

Finished 11th out of 65 in my age group.


I am very happy with my race performance. The speedwork, hot weather running and faster paced long runs over the last two months definately helped me race better than I ever have on Sunday. This is the best race experience I have had in my years of running.

Here is the recap:

Mile 1 = 7:01
Mile 2 = 7:24
Mile 3 = 7:34
Mile 4 = 7:50
Mile 5 = 8:07
Mile 6 = 7:44
Mile 7 = 7:50
Mile 8 = 7:55
Mile 9 = 8:01
Mile 10 = 7:58
Mile 11 = 8:03
Mile 12 = 7:59
Mile 13 = 8:27

I felt great the entire race. Around mile 8 I needed to dig deep and focus on the miles ahead. I took it one mile at a time and stayed focused on running 8 minute miles or better. The temps were perfect, it was a very cool morning. I could write much more about the race but I have no time or reason to do so at this point.

My 2007 racing season is over. I am pleased with my performace this year. I only wish I set a new PR in the 5K (missed by seconds). This year I ran a PR in the 15K and half - I am happy. I plan to run a marathon in 2008, most likely in the fall. I plan to set a new PR. The marathon is a completely different race and after running five of them, I still have things to figure out. My goal is a sub 4 hour in the marathon next year.

For now, I will enjoy running for the sack of running. I won't race until next spring and I won't have a formal training schedule. I will run. That is all. Run for the fun and pure enjoyment.

Happy running!