Summer/Fall Race Reviews

It's been a good long while since Hog's Hunt. Alright, let's do a quick rundown of the races since then.

Dad's Day 5K (00:22:42 @ 7:17 min/mile)  - It was hot, but I was curious what I could do at race pace. The sun and heat were definitely an issue, but I kept a strong pace, mostly in the low 7's. In the second half, I could feel my concentration slipping and my pace slowing, but some encouragement from fellow runners help pushed me over. The camaraderie between runners, even on short runs like this, is awesome. This one runner's words really stuck in my head on this run. As I slowly passed by her, she said "good job. keep going. keep passing people. you got this."

Montreal Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon (01:51:06) - Great weather in a beautiful and charming city. I had planned to run it based on how I felt that day. I wasn't sure if I was going to really race hard or just shoot for a solid run. With the cool weather that morning, I was really starting to feel like a PR was in the works, but I caught myself really slowing down on the hills in the last 3 miles leading back into downtown Montreal. I didn't finish as a strong as I would have liked either, but it was still in the neighborhood as far as time goes. As a side note, this is where I decided that the NB Minimus shoes weren't ideal for racing. They were fine for most of the race when I was keeping a shortened stride, but they didn't offer enough support on my finish where I like to extend my stride and kick harder. My feet really felt the effects.

Rocky Raccoon 50K (07:04:42 @ 13:39 min/mile) - This was going to be a low expectation fun run ultra marathon with friends. It was totally that, although I did hit a rough patch in the last miles. Even so, it's tough to beat running in the woods with your friends.

San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon (01:49:25 @ 8:21 min/mile) - Unseasonably warm, but I wanted to really race hard in this race. Instead of starting in the 1:50 pace group, I decided to start with the 1:45 pace group this time. I was hoping that would carry me along far enough to put myself in a good position at the end of the race. The strategy paid off for the most part. The only time I noticed my pace slowing was between miles 8 and 10 when I was really feeling the sun on my face. I was most happy about how I finished this race, I wanted to get myself within striking distance of a PR. And I accomplished that, but I fell just shy of beating it. I knew with the warm weather I had to dial back my expectations so this was clearly a win. Maybe in favorable conditions, I'd be writing about a new best, but I'm definitely proud of this run.

Splits          Pace
5K             08:10
10K           08:22
10M           08:37
Finish        08:12
Avg Pace   08:21

As usual, my wife has been a rock star supporter through all of this. :)