Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for a race of this distance, considering the time of year. Sunny skies, a light north wind with race temps in the 60-65 degree range. Even the humidity was under control. This was the third time I've run this race (2008 and 2011 being the others) which takes place in Richfield, MN just West of the airport. The two previous races were very humid. Miles 2-4 are on a narrow dirt trail through a thickly wooded nature preserve. I remember how "soupy" the air was the prior two races with no air movement through this trail section. Today was a breath of fresh air! This was my first big race of the year and first half marathon since October. My training has gone well so far this summer. No injuries and I've been able to get my mileage and tempo workouts completed as planned. So I entered this race excited about running well in my first big race of the year.
Breaking 90 minutes is my primary goal every time I run a half marathon. This will be my 15th half marathon and I've only run under 90 minutes 3 times. In fact the two times I ran this race before, represent two of my four slowest half marathons. But for some reason, I really like this race. I'm just not sure why. Maybe it's the ever changing scenery as this course winds through and around protected nature areas, while also cutting through the heart of residential Richfield. I'm not a big fan of (unpaved) trail runs and this course has a 2.5 mile stretch as previously mentioned. It also has many, many twists and turns as you can see from the course map pictured above. It's not an easy course (which may explain my slow times), other than it's a fairly flat course with the biggest hill coming in mile 6.
I think I started out too fast in my prior two races this year which were shorter in distance. So my game plan this time was to make sure I didn't run a negative split in my first mile (faster than my overall target pace). My goal was to lock onto a 6:50/mile pace and maintain it throughout the race. As the race began, I did a good job holding my pace back. In fact I ran the first half mile at a 7:05 pace and realized I needed to pick up the pace a bit. My first mile was exactly 6:50. The next 3 miles took us through the dirt trails of the nature preserve. Instead of running negative splits where I thought I would need to hold back, I had some difficulty maintaining my pace through this narrow trail with its many bends and turns. I found myself having to step it up the last half of each mile to get back on pace.
By mile 5 we were back on pavement for the duration of the race. I was still on my target pace and found it easier to maintain my pace on residential streets. The next two miles had fewer turns and longer stretches of straight running. These stretches can be a bit monotonous because you don't have to focus as intently on the course. However, then you tend to think more about the physical pain you are going through. But these stretches are also easier to maintain a pace once you find your groove and allow your mind to drift away to more pleasant thoughts other than the growing fatigue that continues to knock on your door each mile. Mile 9/10 are two of the toughest miles on the course because they consist of many turns and bends...about 7 in each mile. They also represented my two slowest miles (6:59) of the race. Once I got past mile 10, I began my mental countdown to the finish. Just 3 miles to go, just 2 miles to go. At the two mile mark we ran through Taft Park. A softball facility which has significance to me in my softball playing days back in the late 70's...but that's a story for another time.
The last two miles require more mental strength than physical strength. Trying to keep your body from slowing down when it's desperately crying out to do so. Throughout the race there were several runners which I was jockeying position with. I would pass them, they would pass me and so on throughout the race. The final mile brought us back to the park where the race began next to the Richfield Ice Arena. With just a half mile to go I passed one of these runners who I was back and forth with all race. It gave me the mental strength I needed to finish strong. My race time was 1:29:35 which ties as my 3rd fastest half marathon and just my 4th half marathon under 90 minutes. I finished 31st among 846 finishers and 3rd of 73 finishers in my age group. My overall race pace was 6:50 on the nose. I was very happy with my race performance because my mile splits were so consistent. Only a 12 second variance between my fastest and slowest miles. My next race is one month from now at the City of Lakes 25k in Minneapolis. Then on to the Twin Cities Marathon in October.
Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/1672/2013_Urban_Wildland-Half_Marathon
