Hartford Half-Marathon 10-15-2011

I don’t think I have looked forward to a race as much as I was looking forward to the Hartford Half-Marathon this year. It is not that I was trained and ready for it. It wasn’t until I did my longest run of the year – an 8 mile run walk at 9-1 ratio the Saturday before that I decided to enter. I was looking forward to it because like many, my life has been very hectic (jobs, kids and an on going home renovation project --replacing all our carpets at home with tile, hopefully to cut down on the respiratory infections) and I have felt like I have barely had a moment to myself. The thought of being able to run (and walk a little) on a 13.1 mile course with water along the way and have no interruptions was thrilling to me.

The first year I did the half, I used a 4-1 run walk and finished in 2:34, with lots of aches and pains. Last year I used a 6-7/1 and did 2:30. This year I became convinced thanks to my 8 mile run, my new pair of New Balances, and a general feeling of fitness that I could handle a 9-1 the entire distance, and if I had to suffer, well, so be it. It is important to me to see continuing improvement in my times each year as it is a proxy against the onset of age. I have now been doing this for five years and hope at 53 to have more years of upward climb before my body says slow down.

The weather, like last year was great. I checked my bag at the Bushnell, and took my place in the accumulating throng. At the packet-pickup on Thursday I picked up a pace bracelet, which I had never seen before. The one I got was for 2:30 with what my pace should be at each mile along the way.

I had three goals for the race, Break 2:30, Break 2:25, do a sub 11:00 mile pace.
I felt reasonably confident I could break 2:30 simply by not walking as much as last year. My one outside concern was leg pain, while my 8 mile run with the new shoes had been fine, the week before, with the old shoes, a 6 mile run had ended up with me walking due to left IT band pain that I did not want to press.

It was chilly so I found a place in the sun just past the over 10:00 mile pace sign. I was intending to move back some, but I saw a guy I new from work, and we started chatting and people crowded around us and then the race was on.

With everyone around me running, as I hit the 9 minute mark, I decided to keep running. It is easy to stop and walk when others are doing it; harder if you are the only one. I hit the first mile in 10:08. At the second mile, I saw someone else stop to walk, but the people running next to me started ranking on him. “If you’re going to walk, why don’t you start at the back.” So it wasn’t until mile 3 and the first water stop that I took my first walk break. I was feeling good, I abandoned the 9/1 and decided to just walk the water stops and if there were any hills, I would walk for one minute per mile.

The course felt like I was running downhill all the time. There were very few even low grade up hills, and I was well ahead of the 2:30 pace. I love this course; it is much more people friendly than the old half course. People line the road pretty much the entire route. I saw a number of people I knew. I saw a Heat jacket on the sidelines and recognized Jamie Sullivan and he gave me a nice Heat cheer.

I hit the halfway point at 1:09, but was starting to feel some discomfort in my IT band, but nothing that slowed me down. I fully expected to run a slower second half, even with a finishing sprint. I strategically walked a couple of hills, and then from mile 10, ran it on in, with a sprint at the end.

I just enjoyed the run, and as I got toward Bushnell Park, I thought, “This is my time. Here I am running, it’s a beautiful day, people are cheering. I really didn’t even want to get to the finish line. I didn’t want it to end.”

I was feeling like Kip Keno, but then I past a building on Farmington and was able to watch my reflection and instead of graceful runner, I saw a middle aged man with a stiff jerky stride shuffling along the route. Oh, well.

I finished in 2:21:35, taking three seconds shy of 9 minutes off my last year’s time, so I was quite happy with that.

I picked up my bag at the Bushnell, and then waited through the food and beer lines. Last year I got to the front of the beer line only to be carded, and not having an ID, I decided I would go home and have a beer there rather than walk to my car and then walk back to the park. This year I bought one of those thin waist belt wallets to hold my ID so I popped it out and I was in. I had a Hooker Ale and also was pleased they were giving out free hot dogs and sausages in the beer garden, so I had a delicious hot dog.

While waiting in the long lines, I observed quite a number of people Rosie Ruitzing their way into the lines, and I wondered whether it was worse to take a bus to the finish line to claim a podium prize or to cut a food or beer line to get sustenance before another hungry and parched competitor. But in the end, I really didn’t care. It was a great day, I marveled at all the happy people around me, and thought what a great event, what a great sport.

I ended up with a few aches and pains after, my knee hurt going up and down the stairs, but after a naproxen at night and one this morning, I was back at work, none the worse for the wear and tear.

2:21:38
10:48 Pace
4034 out of 5157 (78%)
208 of 254 in age group (81.8%)
2003 of 2305 of men(86%)
199 out of 330 Clydsdales and Athenas (60%)

I took nearly 9 minutes off my 2010 time.

Results

2010

Finish 2:30:32

Pace: 11:29

3877 of 4610 overall (84%)
1882 of 2049 men (91.8%)
194 of 208 Men 50-54 (93.2%)
163 of 201 Clydesdales (81%)

2009

My official time was: 2:34:19

I came in 3483 out of 4086 (85%)

158/175 in my age group M5054 (90%)

246 out of 358 in the Clydesdale/Athena category (69%)

My mile pace was 11:46