In November 2008 I lined up for the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon. At the time it was my first race of that distance and my longest run ever. Since then of course, I've covered that distance many times in training and have completed five races of that distance or longer, including the full marathon at the same event in 2009.
November 21 2010 saw me line up for the third straight year, this time, as in 2008, for the Half. This year, Jill and my two daughters were in attendance also, to run the 5k (a separate race at the same event, effectively covering the first 5k of my run).
Here was the problem with this year. First of all, I was, I felt, undertrained. I've seemed to develop a knack of twisting my ankle over the last few weeks and this has slowed me down both in speed and volume. On top of that, I've been eating like I'm doing a universal junk food audit, and yesterday topped it off when we celebrated Thanksgiving early and I anti-carbo loaded with turkey, potatoes and the usual trimmings. More like preparation for a bigger pair of pants than a Half Marathon.
Still, I love this race. After the first 5k around a corporate complex, paved trails weave in and out of wooded areas and under and over bridges until two or three more miles of road and then a return on the same trails to the finish line. I wouldn't say the course is overly challenging, but it's not slam dunk piss easy either. There's no major hills except for a long steady incline on the road section in the middle, but it's rare that you encounter a truly long flat area. Plenty of little bumps. Added to that, while this year was by far the warmest of the three "Grinds" I've done, it was also far and away the windiest.
My youngest was going to walk-run the race with Jill, who's been fighting allergies and flu and wasn't up to a full run. My oldest daughter's a cross-countryer so she started with me (and soon pulled away - she would later finish 4th in her age group, and probably could have finished higher but she thought she'd missed a turn and double backed to me, costing herself probably 30-45 seconds at least in the process).
Really, almost immediately, I knew this was going to be a tough race. My goal going in was 1:45, much slower than my PR, but all I felt capable of. I knew even that was going to be pretty difficult, but I muscled around the first 5k in about 8:10 pace, not too far off. I kept expecting things to start to ease up, but my lack of energy, somewhat bloatedness for the ill-advised turkeyfest the day before, and the incessant wind meant it never really did. The incline on the road mid-section I found far more challenging in years past too. True, I was actually running faster than I did the last couple of years, but I'd run faster in training over 10-11 mile distances, so it was rather frustrating to know that I didn't quite "have it" on this day.
Still, the miles did tick slowly but surely by and as always I was encouraged when I returned to the trails with about a 5k still to run. Somehow, I passed people still on their way out, some 5 miles behind. It made me think back to my first marathon in Arizona when I had to walk almost half of the distance. Seemed to last forever then, and it was nowhere near as windy. Poor them I guess, but they seemed happy enough, so who am I to speculate.
My legs were out of steam and I was absolutely ready for the race to be over, and thankfully, finally it was. I managed to keep going the whole way and even put in a little kick at the end - though was once more blown away by a fellow competitor in the home straight, a rather deflating pattern.
My final time was 1:46:59, about 2 minutes outside my goal, but I was relatively satisfied. A perusal of the finish times revealed times were slower in general than the last couple of years, probably because of the wind. I should have prepared better, but all in all, it was still a respectable time and I held my pace of 8:10 the whole way so it was nice to power through and stay consistent. I have to say it was also great to run with Jill and the kids even if I only really saw them at the beginning and end. The kids were proud of themselves, and with medals and tech shirts given out to all participants, even the 5kers, everyone was a winner. My guess is I'll be back for Grind #4 in 2011.
Showing posts with label half marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label half marathon. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Rock The Parkway
The Inaugural Rock The Parkway was this past Saturday. Offering the three classic distances, 5k, 10k and Half Marathon, I opted for the Half. It's probably my favorite race distance, sitting as it does between the zoom ze bop bang of the 5 and 10ks and the long sappery of the longer distances. Jill meanwhile lined up for the 10k.
Despite it's virginal status and cold rainy conditions, 4,000 runners turned out to run one of the three distances. The course, while certainly considerably more challenging than the website pretends, isn't Hospital Hill or Psycho Wyco hard, and is a treat on the eyes, comprising tree-lined streets and some of the nicest residential areas of the city.
I think this race is an example of what an excellent marketing campaign and solid organization can achieve. To get this many runners in the first year requires some clever positioning, and from the very good website to the constant, interactive facebook updates and finally the execution of the event itself, the directors really got a lot right.
I arrived in plenty of time, leaving the warmth of the car a little while before Jill, whose race started 15 minutes later. A quick meander through the starting area, and I was able to find a spot right where I wanted, next to the 1:35 pace group leader, Tony. This was my goal going in, and I felt I had a decent shot at getting it, even though it would be quite a bit faster than my current PR. Training had been going well, and the trail work has really boosted my speed and core strength over the last few months.
The gun went off and within just a few seconds I was across the start line. The first couple of miles flew by. We were a little behind pace, which was intentional. The pacers were adopting a smart-technique where the first few miles are treated as a warmup, the next few are faster, and the last few are basically "hang in there".
I remember thinking during almost all of the first half that for a "gently rolling" course, much of the "rolling" seemed to be uphill with only a few scattered downhill moments. I felt Tony pick up the pace appreciably as we hit the 5-6 mile mark and indeed one quick stop at a water station and I had to work pretty hard to catch back up. I feared this might come back to bite me later.
Most of the route is on the famed Ward Parkway, but there's a middle loop through some residential sections near Loose Park and it's probably the best looking part of an already very scenic course. Jill and I had driven it the day before when it had been bathed in sunshine. The scenery wasn't quite as impressive through the gloom of the rain, but on the flip side, it was cool and not overly windy, so I wasn't complaining.
I think around 7.5 miles was when I started to feel it a bit, the seemingly constant, albeit fairly gentle, uphills starting to take their toll. Then I careened (almost out of control) down a quick steep downhill and realized I'd left my pace group behind. I figured I could slow down and wait for them, but kept going and whether I'd quickened or was just getting tired, I started to wonder if I was going to regret the move.
Fortunately, what goes up must come down, and the back side of the course as we re-entered Ward Parkway was almost all downhill with just a few little bumps along the way. It couldn't have come at a better time and I found myself working less hard to maintain my pace and my energy began to return.
At about 10 miles, I passed a very enthusiastic spectator with a flower power shirt and bright white pants for the second time who was yelling something about holding onto our "chi", bringing a brief, if somewhat confused, smile to my face. I started feeling tired again, and this time decided to take evasive measures by swallowing the energy gel I'd brought along before grabbing a cup of water at an aid station.
Half a mile later and the gel had kicked in and I was ready for my big finish. Very few people actually passed me after I left the pace group, but I caught up with a fair few, as well as some of the 10k and 5k runners still out on the course (they started later than the Half-ers).
Finally, using up the last of the gas in the tank, I crossed the finish line in 1:34:09. 7:11 pace, knocking 14 minutes of my previous race PR. Later, I found out I'd finished 86th out of 1,450. 16th in my age group. Getting faster anyway.
Jill was waiting for me at the end, having just finished her 10k, and we went to the post-race area which we breezed quickly through. Rattle and Hum were playing - and playing well - but the weather was just too cold and wet to stay long, so off we trotted.
It's weird to think this is only the third actual Half-Marathon race I've done. I think I've probably run the distance (or further) 20 or more times over the last year and a half, mostly in training obviously, but I've managed to lower my time each of the three times, so hopefully that trend can continue.
All in all, this was a great race. Very impressed, as mentioned, with the organization, giveaways (the tech shirts and medals were great, as well as the post-race refreshments and entertainment) and atmosphere. Next year's is already set; hopefully the rain will hold off next time, but other than that, couldn't really ask for too much more. I'll be back.
Despite it's virginal status and cold rainy conditions, 4,000 runners turned out to run one of the three distances. The course, while certainly considerably more challenging than the website pretends, isn't Hospital Hill or Psycho Wyco hard, and is a treat on the eyes, comprising tree-lined streets and some of the nicest residential areas of the city.
I think this race is an example of what an excellent marketing campaign and solid organization can achieve. To get this many runners in the first year requires some clever positioning, and from the very good website to the constant, interactive facebook updates and finally the execution of the event itself, the directors really got a lot right.
I arrived in plenty of time, leaving the warmth of the car a little while before Jill, whose race started 15 minutes later. A quick meander through the starting area, and I was able to find a spot right where I wanted, next to the 1:35 pace group leader, Tony. This was my goal going in, and I felt I had a decent shot at getting it, even though it would be quite a bit faster than my current PR. Training had been going well, and the trail work has really boosted my speed and core strength over the last few months.
The gun went off and within just a few seconds I was across the start line. The first couple of miles flew by. We were a little behind pace, which was intentional. The pacers were adopting a smart-technique where the first few miles are treated as a warmup, the next few are faster, and the last few are basically "hang in there".
I remember thinking during almost all of the first half that for a "gently rolling" course, much of the "rolling" seemed to be uphill with only a few scattered downhill moments. I felt Tony pick up the pace appreciably as we hit the 5-6 mile mark and indeed one quick stop at a water station and I had to work pretty hard to catch back up. I feared this might come back to bite me later.
Most of the route is on the famed Ward Parkway, but there's a middle loop through some residential sections near Loose Park and it's probably the best looking part of an already very scenic course. Jill and I had driven it the day before when it had been bathed in sunshine. The scenery wasn't quite as impressive through the gloom of the rain, but on the flip side, it was cool and not overly windy, so I wasn't complaining.
I think around 7.5 miles was when I started to feel it a bit, the seemingly constant, albeit fairly gentle, uphills starting to take their toll. Then I careened (almost out of control) down a quick steep downhill and realized I'd left my pace group behind. I figured I could slow down and wait for them, but kept going and whether I'd quickened or was just getting tired, I started to wonder if I was going to regret the move.
Fortunately, what goes up must come down, and the back side of the course as we re-entered Ward Parkway was almost all downhill with just a few little bumps along the way. It couldn't have come at a better time and I found myself working less hard to maintain my pace and my energy began to return.
At about 10 miles, I passed a very enthusiastic spectator with a flower power shirt and bright white pants for the second time who was yelling something about holding onto our "chi", bringing a brief, if somewhat confused, smile to my face. I started feeling tired again, and this time decided to take evasive measures by swallowing the energy gel I'd brought along before grabbing a cup of water at an aid station.
Half a mile later and the gel had kicked in and I was ready for my big finish. Very few people actually passed me after I left the pace group, but I caught up with a fair few, as well as some of the 10k and 5k runners still out on the course (they started later than the Half-ers).
Finally, using up the last of the gas in the tank, I crossed the finish line in 1:34:09. 7:11 pace, knocking 14 minutes of my previous race PR. Later, I found out I'd finished 86th out of 1,450. 16th in my age group. Getting faster anyway.
Jill was waiting for me at the end, having just finished her 10k, and we went to the post-race area which we breezed quickly through. Rattle and Hum were playing - and playing well - but the weather was just too cold and wet to stay long, so off we trotted.
It's weird to think this is only the third actual Half-Marathon race I've done. I think I've probably run the distance (or further) 20 or more times over the last year and a half, mostly in training obviously, but I've managed to lower my time each of the three times, so hopefully that trend can continue.
All in all, this was a great race. Very impressed, as mentioned, with the organization, giveaways (the tech shirts and medals were great, as well as the post-race refreshments and entertainment) and atmosphere. Next year's is already set; hopefully the rain will hold off next time, but other than that, couldn't really ask for too much more. I'll be back.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Gobbler Grind
I got up at a little after 6:15, took the dogs out, made a cup of tea and a bagel, and got dressed for what would be my first half-marathon, the 12th Annual Gobbler Grind of Overland Park, Kansas.
A perfect day for running, the temperature was in the high-30s when we left (Jill took me to the start line). There was a light breeze, and a slight chill in the air, but pleasant enough to where the biggest question for me was whether to wear shorts or long pants for the race. Ultimately I went with long pants, but I probably could have worn shorts, and had I been running the full, I would likely have changed at some point.
I warmed up a bit in the parking lot while Jill waited in the car. The only concern was that my hamstrings felt rather tight, as has been the norm over the recent week or two. Still, after a little jogging around and some stretching, I felt like as long as I didn't set off like a steam engine O.D.ing on coal, they would most probably warm up and no longer be too worrying.
I took off my fleece and gave it to Jill, who told me she'd see me at the finish, and headed out to the start line, about 10 minutes before the 8am start. As I waited, I noticed that almost everyone seemed to be wearing more than me, many with two shirts on, and long pants tucked into thick socks. This seemed a little strange to me, given the weather, but I had enough confidence from my training to know that I was probably appropriately dressed, and waited for the race to begin. The race director was babbling something into a loudspeaker that was completely unintelligible, but when the National Anthem was played, I knew we were close to liftoff, and at 8am on the dot, the gun went off.
The first mile or two were rather chaotic. It seemed like a lot of people were passing me, but I resisted the temptation to go after them and kept an easy pace. I noticed two guys dressed (for some reason) in St. Patrick's Day outfits. One had a silly hat on and had a costume that was presumably meant to be some sort of elf, and the other guy had an all-over green lycra bodysuit, which made him look like he was about to be shot out of a cannonball.
I was bumped a few times in the early going, and had to have my wits about me as people cut across, slowed down, sped up, and performed several other obnoxious manoeuvres. Fortunately, it wasn't too terribly long before things thinned out a little. The fast runners were safely ahead of me and the slowpokes safely behind. None of this was a huge surprise; I knew it would be a dodge for the first 5k.
We hit the asphalt trail right as the 5k runners peeled off towards their finish line. I didn't immediately notice a sudden lightening of traffic, but after a while, it became more apparent. The trails were very narrow, but, at least for me, it didn't present a huge problem.
At 4 miles, I took water, which wasn't as straightforward as it might have been. The volunteers were trying, but were rather overwhelmed, and I ended up having to line up for about 20 seconds before I received my drink. Fortunately, it was really the only time that happened; future aid stations were better prepared.
At 5 miles, an upsetting sight. The runner in the green lycra suit was lying flat out by the side of the trail, with a muddy mark on his knee and writhing in some pain while his elf-dressed friend attempted to comfort him. Apparently he had fallen and had done some significant damage. Another runner stopped to help. This made me pay particular attention over the next few miles, fearing a similar fate.
We hit the roads again at about 6 miles and remained on them for the next mile and a half before rejoining the trail. Most of this period was uphill and it was here I really began to pass runners struggling with the incline. From this point on, I'd say I probably went by several hundred runners, while I myself was only passed by a small handful. Used to the hills from my training, I didn't find them particularly difficult in terms of steepness, though they were admittedly lengthy.
This was perhaps the most well supported section, other than the finish line, with groups of supporters dotted around and providing enthusiastic support. 1st Avenue in New York it was not, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
Shortly before mile 10, I was relieved to see the marathon/half-marathon split very well marked, with volunteers vociferously directing traffic also. Clearly they had read the comments from previous years where this was a big issue. Also at this point, Jill and Olive were standing by for support, and a photo op.
As I went by the 10 mile marker, a lone full-marathoner was coming the other way. Apparently (don't ask me how), he had missed the split and had to double back almost a mile. That would be such a downer, though to be honest, he must have been totally zoning out to have missed it, so I'm not that sympathetic.
I'd felt strong the whole race, and that continued right up until the final mile when I began to significantly tire. The lightly rolling course became more challenging, and on one little bump, I felt my legs stiffening up quite a bit. I managed to hold my pace, knowing that the race was almost over, but I doubt I could have for too much longer.
Finally, I turned a corner, and about 1/5 of a mile ahead I saw the finish line, and a crowd of people lining the trail, and heard some muffled Christmas songs. It gave me enough juice to speed up just a little (one particularly fresh woman shot past me about 100 yards from the finish, which was a bit of a dent to the ego, but otherwise, I held my spot, and put my right arm in the air as I crossed the finish line. I was thrilled to see that I'd beat my goal time by some 7+ minutes, and Jill and Olive met me with smiles and a snort (I'll leave you to guess which did which). A volunteer quickly cut off my timing chip and another gave me a medal. I was very grateful, because I would definitely have forgotten both.
It all hit me at that point, and I quickly grabbed a banana and wolfed it down, suddenly ravenously hungry. Another quickly followed, along with a (very good) peach yogurt and I began to feel better.
And there it was! 13.1 miles through the streets and trails of Overland Park. The course was pretty, if you like trees and grass (I do), and despite the comments about previous runs, it was excellently organized. The atmosphere at the finish was light and loose. Olive enjoyed some banana and yogurt of her own, so for her it was a highly successful outing, and Jill looked almost as pleased as I did with the result.
I'll post the stats shortly, and maybe follow up with some more post-race thoughts, and also some photos but I wanted to get the synopsis down while everything was still fresh in my mind. Also, for anyone wondering if it's worth the aches and the fatigue, I have only one thing to say... yes it is.
A perfect day for running, the temperature was in the high-30s when we left (Jill took me to the start line). There was a light breeze, and a slight chill in the air, but pleasant enough to where the biggest question for me was whether to wear shorts or long pants for the race. Ultimately I went with long pants, but I probably could have worn shorts, and had I been running the full, I would likely have changed at some point.
I warmed up a bit in the parking lot while Jill waited in the car. The only concern was that my hamstrings felt rather tight, as has been the norm over the recent week or two. Still, after a little jogging around and some stretching, I felt like as long as I didn't set off like a steam engine O.D.ing on coal, they would most probably warm up and no longer be too worrying.
I took off my fleece and gave it to Jill, who told me she'd see me at the finish, and headed out to the start line, about 10 minutes before the 8am start. As I waited, I noticed that almost everyone seemed to be wearing more than me, many with two shirts on, and long pants tucked into thick socks. This seemed a little strange to me, given the weather, but I had enough confidence from my training to know that I was probably appropriately dressed, and waited for the race to begin. The race director was babbling something into a loudspeaker that was completely unintelligible, but when the National Anthem was played, I knew we were close to liftoff, and at 8am on the dot, the gun went off.
The first mile or two were rather chaotic. It seemed like a lot of people were passing me, but I resisted the temptation to go after them and kept an easy pace. I noticed two guys dressed (for some reason) in St. Patrick's Day outfits. One had a silly hat on and had a costume that was presumably meant to be some sort of elf, and the other guy had an all-over green lycra bodysuit, which made him look like he was about to be shot out of a cannonball.
I was bumped a few times in the early going, and had to have my wits about me as people cut across, slowed down, sped up, and performed several other obnoxious manoeuvres. Fortunately, it wasn't too terribly long before things thinned out a little. The fast runners were safely ahead of me and the slowpokes safely behind. None of this was a huge surprise; I knew it would be a dodge for the first 5k.
We hit the asphalt trail right as the 5k runners peeled off towards their finish line. I didn't immediately notice a sudden lightening of traffic, but after a while, it became more apparent. The trails were very narrow, but, at least for me, it didn't present a huge problem.
At 4 miles, I took water, which wasn't as straightforward as it might have been. The volunteers were trying, but were rather overwhelmed, and I ended up having to line up for about 20 seconds before I received my drink. Fortunately, it was really the only time that happened; future aid stations were better prepared.
At 5 miles, an upsetting sight. The runner in the green lycra suit was lying flat out by the side of the trail, with a muddy mark on his knee and writhing in some pain while his elf-dressed friend attempted to comfort him. Apparently he had fallen and had done some significant damage. Another runner stopped to help. This made me pay particular attention over the next few miles, fearing a similar fate.
We hit the roads again at about 6 miles and remained on them for the next mile and a half before rejoining the trail. Most of this period was uphill and it was here I really began to pass runners struggling with the incline. From this point on, I'd say I probably went by several hundred runners, while I myself was only passed by a small handful. Used to the hills from my training, I didn't find them particularly difficult in terms of steepness, though they were admittedly lengthy.
This was perhaps the most well supported section, other than the finish line, with groups of supporters dotted around and providing enthusiastic support. 1st Avenue in New York it was not, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
Shortly before mile 10, I was relieved to see the marathon/half-marathon split very well marked, with volunteers vociferously directing traffic also. Clearly they had read the comments from previous years where this was a big issue. Also at this point, Jill and Olive were standing by for support, and a photo op.
As I went by the 10 mile marker, a lone full-marathoner was coming the other way. Apparently (don't ask me how), he had missed the split and had to double back almost a mile. That would be such a downer, though to be honest, he must have been totally zoning out to have missed it, so I'm not that sympathetic.
I'd felt strong the whole race, and that continued right up until the final mile when I began to significantly tire. The lightly rolling course became more challenging, and on one little bump, I felt my legs stiffening up quite a bit. I managed to hold my pace, knowing that the race was almost over, but I doubt I could have for too much longer.
Finally, I turned a corner, and about 1/5 of a mile ahead I saw the finish line, and a crowd of people lining the trail, and heard some muffled Christmas songs. It gave me enough juice to speed up just a little (one particularly fresh woman shot past me about 100 yards from the finish, which was a bit of a dent to the ego, but otherwise, I held my spot, and put my right arm in the air as I crossed the finish line. I was thrilled to see that I'd beat my goal time by some 7+ minutes, and Jill and Olive met me with smiles and a snort (I'll leave you to guess which did which). A volunteer quickly cut off my timing chip and another gave me a medal. I was very grateful, because I would definitely have forgotten both.
It all hit me at that point, and I quickly grabbed a banana and wolfed it down, suddenly ravenously hungry. Another quickly followed, along with a (very good) peach yogurt and I began to feel better.
And there it was! 13.1 miles through the streets and trails of Overland Park. The course was pretty, if you like trees and grass (I do), and despite the comments about previous runs, it was excellently organized. The atmosphere at the finish was light and loose. Olive enjoyed some banana and yogurt of her own, so for her it was a highly successful outing, and Jill looked almost as pleased as I did with the result.
I'll post the stats shortly, and maybe follow up with some more post-race thoughts, and also some photos but I wanted to get the synopsis down while everything was still fresh in my mind. Also, for anyone wondering if it's worth the aches and the fatigue, I have only one thing to say... yes it is.
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