New Bedford Half Marathon

Last Sunday, I ran the New Bedford Half Marathon (are you proud of me for getting this written up within a week of the race??  I'm trying to be better!!).  I've run this race the past 2 years and have always said that its the race I love to hate!  The first year I got a huge PR but was scarred by the wind and cold weather.  Last year, I got another PR but didn't race nearly as well as I was hoping to run.....and the wind....that terrible wind!  

This year I was back and hoping for a big PR based on how well my training has been going.  The weather was perfect 45-50 degrees and partly cloudy.  I got to New Bedford, picked up my number, and met up with a couple people from the Runners World forums that were also running.  I went for a warm up run and settled into the start.  

I was hoping to pace at 7:50 min/miles for a finish around 1 hour and 42 minutes...."the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."  The gun went off and I was off!

Mile 1: 7:35 - wow....too fast!

Mile 2: 7:57 - too slow

Mile 3: 8:07 - what is going on??  Had a bad side stitch (maybe from starting too fast) and trying to work it out

Mile 4: 8:19 - yikes.....big hill here so trying not to get discouraged

Mile 5: 7:53 - starting to actually feel ok for the first time during the race

Mile 6: 7:53 - settling in

Mile 7: 7:50 - feeling ok but knowing the windy part is still to come

Mile 8: 8:04 - windy along the water but no where near as bad as the last 2 years....so why am I slowing down so much??

Mile 9: 8:03 - no comment

Mile 10: 8:11 - no comment with appropriate language for this blog

Mile 11: 7:55 - a couple miles left......trying to pick it up some

Mile 12: 8:05 - so much for picking it up?!?!

Mile 13: 8:04 - actually I am happy with this mile because there is a long hill here and I think I ran it pretty well

Last .1 miles: 1:15 - Garmin measured long so this time is actually for 0.19 miles so that's a 6:39 pace.....I was not going to let anyone pass me at the end!

So what does that all add up to you ask???

Watch time (there was only official gun time): 1:45:11 

Gun time: 1:45:27

Average pace: 8:02 min/mile

So while its still a PR by about 1:30, its no where near the 1:42 I was hoping for.  Not sure what went wrong....for some reason I just couldn't get my legs to move any faster.  But a PR is a PR and I am happy with my race.....after all I am training for a marathon right now, not a half marathon.  I was coming off my highest weekly mileage ever and maybe I had some residual tiredness in my legs.  I capped off the day with a nice Italian lunch with my new Runner's World friends.....I'm sure Bryan was happy I had other runners to talk to so I didn't talk his ear off overanalyzing every mile :)

So now with a month more until Boston, I need to just keep my eye on the goal!!