Running can be a funny thing. Over the past few years of training and racing, I've noticed on more than one occasion that things don't always go according to "plan". It's not uncommon to have a sub-par training cycle end with a great race (it's rare, but it happens), and conversely to have great training cycles end in poor performances on big stages (this happens to me a lot). This isn't a phenomenon that is unique to me. Stories and articles abound about how sometimes even solid preparation by some of the world's best athletes may not necessarily translate into race day success.
Given that there are so many variables that need to come together for a great race - regardless of the distance involved - I have learned not to take those good days for granted.
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| Running up Main Street at mile 8...and up...and up... |
The Cowtown Half Marathon ended up being one of those "good" days for me. My intention was to use this race as an indicator of my fitness level at the midpoint of my Boston training. The course is relatively difficult with several rolling hills and one long climb at mile 8. Strong headwinds would make the last 4-5 miles even more difficult, as the course would turn directly into them just as the fatigue of hard racing and pounding the pavement would begin to take hold. Needless to say, my expectations were low as race day approached.
And yet I had the benefit of a strong, consistent training cycle. I felt good, and since I regularly run hills as a part of my routine, I wasn't particularly fazed by the course. The days leading up to the race were spent running short, high-intensity intervals on a treadmill to fine tune my form and leg turnover. Looking back on it, I was probably in as good a place as I could have been heading into a race - "A" race or otherwise.
The race itself unfolded perfectly. With the first several miles featuring a flat to downhill profile, the weather offering cool but comfortable temperatures, and the wind at my back, I was able to cruise through the first half of the race in 40 minutes - a few seconds ahead of my target time - feeling strong and relaxed. The real test would be over the back half of the race, when the hills, the wind, and fatigue would take their cumulative toll. I had expected to lose 4-5 minutes over the final 6 miles of the race, but I was pleased that I could maintain my pace (more or less) despite the obstacles that I faced.
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| Making the turn toward the finish line... |
In the end, I was able to better my previous half marathon PR by more than a minute - a PR that I had set on a flat course on a perfect day - coming in in 1:23:38. I won my age group, finished 24th overall, and as a side note, qualified for automatic entry into the 2017 New York Marathon. Not a bad haul for a morning's work.
The coming weeks will be "prime time" training as Boston looms a month away. I have another tune-up race, a half marathon, in a few days that will provide another test for me. I am targeting only marathon-pace splits (no PR's this time) and will be focused on running a controlled steady pace. Yet no matter what happens over the next few weeks I'll look back fondly on the pleasant surprise that my hometown offered me a few weeks ago. "A" race or not, I'll definitely take it.
