This is my first RR so be gentle and I hope you enjoy.

Short Version:             1:53:33 a PR, 272 out of 789, 44 out of 81 in my age group

Long Version:

History:  This is race 2 of a 3 race Half Marathon trilogy of races in my area.  If you complete all 3 races in a year you earn a nice jacket.  This race series intrigued me so I mentally committed to it last year.  Although I have never run a Half Marathon and my running history has always been on again and off again for the past several years I decided to venture forth into the challenge.

Approximately a few weeks back I injured my feet from overtraining on some hilly routes and to fast a pace.  This injury had me wonder if I would be able to achieve my goal of going sub 2 hours.  Not racing wasn’t an option as I needed this race to meet my trilogy goal, I would have run / walk it if needed, I’m that stubborn.  As the weeks passed the training continued and my feet felt better.  Two weeks ago I started feeling real good and the PR of a local 5K surely helped.  Last week’s 5K felt real good so I was cautiously optimistic about doing a sub 2 hour marathon.  However I wasn’t confident, my last LR of 14 miles wasn’t nearly as strong as I hoped, and self doubt during the taper was setting in.

Race Day:  Arrived at the race real early to ensure I could get a nice parking spot as they run a 5K prior to the Half Marathon.  The weather was partially cooperating as it was 48 degrees with overcast skies, however the wind was gusty and a light rain at times.  The race director had to change the course due to road work not being completed on time, thus the course wasn’t USATF certified.  This didn’t affect me except feeling bad for the people who put the race on and the stress it added.

The start of the race was a little slow as the runners worked their way into their respective pace.  At about the first mile I settled into my pace, quicker than I had initially thought.  The pace felt good so decided to go with it.

Mile 1              9:03

Mile 2              8:22

Mile 3              8:25

Mile 4              8:29

Mile 5              8:25

Mile 6              8:14

Mile 7              8:35

Mile 8              8:23

Mile 9              8:33

Mile 10            8:30

Mile 11            8:32

Mile 12            8:07

Mile 13            8:12

Mile 14            7:37

I wasn’t sure when I was going to hit the wall so I kept at it, trying to bank enough time to recover when I did.  At about mile 7 I was still feeling good and strong and started to think that I might achieve my goal of going under 2 hours.  At mile 10 I estimated that I could finish the last 5K at a much slower pace and still hit my goal.  Feeling empowered at the end I finished strong.

Conclusion:  Training and dedication clearly paid off for me for this race.  Having done well at the prior 2 week 5Ks was very beneficial.  It gave me the confidence to trust myself and go with a pace quicker than I had intended.  Feel good about the last race in October, not sure what I will do for races / events between now and then maybe a Ruckus run, sprint triathlon and a few road races (5K, 5 milers).  Do I dare think of a Marathon, Boston 2014, never mind I will enjoy the glow for today and ponder tomorrow on another day.

Congratulations! You crushed your goal.

Excellent job - you really nailed the pacing!  Congrats.

Wow, you were really consistent with your splits, nice racing!  Congrats!

Curious..this race is named for THE John Kelly, one of the co-founders of the Boston Marathon, and the guy who kept running into his 90's?  He has a very impressive story as a runner.  We should all last so long as him!

Thanks everyone for the kind words, much appreciated. Scotty you are correct, he had a historic running career that is highlighted in his bio section on the web site.

Congrats on the PR, and nice report.

Great job and congrats on your PR!

agree that those are some impressive splits...I think faster times are ahead as you continue this trilogy...congrats!