So I was not really looking forward to my race yesterday as it got closer (Malden Half in Malden, MA).  It was not because I hadnt done the training for it, in fact I was really happy with how my training had gone all winter.  Most of it had been on the treadmill - especially speedwork - because most of my runs are at 5:00AM and I hate running in the dark in the winter.  I've fallen way too many times on ice I couldnt see and it's just not worth it any more.

Anyway, I wasnt looking forward to it because it was a 2.5 mile loop that we had to do 5 times - seemed like it would be mind-numbing to me by the 5th lap.  Plus, the weather forecast wasnt looking great with snow and rain coming.

But it went really well.  Got up super early with daylight savings time and headed to the race a bit earlier than I should have - ended up sitting in the car for a bit because it was pretty cold out.  Once I got my warmup in and got my throw-away gear on I headed over to the start.  They started a few minutes late but that was fine.  I headed out in the group, a bit crowded at the begining but I settled into my pace after the first mile or so.  I say first mile or so because the weird thing was that they had NO mile markers on this course.  That kind of threw me off.  I dont live and die by my mile times, but I usually check the first two miles of a HM to make sure I'm not going out too fast, and I usually like to check them all after the race to see if I was even paced or if I slowed down at the end.

The loops werent that bad though.  I got lapped by the winners, and I am pretty sure they were close behind me as I headed out on my fourth loop and almost double lapped me.  But as I entered my third loop I started to lap a few slower runners and it actually worked well because there were always people around me to focus on and try to reign in and pass.

I started marking my time somewhat by the clock near the start of the loop, knowing that if my loop was under 20 minutes I would be just about under 8:00mpm which was my goal for this race.  As I came around to start my 4th lap I was at 1:02 and starting my 5th lap I was at 1:21.  I then did some quick (but probably not super accurate) math I thought that if I could pick it up a notch for the last lap that I might be able to break 1:40 (my overall goal on this race was really just to break 1:45) so I tried to pick it up, but I was cold at that point.  Typically in a HM no matter the weather I've run in, I would have dumped my hat, gloves and long sleeve shirt by mile 6, but I still had all of it because it was just too cold and windy.

I didnt quite make it under 1:40, coming in at 1:40:24 but I was super happy with my race and I would definitely do this one again next year.  They did say they are trying for a better course next year but.

My race started at 7:00 and my daughter (15yo) was running a 5 miler on the same course at 8:30 so I was luck I finished before all the 5 mile runners caught me. I saw the mass of people coming out as I headed back on my last lap and I think it would have been nuts if I got caught up in that group at the end of my race.  But I hung out and cheered my daughter on - due to the course I was able to see her run past me 4 times.  She did great but was freezing as the snow started up just as the 5 miler started and we both headed right home after to warm up.

All in all a good start to the race year - now looking for my next HM.  I am thinking the "Fast Half" in Hamilton, MA but it's only about 6 weeks away and I am wondering if I'd be better off finding one a bit farther out to get some more training in.