(link to 2012 summary)

As we're well into 2014, that can only mean I'm way behind on taking our annual look in the rear view mirror at our 2013 Half Marathon Trainers Intrepid Racer's results. So (finally!) here we go:

By the Numbers
 
98 race results were reported by HMT racers  (many entries hit the calendar with no check-in...)
23 PRs were reported, Wow!
 8 Intrepid racers earned AG or Overall placement awards

If you earned one or more of these, congratulations!

 
Half Marathon was Primary Race Distance (whew)

Half marathon was the primary race distance with 66% of the overall race results (thank goodness, given the purpose of the group) -- this is an increase from 2012, but probably this % growth in HM is also driven by fewer shorter races officially entered and reported.

The 10K used to be the most common race distance 15-20 years ago, it’s not all that common these days, having been replaced with the 5K in our attention deficit times -- and the 5K was 12% of our races, but the 10K caught up this year with an equal 12% of races (yeah!). This is a great trend to see, given the 10K being a great half marathon training distance.

When did we run those races
 
In the 2012 summary, I was surprised to see the stats showing June and August were the slower months on the calendar. For 2013 I am even more surprised to see the Feb-Mar-Apr lead the way for race counts -- which goes against the grain of fall's normal role as the prime road racing season. Following the summer quiet period, Oct did dominate the fall race season, just ahead of November's turkey trot season.

Finish Times for Half Marathons

One of the great attributes of our group is the wide variety of runners -- we've got speedsters to walkers and everyone's miles are the same distance. The reported Half Marathon Finish times show the span of paces. Overall, our results generally match the results seen elsewhere -- a cluster in the 1:45 - 2:00 range, followed the 2:30+ range, with the 2:00 - 2:30 and sub-1:45 nearly tied:

Notable notes / events / races & Awards

Best Race Name Award -- Runner-up goes to "Midsummer Night's Run" for its classical, yet whimsical twist.  And....the award goes to the Halfway to St Patricks' Day 5K!  I want to run it just because of it's name.

Racers of the Year Awards -- The judging is completely arbitrary and non-objective....no doubt. From among the many racers and events in 2013, the intrepid racer results this editor will point out as outstanding for 2013 were:

-> CanadianMeg and her twin PRs, first at 10K, then at the Half Marathon.

-> Zelanie who set her half marathon goal and hunted it down with 5K, 10K, 10mi race distances....and like a great white shark circled in for the kill posting a 1:56 in her 1st ever try at the 13.1 miles and then repeating with another sub-2 half marathon PR in the fall.

-> Redleaf for PRs at 5K, 10K, 15K, and half marathon (what was it...2 or 3 times in the half). Wow, what a year she had!

At the risk of being both repetitive and all sorts of unimaginative  I'll include my same closing thought...In the US about 5-7% of the adult population report that they regularly run as an activity. If you are regular runner you may not realize that you are wealthy. In these times of global economic uncertainty many are quick to think of 'wealth' as meaning money and possessions, but another differentiator between poverty and wealth is time. We here are among those who are wealthy with time to spare for recreational running rather than having all hours used struggling to find food, water or safety.  I wish for all that you have time, health and ambition to run as you want and reach those goals that bring you personal satisfaction and inner peace.

Thanks for sharing your race and running experiences from 2013, it was fun tracking everyone's adventures!

Nice!  Due to surgery, this will be my lightest year race wise but I am looking forward to seeing what y'all come up with.

MT- Thanks so much for putting this together!  I think just going day to day, or even month to month, we miss some of the patterns we can see when looking back over a longer period of time.

The Halfway to St. Patrick's Day 5K is so small, you could come out here and have a chance at taking 1st overall!  It's just a short trip across the country, right?

Thanks for the shout-out, BTW.  I will have to channel my inner great white shark when I am out on the course again this spring.  And yes, we are truly rich if we have the time available to devote to our training.

Here's hoping for a great 2014 for everyone here!

I love the summary although I cannot silence my inner editor "As we're well into 2013," should be "As we're well into 2014,"

And thanks for the mention. I'll try to do better at living up to it this year

I have been waiting for this, and all I can say is, that it was worth the wait! When I joined this group, I read the 2012 summary and was amazed at the stats you displayed. Thank you very much for taking the time to gather this data. I know that you have been very busy, and we all appreciate your dedication to this group. Thank you again.

For me, 2014 will hold some uncertainties. I don't feel 100% since the marathon, and just not sure what's going on. I have 3 halves on the schedule that I've registered for, and will sign up for at least 2 more that I know of. I'm going to add all of my races like I did last year, so everyone here can help to hold me accountable. I'm not sure about setting any PR's, as my quality runs have been lacking a little. I hope to keep my base at 30 mpw and just roll on, in hopes that the warmer weather will have an impact on my training.