Beware! Long post to follow!
Flying Pig HM Race Report:
Made it to Cincy Friday afternoon after a stop at REI near Ann Arbor/Detroit (couldn’t pass up the anniversary sale). Had plans to meet up with the rest of the 30s from www.coolrunning.com on Saturday at the Expo. After a brief sight-seeing tour of downtown T and I made it to the expo with time to spare, so I grabbed my race packet, got my shirt/bag/poster, and browsed all of the exhibits before meeting up with the group.
What a group! Bob, his wife Maggie, Joe (Voodoo), Joe (Mmoon), Frankie, Ann, Beth, Amy, her husband Brian, Kris, her friend Nick, Elizabeth, Charles, Larry, his family, Kathleen, and Robert…after some great conversation (with a bit of healthy teasing thrown in for good measure) we made way over to the restaurant for dinner, Campanello’s. The most interesting thing about dinner: our waiter didn’t work there, he was asked to help out since they were so busy that night! Nice first day on the job…here’s a group of 21, oh and by the way, we put them on top floor of the building! Food was good, but nothing spectacular. Made it back to my parents’ (yet another nice thing about this race, no hotel to pay for) and was in bed by 9 p.m. for the 4 a.m. wake-up.
Thanks to a small dose of Ambien (prescription drugs rule!) I slept surprisingly well. I wouldn’t want to get up at that hour everyday, but I was ready to go. Managed to make it downtown – I know downtown Cincinnati the worst of any place I’ve ever lived – and park without any trouble. Made our way to the rendezvous spot and met up with the group. Pictures were taken, strategy discussed, and the early hour was discussed before we made our way to the start. Quick pit-stop in the bushes – no I wasn’t the only one – and we were ready to go.
Kathleen, Ann, and I were running together since our goal time was pretty much the same. We lined up behind the 4:30 pace group and started people watching prior to the start. Let’s see, we had a guy dressed up as Mr. Incredible (and believe me he shouldn’t have been), a guy wearing a rubber pig mask, and various other people dressed like swine.
Starting to get nervous.
National Anthem.
BOOM!!! – they actually started the race with cannon – and we were off.
Mile 1
I struggled to find an even pace at the start, mostly due to a typical early race crowd, complete with passing a ton of walkers in the first mile or two. I had my FR 305 set to auto lap every mile, and again like a typical race it was signaling mile marks just a bit ahead of where they were on the course. Lap time: 10:37
Mile 2
First bridge of the course, started to get a bit more comfortable as the crowd started to thin a bit. Lap time: 10:23
Mile 3
Second bridge of the course…mentioned to Ann and Kathleen how much nicer/easier this racing this is when you have people to run with! Lap time: 10:27
Mile 4
Last bridge and we were back in Cincy. Saw T and Maggie on the course. Lap time: 10:00 even thanks to the down portion of the bridge.
Mile 5
Mostly downhill along the river. Started to get myself prepared for when we turned North and the hills started. Still feeling pretty good at this point honestly. Lap time: 9:53
Mile 6
Now the race really starts. We turned north and started climbing. Gained just over 100 ft of elevation in this mile. Lap time: 10:26
Mile 7
Here’s where things really got tough. We turned on to Gilbert Ave and really started to climb. We gained another 125 ft of elevation or so before we even turned into Eden Park and continued to climb. Legs were feeling it bad. If it hadn’t been for Kathleen and Ann, I would have really slowed down at this point. Lap time: 10:41
Mile 8
Finished off Eden Park – nice view of the river – and the big hills. Lap time: 10:29
Mile 9
Running through Walnut Hills…starting to see more people along the side of the course. Just enjoying some flat ground…ok, not really FLAT, but at least there were some downhill portions mixed in! This is where all of us half marathoners split from the full people and headed back towards downtown. Lap time: 10:08
Mile 10
Ok, we thought the hills were done, but we’re still climbing! Not enjoying this as much anymore. By the marker for mile 10, my FR305 was off by a good 0.10-0.15, so as we crossed the marker I hit the lap button so I could keep track of the last 5K. That’s right, only 5K to go!
Mile 11
Ahhhhhh, downhill!!!! Kathleen (who I think held back just a bit to run with Ann and I) let gravity take over and pulled away. I tried to do the same, but wasn’t as fast as her. Felt nice to run fast and not really have to work for it. Lap time: 9:07
Mile 12
Legs are tired now. Starting realize I didn’t drink enough. Ann and I turn around and find Joe (mmoon) next to us! Where did he come from! Lap time: 9:43
Mile 13
Enough with the hills/inclines! Lap time: 10:06
Finished in 2:14:57 (a new PR). All three of us, Joe, Ann, and myself. Grabbed our medals, and hit the food/water. Could really tell I didn’t drink enough on the course. According to my FR305, I ran 13.39 miles (10:08 pace) as compared to the official results of 13.1 miles which works out to a 10:18 pace.
I’ll take either.
So…overall very pleased. The Pig half was a MUCH tougher course than the Grand Rapids half. The Pig averaged a 9.7% grade on the hills while Grand Rapids was flat. While my training left something to be desired this time around, I was better prepared for the Pig. I still need to be more consistent with my training – which is what I’m focusing on over the next 2-3 months – and have a better race plan (fluids, etc) when I give this distance another shot.
I had a great time and met some great people. Only question left is this: where will the next 30s meeting be?
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