Spinx Run Fest Race Report

Holy unpreparedness Batman. If you've been reading this blog, you are well aware that I have been suffering in the motivation department lately. Well since I had already paid the $60 entry fee for the half-marathon back when I was getting out and running on a regular basis, I forced myself to toe the line on Saturday.

I must say that it was PERFECT racing weather. Cool, overcast, with no wind, but a slight mist that couldn't even be considered a drizzle. Running is a funny thing, because it can make you feel like you are invincible and can run as long as you want, but it can also make you feel like you cannot take another step. The first 3 miles of the race were the invincible part, the last 10.1, not so much. Maybe there is something to this whole "preparing" for a race.

The first 4 miles seemed like they were all downhill, which had me worried about when we were going to have to pay the piper. It came at miles 8 and 9. Almost completely uphill with no breaks. But by then I had found someone to stick to as a pacer. Mile 11 was the hardest for me because I wanted so much to walk for a little while, but I knew if I didn't stop I would have a shot at breaking 2 hours. Once I got to the 12 mile market, I knew I had a shot, but the course was set up so that you couldn't see the stadium and , thus, the finish line until you were right up on it. I kept wondering if the 12 mile market had been placed to early.

So finally the Greenville Drive baseball stadium comes into view and by this point I was ignoring some of the pain and got swept up in the moment. Mile 13 was run at 7:30 pace and I ended with a chip time of 1:59:11 and a clock time of 1:59: 53. Overall it was a great run.

Not preparing for a race and then running better than expected is a double-edge sword. Part of me says, "Whoa, I could have really crushed my pr if I had trained for this race." But then another part says, "Why train when you can break out a sub-2 hr half with no preparation?" A year ago, I was in the midst of training for the St. Jude marathon and ran this same race (on a different course) at 8:40 pace. So when all is said and done, that's still 30 seconds per mile faster. All I can say is next year, the kids should be healthy, Rachel should be sleeping through the night, and I should have ample time to really put some good speedwork in to rip off a sub 1:50. Write it down...