Temps were a little cool to start, and I decided to run in a short sleeve shirt rather than my tank top. This was a decision that I kind of regretted after only a couple miles, but the shirt worked well. It carried it along for a few miles at the end when temps started to climb. My goal was to be under 3:40. In three previous runs, I've never gotten below 3:37. I thought if things went well, I could hit the BQ time of 3:35. And by mile 23, I knew it would be close, realizing my under 3:40 was certainly likely, but not absolutely certain about the 3:35. But, I laid it down and pushed hard, hitting 7:15 MPM the last three. Because of the fast finish, I really feel good about the run, and finished 17 seconds ahead of another 50 year old man, whom I don't know whether I passed or simply was just inside the chip time. The line to the johns was long at the start, so some probably just started late by the clock. A woman passed me in the first 2 miles, and I never saw her again. But I ended up finishing 3 minutes ahead of her time. So, the half marathon group of runners confuses the field of marathoners, but I like it that way. With them, you don't know if your passing half marathoners or marathoners, so it takes out some of that competitive foolishness. |