Gulf Coast Half Marathon

I was on the road at 4 AM, drove for 2 hours, got my race packet, and then chilled out for a while until the 7 AM race start at the Inaugural Gulf Coast Half Marathon at Pensacola Beach, Florida. The weather was near perfect with the temperature just under 60F at race start. The flags were standing straight out but I believe it was only about a 10 mph wind. I knew we would run straight into that wind for 7 miles and then turn around to go back.

Although I toyed with the idea of running this race easy since my full marathon was only two weeks away, in my heart I knew I was going to run near my previous PR pace of around 8:40/mile as long as things felt okay. I started well into the back half of the 800+ runners as there was no easy way to push closer. The event was chip timed, so my only concern was getting stuck in the early crowd. When I went across the starting line, I saw some daylight and made an effort to get through the large back-of-the-pack group that I felt would be too slow. I managed to get through and then throttled back to a comfortable 8:30/mile pace.

Thinking I might not want to sustain the "new PR" pace, especially as we ran into the wind, I held on for a couple of miles and then made the final decision. For some reason, I always make a good choice for race pace based on how it's going after 2 miles. This time, I felt really good so I decided the 8:30/mile pace would be a good choice. I knew if I made it to the turnaround point without fatigue, then the last 6 miles would be with the wind!

Except for the pesky ITB pain in the left knee that revealed itself at mile 4 but never stopped me, I never slowed and finished with a time of 1:51. I ran a decent negative split for last half of the race but that was mostly attributed to running with the wind.

This was my fourth half marathon and they seem to get easier each time. I no longer have muscle and joint pains during the latter part of the races, especially those that would linger for a few days afterward. I have also averaged about 5 minutes quicker in my finish time with each half-marathon. Since I have only been running for three years and I am only into my second year of races, I have plenty of room for natural improvement before I must suffer the inevitable effects of age decline. That's the one "plus" for starting my running in the later years!

Now, my next full marathon is less than two weeks away. With nothing planned after that, I have begun to search the internet for just the right event to take me through the summer. There will be no more 20 mile runs and no full marathons until later in the fall. I am not a glutton for punishment and I will not race when the summer heat and humidity are against me.