Presque Isle Half Marathon
I completed my third half marathon in 2 hours and 34 minutes. This wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I did finish and I learned a few things along the way. "That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."
I need to be more consistent in my training. While my most recent race was more challenging, I was better prepared for that race having more miles in the couple weeks leading to it than I had in the couple weeks leading to this race. I may need a bit longer than planned to recover from this race, but I will get all my running in before the next half marathon next month.
I need to test everything I will use in the race during my long runs. This includes running outside in higher temperature and humidity than I get in the basement on the treadmill. Also, I need to be more proactive in the use of Body Glide and/or wearing compression shorts. Hopefully, this will address the most sore parts of my anatomy. In addition, I need to be have a better calibration of the stride sensor to the specific pair of shoes I will wear during the race.
I need to get better on my pacing. Related to the previous item, it took a few miles to figure out the proper pace as the Polar gear I was using was reporting a faster pace than I was really running. With that, I did pick a pace and stick with it. Unfortunately, it was a bit faster than I was prepared for on that day in that weather. I did learn in some pretty precise terms what it feels like when I the Red Line and where that currently resides with regards to heart rate. I felt like I was pushing harder earlier than I had in my previous half marathons.
With all that, I still had a great time. The race was well run and the route was mostly flat (a minor, almost unnoticeable, ridge across the middle of the peninsula, and a bridge near the end of the peninsula being the only exceptions) and pleasant. There was some scenery visible along the way. There was some cover from the sun and still some breeze along the way. They run a full marathon using two laps of the same route in the Fall.