Lost Dutchman Half Marathon

Running for the pot of gold I ran the Lost Dutchman Half Marathon today in 1:50:58 according to my Garmin. It was a great race with lots of hills and beautiful scenery.

The start was windy and 46 degrees and it was pretty cold. I knew that once I got going I would be warm but wore my gloves anyways. The race was gun timed instead of chip timed and there was enough people and I was more towards the middle/back; it took me almost a minute to cross the start. It would be great if the walkers would start towards the back but there are always some towards the front that I need to weave around. I ran this race much smarter than I usually do by going out slow. My first mile was a 9 min mile and it really paid off in the end. Having already tested pushing the pace in the beginning and dying in the end, I wanted to test the theory that going out slow would allow me to run a faster time. Now if I can just apply it to my marathon in May and have a BQ.

I felt great throughout the race and ran with a negative split. The last few miles I was able to zoom past other runners. It was awesome seeing John right before turning for the finish line and not wearing my ten mile face.

Mile Splits

9:00 8:55 8:57 8:56 8:24 8:26 8:33 8:26 8:20 8:35 8:00 7:36 7:39

Overall, I'm really pleased with the race, my pacing and how I feel the day after. Before the race I wondered why I paid money to go run when I could run at home. The excitement, the adventure, the people, the friends, the course and the run itself make it all worth it.