Hungry Turkey Half 2018 Race Plan and Preview

First off, a history and some back story

The Cincinnati Turkey Day 10k is the oldest race in the region at 109 (and counting). I’ve never run it. At a bar for a running party, I joked with another runner that I was going to run it someday. His reply was a dead-pan “no you wont.” I was taken back by the statement (and he had done that intentionally) until he said “you can’t run it, it’s a 6 mile parade.” Since then (and even before then), I’ve run the Honor Run Half Marathon and let the season end there and ran 10k on Thanksgiving Day as a lame sign of support for my brothers and sisters in running shoes dealing with the clustefuck that is the Cincinnati Turkey Day 10k. But being the largest road race day in the country, I kinda felt left out.

Enter Facebook Targeted Advertisements. The images below aren’t the ads I could find when I decided to type this out, but the guy was on one, and going to the website, you see the pic of the cinnamon roll below (images from Ohio Runs / Cincinnati Hungry Turkey Half & 5k).

Post-race pastries are second only to alcoholic beverages when crossing the finish line.
I hope they comped this guy’s registration.

Since half marathons are now a ‘just for fun’ thing’ (WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK HAPPENED TO ME??? :-D), I got permission from she who must be obeyed and signed up. For a cinnamon roll. The pullover looks nice too, and the medal is nice (but it’s another medal).

Recent Past

Fast forward to the evening of November 20, 4 days prior to race day, and an email goes out claiming the start/finish has been moved from Armleder Park to the Lunken Playfield…

More History…

Prior to 1945, THE airport in Cincinnati was Lunken Airport. However, in 1937, it was inundated with floodwaters, getting it the nickname “Sunken Lunken” and paving the path for the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to start development as a commercial airport in 1945 (originally established as a military training facility in 1942). Since then, a multi-use path has been constructed around the airport, and some years after, a connection was made with Armleder Park, which is north of the airport. The connection is made below a bridge over the Little Miami River. I know this area can flood. Moreover, I know the Ohio River is high because I run next to it all the time, and it’s been high.

So I expected the reason was because the race was going to become a clusterfuck and have to stay to one side or the other of the Levee due to flooding.

It appears I was incorrect (not a complaint!). We’ll still cross through the flood-able area between miles 4 and 5 and back between miles 8 and 9.

Course Overview and Plan

It’s been a long time since I’ve run around the airport, and the last time I bicycled around it was October 12, 2015 (thanks Endomondo!). The path is not incredibly wide anywhere, but I’m also not really going for a PR. Of course, the last time I said that, I had a break-out 5k that became a PR that stood for a year or two. Most of the path is boring with occasional views of the airport, but I expect there to be little activity given that the airport primarily serves corporate jets.

The first mile is mostly flat with a little hill towards the end around the Lunken Terminal when the path goes from street level to floodwall level.

Mile 2 to 4.5 is mostly flat. And boring. This is where there’s occasional views of the airport.

Mile 4.5 to 5.4 goes down 40-50 feet and back up, down will be steeper than up.

Mile 5.4 to 7.7 is mostly flat. It’s in a park with few tall trees or shade, although that won’t be a major concern.

Mile 7.7 to 8.6 goes down 45-50 feet and back up, but this time up will be steeper than down. This will be the hardest part of the race.

Mile 8.6 to 12 is mostly flat. And boring. This is where there’s occasional views of the airport.

Mile 12 to 13.1 starts with a little downhill around the Lunken Terminal when the path goes from floodwall level to street level. Fortunately, that little hill is in the right spot to tee up a nice finishing surge.

My main concern is course congestion on the return trip, but it’s only a mild concern. I think that most of the pack will be on the 5.4 – 7.7 loop while I’m on the return track, so I think most of the second half will be single direction with the exception of a few walkers.

Hungry Turkey Half finishers in 2017. The blue line is my last half marathon time.

There’s water stops throughout (at 1, 2.5, 5.4, 7.7, 10.6, and 12.1… I expect I’ll skip 1 and 12.1). Fueling will be via Gatorade Endurance Gels using the same schedule as the Honor Run. And I’ll be wearing my AfterShokz, since I expect that there will be next to no crowd support outside of the start/finish area. The weather looks like it might cooperate. Or be rainy, one or the other, but much warmer than 22 degrees!

Here’s to what might be a great race.

November 13, 2018February 28, 2020

Honor Run Half 2018 Race Report

There were a few things working in my favor this race, and a few not so much.

Working in my favor: training. As I mentioned on the Race Preview, I had put a lot of time and effort into that advanced training plan. IT. PAID. OFF. I kicked the hills’s asses with little added effort. I felt strong the entire way.

Working against me: the cold and my gut. It was so cold my first fluid was a Gatorade Slushie (lemon-lime, my favorite!). I ran off from that aid station with some leftover Gatorade frozen in my mustache (no joke, and I was quite amused by this). The cold was also so bad that there was a large ice patch in the parking lot within the first mile and some of the aid stations had spread salt around their station to prevent freezing. My gut decided it wanted to aggravate me the entire race. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I walked to the mall to use the restroom (which I probably should have done during the race).

The Breakdown

My pre-race was staying in my car as long as possible until I needed to head towards the start/finish line. I did some light jogging as a warm up and got into the starting grid right at 6:45 as they were starting pre-race ceremonies.

Yes, the water tower says “FLORENCE Y’ALL”. Legend has it that the tower said FLORENCE MALL and people were upset about it advertising for the mall that didn’t pay for the tower, so they took off parts of the M to make a Y.

The first half was largely me not-pushing-myself to ensure I didn’t die out on the second half. There was a large ice patch within the first mile causing everyone to slow down, and I pointed out several smaller ice patches on the mall property. Just past mile 2, there was a large patch that was coned off. The hill in mile 2 was nothing to me. I skipped the first water stop at mile 2 and took Gatorade from the second station at mile 4. Around mile 5, I decided to channel my inner Eluid Kipchoge and try smiling. The first 6 miles were 8:06, 7:44, 7:40, 7:58, 7:51, 7:44. First half split around 51:19. Somewhere around here I took my Gatorade Endurance Gel (apple-pear… my current favorite).

The second half was more me attempting to channel my inner Eluid Kipchoge and smile, keep my gut at a rest, and handle the hills. The hills were the easiest, followed by smiling. The highlights were the mile 8 water station, a ham radio friend standing just past there (out of his vehicle, standing and watching like a badass), and Mr. Red at mile 11.35 noticing my mustache. The lowlight was the mile 10 water station that just phoned it in (they were standing IN FRONT OF the table NOT handing out cups. Seriously, either own your volunteer “job” or GTFO of the way!).

Mr. Red. He has a very large mustache. — Mr. Red. Yeah, he was out in the 22F temps at the Honor Run Half!

The splits were 7:50, 7:38, 7:47, 8:05, 7:57, 7:50, 7:45, and 0:42 (for that pesky 0.1). Second half split was around 51:14, so a negative split by 5 seconds. Overall time of 1:42:33, which is a PR by 6:20!

There may be more pictures as they become available (last year they provided pictures for free).

Postrace

I didn’t stick around long. On my way from the finish line to the mall (I walked around a little to reduce any leg soreness that would have been experienced if I sat immediately after), I grabbed a chocolate milk and a turkey sandwich. The sandwich was disgustingly salty and I spit out my one bite and dropped the rest in the trash. After using the restroom, I stepped outside and immediately shivered, so I grabbed a goetta sandwich (far less salty than the turkey sandwich) and a bottle of Gatorade and went to my truck.

November 12, 2017December 4, 2017

Honor Run Half Race Report

The Honor Run Half was on November 12, 2017 in Florence, Kentucky. I was on track for another PR until I strained my back a week before the race.

Prep

As usual, I followed a modified Hal Higdon Intermediate-2 Plan. I hit all of my training paces through the cycle. I was a week ahead of the schedule, so my last long run was 13.02 miles (I didn’t stop at 13.0 because of perceived unlucky… boy, was I wrong!)

The day after the last long run, I was doing yard work (I like mowing the lawn on the day after my long run because it’s a bunch of non-strenuous walking). My back started bothering me and was in full-on strain mode the following day.

My taper week consisted of zero miles. In fact, I was tempted to take a DNS. However, by Saturday my back felt okay, so I decided to run, but keeping it easy.

The morning of consisted of two slices of toast with peanut butter and honey and a cup of coffee for the drive to Florence.

Goals

Originally, I had these goals:

A: 1:43

B: 1:45

C: 1:50

However, after the back strain, I abandoned all hope of any of them and just wanted to finish a good run.

Race

The race temperature was about 35°F. I wore shorts, last year’s Honor Run Half shirt, gloves, and a running hat. Roughly 15 minutes before the race, I took a Gu and ran into a fellow Twitter Runner.

Part 1: Miles 1 to 4

I kept it easy by feel. This part isn’t too bad with hills, but it is not flat (there is nothing flat in Northern Kentucky). I took water at mile 4.

8:18, 8:17, 8:20, 8:24

Part 2: Miles 5 to 8

This part felt tougher. There is a portion through Turfway Park that was rough and I was feeling it in my back. There is a tight hairpin turn at mile 6, and a pretty significant uphill from 6 to 8. I took Gu in mile 7, and water at mile 8.

8:31, 8:28, 8:48, 8:41

Part 3: Miles 9 to 13.1

There is a hairpin turn at mile 9, mile 10 is almost entirely uphill, and the hills in miles 11 and 12 are the steepest in the race. I had to squash some negative thoughts through this part.

8:49, 8:33,8:46,8:41,8:36, 0:53

Total: 1:52:01

After

First off, this is the biggest medal I’ve ever received!

Biggest Medal in my collection (I’m in the middle between an aunt and an uncle)

I didn’t eat much, but I drank 3 cups of coffee (to warm up!), and half a bottle of water that I finished on the way home, I also drank a Gatorade on my way home. I had my heat on high on my way home, and even sat in front of the fireplace while waiting for the bathroom to be free.

Post-Run Thoughts

I should have probably taken Gu around mile 5 and 10 instead of once at mile 7. I think it was a little too late and my pace suffered as a result.

Running up the big-ass hill really helped with the hills. I felt strong on every one of them.

This is the end of the 2017 season for me. At this point, it will be more maintenance to keep up fitness and prepare for marathon training.

Cheers!

July 5, 2017

Flying Pig Half Marathon 2017 Race Report

The Flying Pig Half Marathon was on May 7, 2017 in Cincinnati. The course is one I’ve written about before.

Training

I followed the Hal Higdon Intermediate-2 plan, which I liked over my re-worked 5k Advanced plan that I used for the prior training period. I was able to meet most of my goal paces for the repeats, tempo, and HM pace runs. I missed two runs overall, an interval and an easy run. I also tried to integrate hills into my runs more than I have previously.

Race Morning

For the first time, I used bag check, where I put a few extra clothes. I made my way from my parking location (my office on the race course) to the bag check and then to Pigpen B. I waited for start while laughing a little at seeing the port-o-let line while the DJ was playing “Taking Care of Business”, and looked around at others, which seemed to have some difficulty with the start line weather conditions – some were in winter-ish clothes, some (like me) had shorts and a throwaway sweat shirt over it, and some had shorts and a tank top!

Around 6:15, I consumed a pack of Gu. Right at 6:30 we were off.

First Portion: Miles 0 – 6

I felt like I was going a little fast. I’ll probably pay for this. My boss, who started in corral A passed me near the end of this section. Apparently, he ducked into a port-o-let in Newport (probably around mm 2.5).

Splits: 8:02, 8:03, 7:57, 8:07, 8:20 (water + Gu), 8:01

Second Portion: Miles 7 – 10

The hill was rough. By the end of this section, I was ready to start walking. I didn’t, but I was ready to.

Splits: 8:47, 8:55, 8:26 (water + Gu), 8:37

Eleventy-trillion-dollar photo of me somewhere in Eden Park, attempting to hang loose.

Final Stretch: Miles 11-13

I didn’t have the energy to push the hill. I usually grab a Twizzler at the downhill (mm 10.5) station. Unfortunately, they were cold and nearly un-chewable. Passed and yelled at a fellow amateur radio op at 11.4; he normally tells me to go faster, this time he said “wow, you’re going fast!”. THAT was nice to hear!

Splits: 7:35, 7:57, 8:01

Finish!

My official time was 1:48:53 – a PR (and a hard fought one at that!). The radio communications director (also a runner) was stationed near the finish line and came running down to congratulate me – that was a nice end to a tough run!

After that, I enjoyed my post-race festivities (pizza, beer, pretzels, and fruit) and went to watch a friend finish the half. Then I went home and took a nap 🙂

Garmin Data

Cheers!

November 18, 2016

Race Report: Honor Run Half Marathon

Race Date: 11/13/16
Race Location: Florence, Kentucky

Goals:
A: 1:51
B: 1:55
C: <2:01

Preparation

I followed the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 Plan with one exception – I didn’t do the cross-training. The plan was different than what I’ve been used to – I’ve tended to stick with one speedwork and one long run a week, this had two speedwork and the long run.

The only notable day during training was the 11 mile long run. I had to fly from Cincinnati (where I live) to Raleigh and run there in the middle of the day. Despite bringing water and looking for a good course, I got lost and had an overall tough run (although I did finish it).

Race Day

Conditions: 33, clear. I began the day with coffee and two slices of cheap wheat bread with peanut butter and honey drizzled on top. It takes around 45 minutes to drive to Florence from where I live, so I sipped coffee on the way. At the starting area (a mall), I used the restroom and lined up on the starting line.

Dress: I looked at the temperature where I live, which is around 25 miles ENE from the starting line, and it was 28. So pants, long sleeves, pullover, and gloves. Around mile 3 of the race, I was too warm and took the pullover off and tied it around my waist.

The Course: suburban hell. Lots of very wide streets, all closed. It was interesting to look left and right at intersections and be near the middle of a five-lane-road crossing another five-lane-road, both empty. The first part, start to mile 4.5 is wide open roads. The next part, 4.5 to 7.0 is through the Turfway Park parking lot and a two-lane road with a sharp turn. After that is another wide open road, with some substantial hills, mile 7.0 to 11.4. The final stretch is on a narrow and very hilly road that goes between a golf course and the freeway until it cuts through a parking lot and back onto a major road and then into the mall parking lot.

The race felt fast. At one point (maybe mile 5 or 6), it felt like the miles were just ticking off. It helped some that the field was not huge (there were 875 runners; compared to the Flying Pig Half had over 11,000 runners in the half both years that I ran it, and almost 17,000 runners and walkers in the half, full, and relays). It also helped that I stuck to the tangent line – at times this meant going up less of a hill because of the superelevation (banking) of the turns.

Fuel: I stuck to Gu’s recommendation of 15 minutes before (it was closer to 20). Beyond that, I took Gu at 4.5 and 9 miles, which is the same fueling schedule I’ve used in the past. I took water at the 4, 6, and 10 mile marks.

Official time: 1:50:02, 8:23 min/mile.

Split	Time
1	08:07.1
2	08:17.9
3	08:19.9
4	08:28.7
5	08:31.5
6	08:22.4
7	08:33.7
8	08:07.4
9	08:30.9
10	08:41.4
11	08:30.7
12	08:25.4
13	08:14.9
14	00:52.7

Places:

124 / 875 overall
94 / 400 men
11 / 48 Age Group

Workout on Garmin Connect

Great way to finish the season. Next race is not until March, 5 months from now.

April 24, 2015February 28, 2020

Keys to the Race: Flying Pig Half Marathon

Initially while watching the Boston Marathon and seeing them do a “Keys to the Race”, I thought the concept of “keys to the {race|game|etc} was getting overdone. It might be, but strategy is critically important when you’re running a long distance.

I’ve had the luxury of working near the course and have been practicing on the course, so I’ve come up with my three keys to a successful race.

1. Don’t Bank Too Much During the First 6 Miles

It’s a 13.1 mile race. The first 3-4 miles are somewhat rolling and have a lot of crowd support, followed by a lesser-supported (that I recall) 2 miles through Queensgate and into downtown. Banking too much here would have painful intrest payments through the rest of the race and could cause an energy bankrupcy in the next phase of the race.

2. Don’t Overrun the Hill

Miles 6 to 10.5 are hills. Be aware that people will claim stuff like “the bridge [at m7.7] is the top”. NO. IT IS NOT. It is the end of the worst, but there are still small hills from 7.7 to 10.5.

Note the location of the red ‘Energy” on the map. It’s around mile 9. For someone running a 1:30 half, that’s probably a good spot. For me (~2 hours), I’m taking a shot of Gu at 4.5-5 miles and 9 miles (I’m going by the Gu packet directions of “15 minutes before and every 45 minutes”. Note that the Flying Pig has PowerGel.

3. Save Some For The Last 2.6 Miles

Around mile 10.5, you may feel like you’re falling off the side of the planet. This is where the race course sets you up for a negative split. I’ve had training runs where the uphill portion (miles 6-10.5) where 10:50-11:50 min/mile, and the downhill was 8:30 min/mile. If you follow key #1, you can hit this area hard for a strong finish. Miles 10.5 to just before 12 is downhill, things level out on Central Parkway (where the hairpin turn is), back downhill (a little) on Eggleston, and then right onto East Pete Rose Way. That last 0.2 (or so) of the course on Pete Rose Way is an uphill grade to the finish line – it’s not terrible, but after 13 miles, it can be a bit of a killer.

Good luck to all those running!