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!

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

08:07.1

08:17.9

08:19.9

08:28.7

08:31.5

08:22.4

08:33.7

08:07.4

08:30.9

08:41.4

08:30.7

08:25.4

08:14.9

00:52.7

Places:

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

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

Tag: Honor run

Honor Run Half Race Report