Not a whole lot to report from the 2014 Blue Moon Harbor Lights Half Marathon, but I figured it might be useful to jot down a few thoughts and stats for future reference. I signed up for the event back in July when it was first announced by J&A Racing. The local race-management company always puts on a first class event, so it seemed like a no-brainer to sign up and be part of the inaugural half marathon.
Race morning was cool and crisp at around 40°, but I soon warmed up after an easy couple of miles stretching my legs. Despite the fairly cool temperature, it was a very calm morning, so I opted for shorts, singlet, arm warmers and the Injinji Buff.
It was nice to enjoy a bit of pre-race banter at the start line, but you could tell everyone was just raring to get going. Finally we were off, and it was good to settle in to a group of about a dozen guys. The first mile felt easy, but I probably got a bit carried away in the next couple of miles – 5:48 and 5:50 is far too fast for a half marathon effort.
I think by this stage in the race I’d moved in to 2nd place overall; feeling comfortable, but kinda isolated and lonely. Unfortunately, the next 10 miles were more of the same. I ran through neighborhoods I’d never been through before so the change of scenery was quite nice, but aside from the water stops and the occasional family out spectating, it was almost like a 10 mile solo time trial. Thankfully, I could tell the 3rd place guy was only about 20 seconds behind, which was enough to keep me working hard and keep the effort level consistent.
Mile 9 I lost focus for a while and the 6:08 split (slowest of the day) was a bit of a wake up call to dig deep and stay strong to the finish, so I’m pleased with the way I bounced back with 5:58, 6:01, 5:52 and 6:00 splits to hang on for the 2nd place overall with about a minute to spare.
So, all in all, a pretty solid performance coming just a month after 110 miles at 24 The Hard Way. The maximum aerobic function heart rate training seems to be paying off, and it’s nice not to have any injuries or niggles right now. Also, looking back at my lifetime race results, the 1:19:11 is my 4th fastest half marathon ever, so again, no complaints whatsoever for a pretty much solo effort, and now I can turn my focus to the Cayman Marathon on December 7th, where I hope to break 3 hours and extend my 9-year-sub-3:00-marathon-streak to 10. We’ll see….
