Mill Creek Distance Classic 2011

If you never been on my blog before, This is were I write about my training and things I discovered along the way. It's mainly for me to look back on and see what I did and how far or little I have come. I am no means a great writer or story teller, I just write down what comes to mind.

One year ago was my very first long distance race, my first Half Marathon. Today I got to run it again. If you search back to March 2010 you can read the first race report.

From the Youngstown Road Runners Site...

This is the race to come and challenge yourself. You have 13.1 miles to complete 19 hills. Now not all of them are hard some are rolling. Like the race out west “the mountain don’t care” and the weather is as much a part of the mystique of this race as the course itself. This race has always been an opportunity to prepare for Boston. Join the new generation of runners and challenge yourself on this old course. Do the Mill Creek Distance Classic Half Marathon.
Come ready to check your training level and ready yourself for the Boston Marathon. To keep your mind off yourself Mother Nature has provided ‘Kodak Moments’ at every turn. Don’t let that down hill first two miles fool you. You will return on those same two miles. The course will take you past two lakes, Lanterman’s Mill, the falls, a cascade and of course Mill Creek. The proceeds of this race help to support the Youngstown Road Runners Club Endowment to Youngstown State University Cross Country Athletes and the YRRC Shoe Program for High School Suburban League Cross Country runners.

When They say 19 hills, They mean "19 HILLS"

This morning I woke up around 5:00 to some new fresh snow! I really don't mind running in the snow around home, but when your running hills it can get a little sketchy. I backed up almost everything the night before so I didn't have to fumble around looking for everything. After doing the personal things of the morning, I made some breakfast. My goto race day meal a bagel toasted with peanut butter and a small glass of orange juice. I sat around watching nothing on tv and finally left around 6:30. I knew the roads were going to be a little bad but being a man i didn't care to much. Well they sucked! Sucked so bad I didn't get there until 8:15. I parked and ran to get my race bib and goody bag. Went back to the car to change into my race gear and such. I hate being rushed to get ready for a start of a race. Even thou every thing was in my bag I couldn't find anything. I was getting very frustrated, I think I looked for my Garmin for 5 minutes to realize that I was already wearing it. Ya I know... Stupid. I had all my stuff and locked up the car and went up to the starting line. There also was a 5K race that started at 8:30 and they were already gone, so I knew we were about to start.

The One thing I don't like about Runkeeper (the program I use on my iphone to track my runs) is that I usually keep my phone in my race belt that I wear around well... my waist, so in the beginning of a race I have to carefully lessen for the start and then when running try to hit the start button and then but it in my race belt. I love my Garmin in that its just like a watch and when the gun goes off you just hit start and your done. The down side of it, it doesn't do live tracking. So my wife and family cant check in on me and see how I am doing.

Ok so I didn't have anytime to pre stretch or get settled in. When I got up to the line the director started his speech and we were off!

As you can see here the first mile or so is down hill, so everyone runs it even faster then the normal start. My first mile I ran in 8:33 and then the up hills hit! Mile 2 in 9:24 and Mile 3 in 9:15. There were no mile markers until mile 3, but the course was marked wrong for the first 8 miles. So at mile 3 it said mile 2. I looked at my Garmin thinking damn that was a long ass 2 miles! I thought maybe the Garmin wasn't reset from the last run or something so it showed an extra mile. I didn't  really care at the time.

Miles 4-5-6 I felt like I was fading a bit, Almost like my running tights were to tight and they were slowing me down. I think it was the hills thou. Also around mile 4 my headphones stopped working once again. Its because they get soaked when I run. Oh well I said took them out and went with out tunes. Weird thing thou I think I am starting to like the no Ipod when running lately, you kind of zone out listening to your foot steps.  Mile 4 in 10:11, Mile 5 in 9:46 and Mile 6 in 9:46. 

Almost to the half way point I started to think back to last years race here and I could sort of make out some of that landmarks of the course. Its crazy what you remember when your out running. I also remembered the pain I felt running this course also. I think I hurt for a week after the first race. Thats when the downs kicked in, I get them every race no matter what! I really have to work on the mind training. Thinking that I should just stop and give up and walk back... why i think this way I do not know! 

Mile 7-8-9-10 Who knows what I was thinking, I was just pushing on. At mile 8 you could start seeing the lead runners coming back and making there way to the finish. Its alway inspiring to see them rocking out the miles! Also at mile 8 on of the volunteers said something about the mile makers and something about mile marker 8? I thought well then... maybe the Garmin is right and someone just posted them wrong. This was a moral booster know that I wasn't crazy at mile 3 when it said mile 2. At miles 9-10 I started to walk up some of the hills. I knew that this was going to happen on this course and I was totally fine with it. Mile 7 in 9:47, Mile 8 in 10:09, Mile 9 in 11:15 and Mile 10 in 11:45.

Mile 11-12-13 I love hitting the 10 mile mark, it makes me feel that the race is almost over! 5K run and done. My goal was to run the rest out, no matter how slow up those hills I was going. It was hard not to stop, but this is were I have to dig deep and put on that tuff face and get to it. I know the last miles were not my fastest, but man they felt great. Mile 11 in 10:45, Mile 12 in 11:09 and mile 13 in 11:41.

When I first saw the timing light it was in the 2:13's When I ran threw the finish I saw 2:14:58. Then I hit my Garmin stop. it read 2:15:32.

Last year my official time was 2:30:39:60. Its a chip timing race so I will have to wait until the final results come out to see how I officially did. I know this thou I PRed this course by at least 15 minutes!

That is over a minute and mile faster than last year! I know that its not my overall goal for the half marathon and I am ok with that. I have a few more half s this year that don't include the hills from hell, so I'll give it a try then.

Overall great race! Thank you Youngstown Road Runners Club for a great race! I'll be back next year for some more pain!