Leaf Peeper Half Marathon

It's really nice when a race coincides with a marathon training schedule, and the Leaf Peeper fit in perfectly for me. I had a 13 mile run on the schedule, and what better way to get it done than surrounded by cheering crowds, other runners, and water stations.

My plan was to use this race to test the whole concept of pacing myself early so I don't crash and burn at the end of my marathon. My pace was going to be 8 minute/miles, and my goal was a 1:45 time. I wanted to see what a consistent 8:00 pace felt like.

I ended up running with a couple of women from town who had a similar goal. We went out at about a 7:45 pace and held that for about 8 miles. It was faster than we wanted, but we all felt good and not stressed, so we kept it up. After mile 8, though, I was feeling antsy. I had seen a couple of friends ahead of me at the turnaround (this was an out and back course), and I wanted to push it and try to reel them in. When I checked my watch at the end of the 8th mile and saw an 8:11 pace, I knew it was time to take off, which I did with my fellow pace-setters' blessings. I ran at a consistent 7:30-ish pace for the final 5 miles and felt strong, knowing that this was the type of push I was "saving" myself for during the first half. In the end, I came in at 1:41:27, which was huge. I confirmed the strategy I want to use during the marathon, I beat my target, and I felt like I could do even better next time around.

In terms of the distance, I really enjoyed the half marathon. It's satisfying, but not as grueling (training or race-wise) as a marathon. It's fast, but not ungodly fast like a 5 or 10K. I'd highly recommend this distance for anyone looking for a new experience out on the roads.

Later boys.