Boulder Spring Half Marathon Recap

Mission accomplished on my tune-up race for Boston. I arrived at the Boulder Reservoir in time to watch the sunrise on what I thought was going to be a beautiful & warm day. Well, the clouds rolled in quickly, the temps dropped into the low 30's, and the wind started howling! I think I changed my running gear plan about 5 times in a 30 minute span.

Aside from the cold, stiff headwind, and a 2 mile stretch where I was hobbled by a nasty side cramp, I probably ran one of my best races ever. I set a new half marathon PR with a time of 1:29:34! This was the first race (other than a 5K) where I finished with a sub-7:00 min pace(6:50/mi).

It was a demanding pace for me, but I felt in control until mile 10. The side cramp came on hard and felt like someone was poking me in the ribs with a knife. I was determined to run through the pain, but it really affected my breathing and I had to slow up a bit. The final mile had a downhill stretch followed by a decent uphill climb. I could hear the music of the finish line, the announcer yelling the names of finishers, and that was enough to kick things into high gear for a strong finish.

Boston Update

The girls wanted to go on a run with me, so we geared up and ran about a quarter mile down the bike path. Rocky came along and is actually a pretty good running dog. He just cruises right next to you.

Well, I'm seven weeks away from the Boston Marathon. I've been training since 12/14, which has seemed like an eternity. I'm following a training plan called the Pfitzinger 18/55. That means the plan was create by a guy named Pete Pfitzinger, it lasts for 18 weeks, and will peak at 55 miles per week. This is considerably more weekly mileage than I've run in the past, but now that I'm over the hump, I can say that it's the best plan I've followed so far.

I'm feeling much stronger as a runner. I completed my second twenty mile run last weekend. During past 20 milers, I've resorted to running in survival mode over the last couple miles. This time I felt like I could keep going and possibly speed up. I hope that means good things are to come in Boston.

I'm going to try for a PR (personal record) in Boston. I'd love to finish somewhere in the 3:05 range, but that will push me close to a 7:00 min pace. I'm not sure if I can do it over 26.2 miles, but I need to trust that the Pfitz plan is getting me ready. In two weeks, I'm going to run a tune-up race, the Boulder Spring Half Marathon. I'll be gunning for a 6:45 pace, so that will give me a good idea if the 7:00 marathon pace is realistic.