2009 Spring Classic Half Marathon

Going into this race I was confident about finishing with a decent time, or possibly a new PR. Saturday dawned dry, as opposed to the rain we had on Friday, but still windy. And at about 34 degrees, the wind chill was back. These weather conditions were less than ideal and had me doubting a PR attempt would be possible. I was pumped to run, just not setting high expectations for myself. Ladd and I were still planning on running together and just letting whatever would happen, happen.

Surprisingly, what happened was both of us had a pretty tremendous runs considering half the course had a headwind and the other half just had a less noticeable headwind. We both PR'd with room to spare. I broke my previous mark from Akron last year by 1 minute and 23 seconds with a time of 1:32:36. With a time like that, one would think I had a decent chance of placing within the top of the age group. I finished 5th in my AG and 14th overall. The 30 - 34 group showed up Saturday! Tough competition! I was lucky enough however, to win a running jacket in a random drawing, so that made my lack of a top 3 finish forgettable.

Bailey and Heather ran the 5K, which started after the half marathon. Ladd and I caught them before they finished and before we turned to begin our second lap. Bailey looked to be having a tough time, but doing better than the other two races he's done this year. Imagine my surprise to find out he finished second in his AG and earned a big trophy for his effort!

It ended up being a nice morning once the sun came out and we all had a chance to warm up. We also had a nice club showing with 9 members on hand. Even with the wind, I think I enjoyed the spring version of this race more than the fall. Fewer people, less congestion, and still a bit warmer.

Sunday I needed to get out for a ride. So I packed up the bike and headed back up to the same park we ran at on Saturday. From there I rode to Rocky River, turning around at the boat docks. It was a nice sunny day, but still breezy at times. And colder up by the lake. I had some numb toes to deal with. I was planning to do an even 40 miles but had to settle for 36 as I picked up a staple in my back tire which eventually gave me a flat. I just put that tube on and that was only the second ride on it. Fortunately I had less than a half mile to walk back to the car. I guess I'll have to be more careful next time.

It's snowing right now. We're supposed to have some accumulation too. Gotta' love spring in Cleveland! Maybe I'll head to the pool tonight. Snow outside makes me want to stay indoors!