The Long Run

Clearwater Half Marathon

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Location:

FL,

Member Since:

Mar 20, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

PR's:

  • 1 mile : 5:43 (3/2017)
  • 5K : 18:34 (12/2011)
  • 5 mile : 32:03 (5/2010)
  • 10K : 39:29 (11/2013)
  • 11K: 46:47 (July 2008)
  • Half Marathon : 1:26:47 (11/2012)
  • Marathon : 3:06:34 (02/2010)
  • 50K Trail: 4:34 (01/2012)
  • 50 Mile: 8:34:48 (4/2012)
  • 100K: 11:06 (2/2012)
  • 100 Mile: 24:19:44 (1/2022)

Marathons:

  • Treasure Coast Marathon (FL) - 3:39:51, Mar 2021
  • Towpath Marathon (OH) - 3:35:26, Oct 2019
  • Jacksonville Marathon - 3:31:10, Dec 2018
  • NYC Marathon - 3:49:12, Nov 2017
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:27:00, Oct 2016
  • Utah Valley - Jun 2016
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:28:12, Oct 2015
  • Pocatello Marathon (ID) - 3:32:25, Sept 2015
  • Chasing The Unicorn (PA) - 3:31:20, Aug 2015
  • Run for The Red (Poconos) - 3:30:40, May 2015
  • Boston - 3:24:42, Apr 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:27:04, Jan 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:16:17, Jan 2014
  • Boston  - 3:27:00, Apr 2011
  • DesNews - 3:10:57, Jul 2010
  • Gasparilla  - 3:06:34, Feb 2010
  • Space Coast - 3:11:29, Nov 2009
  • Estes Park  (7500' and up) - 3:52:19, Jun 2009
  • Boston - 3:17:22, Apr 2009
  • Niagara Falls - 3:19:21, Oct 2008
  • San Diego RnR  - 3:24:18, Jun 2008
  • Jacksonville Marathon -3:21:24, Dec 2007
  • Chicago Marathon - 3:35:08, Oct 2007
  • Disney Marathon - 3:52:34, Jan 2007

 

 

 

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

 

  • Sub 40:00 10K
  • 2:59 Marathon
  • 1:25 Half Marathon
  • 18:30 5K

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Maintain my health and continuously seek to improve my fitness. Maybe someday get under 3:00 for marathon. More importantly, I'd like to figure out what my maximum ability is and reach that.

I'd also like to find the right balance in life and use running to enhance and improve myself.

 

Personal:

Dad of  three (welcome Charlotte Dani on 8/10/20) awesome kids and stepdad to three almost as awesome as my own kids.

I have a brown dog named Stella, and three cats - Catty, Tortie, and Esperanza.

  (old lines that were a little out of date but couldn't quite bring myself to removing them completely:) Also, have one wonderful brown dog named Sammy and just added a grey tiger cat (Catty) whose life started out rough but now has a better home.

I've recently started another blog so I can easily add lots of pictures and so other non-FRB users can leave comments:

Forward Progress!

 Also, for 2012 I started a blog to write down each day one thing that I am grateful for

Grateful Blog

 

Love living in Florida but love to travel and see the country and rest of the world.

 

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 4.81 Month: 38.01 Year: 326.23
Brooks T7 Lifetime Miles: 202.78
Brooks ST5 Lifetime Miles: 403.91
GoMeb Speed3 Lifetime Miles: 483.77
Brooks Pure Flow Lifetime Miles: 160.60
Brooks Launch(lobster) Lifetime Miles: 782.98
GoMeb Razor Lifetime Miles: 468.00
Race: Clearwater Half Marathon (13.109 Miles) 01:27:27, Place overall: 11, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.940.0013.260.000.000.000.0018.20

Stats: 1:27:27, 11th overall, 10th male, 1st age group.

Running wise, I felt strong and was able to get a personal course record, conquered the mile 2-4 stretch where I usually struggle (trick was to not look at my pace at all but focus on someone ahead of me, in this case Terri R. - I eventually caught up to her and passed her today, but I have a feeling I can't count on that happening again), and had a few other bests and firsts for me.

Splits: 6:35, 6:24, 6:27, 6:46, 6:23, 6:39, 6:26, 6:38, 6:42, 6:58, 6:38, 6:35, 6:42, 0.26@6:00

A few days before the race, I tried to do some tempo paced miles but struggled to get down to my goal half marathon pace.  I felt like I was way off from where I was in November, and even where I was before the last race.

My goal this race was to try and get the first half of the race at 6:30 pace or faster no matter what, and then if I faded in the second half, then I faded.

The first mile is uphill to get to the top of the Clearwater Memorial Bridge, but it is the easiest of the uphills for the race.  This was my fastest time doing this first mile and I was feeling energetic and excited.  The second mile is downhill for about a 1/3 of a mile.

In the past I have struggled to hold a good pace for the third mile, but today I was able to hold what I needed by picking out and following someone and not looking at my pace.

The fourth mile goes up and over the Sand Key Bridge which has the same elevation, but has a steeper grade.  I knew I slowed down but I managed to pass a couple of people and decided I would make up what I could on the downside.

Just past mile 4 was my running group, the Suncoast Striders, manning the aid station.  They gave me such a huge boost, with about 25 people there screaming out my name, so the 5th mile was my fastest mile.

Next, I was in and out of Sand Key Park, slowed down a little and realized that my near 6:30 average was slipping away (combined with how I knew my garmin wasn't quite giving me a completely accurate pace).  So, early in the 7th mile I decided I would just push it and get to the pace I had promised myself, if nothing else to about the half way point.  There was a woman who had caught up to me (someone I knew that was often faster than me (she has already done a sub-3:00 marathon a few years back)), with my surge, it was enough to finally shake her - although it would have been nice if she had stayed in front and made me go faster!

Mile 8 started out good, just past the turnaround heading north again and there was a little bit of wind and I let my push slip away.  Then a few more seconds slipped away for mile 9.

Mile 10 was back up and over the Sand Key Bridge again, it was my slowest mile, but I did fight to at least get back down below 7:00. 

With only one more bridge ascent left, I was able to get back into the 6:30's for a couple of miles, then did a better job going back up the Clearwater Bridge.

So, a little bit faster than the last half marathon even though I went into this one feeling slower.  The weather was better.  And also I tried drinking beet juice the day before.  I think I'll give it another try (the beet juice) sometime.

After the race was happy to cheer Marcia on her home stretch PR marathon finish. I spent too much time chatting that I forgot to listen for awards, but fortunately Mike S. had my back and picked it up for me. It would have been nice to get a PR and to get sub 1:25:00, but not at the expense of the good stuff about today.

A few things that the stats don't say: today was an awesome race, the decibel level at the Striders manned aid station rivaled the Boston marathon stretch near Wellesly College, I remembered to look left and look right at the top of Sand Key Bridge, when I thought I was fading I found a sub 6:30 mile at mile 7, I passed a few people in the second half, and I had a stronger last 3 miles than I did at my PR half marathon in November. 

Green Silence Miles: 18.20
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