Ran the Hottest Half this morning and it lived up to it's name. I usually do most of my running early in the morning or in the evening as the sun sets, so starting a run at 7:30 and racing as the sun starts bearing down is not part of my routine in the summer time.
I was looking forward to this race for a while because I hadn't ran a half marathon in quite a few years and wanted to see how I would do. Well I finished in 2:03, which is about 33 minutes of my PR when I was a younger skinnier runner but I'll take it. I started off with some 8 min/mile pace for a couple of miles and kept it under 9 through 9 miles and then the wheels came off. It was sunny, hot, and humid, so the walking started and when I knew I wasn't going to make it under 2 hours I just kind of took my time.
At least this gives me some idea on some things I need to work on for the fall and winter races where I think I can get back under 4 hours for the full. I know I got a lot of work to do but feel confident that some more speed work will help me get it done.
