Race Report: River Run '11

This will be a short race report, because there's not much to say.


Hot, hot, hot. It was so hot this year! The difference between having the race in early May, when the mornings are still pretty cool, and early June is huge! Plus, the new course allowed for less wind access. On one hand, that's terrific, as there's no running into headwinds. On the other hand, it makes for a sweltering run. Pretty, but sweltering.


My race was very straightforward. I learned my lesson from last year and started further up in the pack. The first two miles are much more open on the new River Run course, as well, so there's more room to move up if you start too far back.


I didn't have GI issues, or pain, or blisters, or any other eventful happenings. It was just too hot to run very fast. I ended in a fairly respectable 55:11, an 8:52 pace.


I'm not as fast as I was last year or the year before on the run. The past couple years, I've been running in the 8:20s and 8:30s, with ambitions to get under 8:00. So far this year, my runs have been very average. I attribute this to my lack of training through the winter. For the past few years, I've focused on the half marathon distance, building a great base for my run training. This last winter, all I did was bike classes and yoga. Which was fine. I needed that break. But that's why my run is lacking. It makes me excited to hit some half marathons this winter, and try to break two hours!