2019 Maryland Half Marathon

Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.

Prologue

Three weeks ago, I completed 2019 Cleveland Marathon in sweltering conditions.  Still, I finished in 3:56:39 (8:52 pace).  Since the race, I ran here and there but nothing close to “training”.

The week before this race, I completing 11 miles on Sunday and 7 miles “easy” on Tuesday and Thursday.

Goals

Personal Records:

• Half Marathon PR: 1:32:19 (7:03 pace), 2014 Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon
• Most Recent Half Marathon: 1:38:39 (7:32 pace), 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon

Achievable: Sub-1:45 (8:01 pace).  This wasn’t too hard off from my full marathon times this spring.

Strategy: Run by feel.

Course

The race runs around the Washington, D.C. suburb called Fulton, Maryland – about 30 minutes north of Washington, D.C.  The course is on the shoulder of highways and neighborhood streets.

The course has seven aid stations but the cups were plastic.  There is crowd support near the start and finish area.

Playlist

I played the back half of my playlist for the 2019 Boston Marathon starting with “Good Time” by Owl City and Carly Rae Gibson.

Pre-Race

I woke up thinking I was running the Lawyers Have Heart 10K – a race I’ve run almost every year since 1999.  But, I was surprised by the race day registration fee.  After checking the local event calendar on Race Packet, I decided to take on a half marathon just three weeks after the 2019 Cleveland Marathon!  On the 40 minute drive to the race site, I wondered, “Is this crazy?”

There was ample parking in the strip mall where the race starts.  On-site registration took less than 10 minutes.  In the car, I ate a salt pill in the car and studied the course.  It looked like a steady climb until Mile 8.  The lines for the porta-potties were only a half dozen people deep.

The race director made a few announcements, a woman sung the National Anthem, and then… we were off!

Weather

At the start of the race, the temperature was around 70 degrees but the heat increased consistently throughout the day.  There was also a steady breeze out of the east and the humidity was low.  For June in Washington, D.C., the conditions were good.

The Race

Miles 0 to 4

The race started on Maple Lawn Boulevard, which is flat.  The road was a bit congested but not bad.  When I checked my watch during the first quarter mile, I saw 7:17 pace!  I slowed down considerably.

The course stayed on Sanner Road, which was very hilly, for the next two miles.  We ran on the shoulder but the course was well marshaled by volunteers and police.

There were views of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab on the right but otherwise, I mostly paid attention to the 1:45 pace group.  This pack of runners would pass me on the uphills and I would subsequently pass them back on the downhills several times during the early miles.

The first water stop was before Mile 2 but I didn’t take any fluids.

At Mile 2.6, the course reached Cedar Lane, a fairly busy intersection and runners crossed over to Guilford Road.

The second water stop was after Mile 3.  By then, the field had thinned enough that I felt safe going in for some water.  )In fact, the 1:45 pacer was running by himself!)  The cups were plastic and I couldn’t squeeze the top to create a funnel.  I threw water towards my mouth and got a pretty good gulp.

After hitting Mile 4 on my Garmin, I saw the front-runners heading back on the course.  I started thinking where my current placement was in the women’s race.  A minute or two later, runners took a right turn at Clarksville Middle School.

Splits (by course): 7:51, 8:00, 8:00, 8:41.

Miles 4 to 9

The course went down a footpath into a quiet neighborhood near the school.  The next aid station was at Mile 5 and I grabbed water.

Soon, runners were back on Guilford Road.  But, it was only for about a quarter mile.  The road turned right onto Hall Shop Road, which felt like horse country.  I spotted a woman ahead and started reeling her in.  I could tell my leg turn-over was stronger than hers.  The next aid station, I passed her.

The course turned left and uphill to Mile 7.  By then, I had been sweating under the bright sun for a while and could feel chaffing on my back from my sports bra.  We went right on Pindell School Road for Mile 8 and got our next aid station.  I poured water on my head.

After a series of quick turns between miles 8 and 9, I finally decided it was time to run hard.

Splits (by course): 7:47, 8:27, 8:10, 8:10, 8:30.

Miles 9 to 13.1

After Mile 9, the course swerves right and then left on Cherry Tree Drive, which had a lot of nice looking houses off the road.  At the bottom of a hill, the course turns right back onto Johns Hopkins Road.  I had been running steps behind another woman and on the flat terrain, finally passed her.

I felt comfortable running into the breeze and ran through the water station at Mile 10.  I realized we were running next to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab again and knew that meant the finish was close!

Just before Mile 11, the course turned and took a long downhill on Prince Manor Way.  I let my legs absolutely fly!  But at the bottom, I realized I went too hard and my legs were fried.  We also joined the 5K walkers, which meant passing people going considerably slower.

Next, the course went uphill into a neighborhood near the finish line.  At Mile 12, the course turned left and tight loop.  Near the final aid station, a woman yelled, “You’re the 6th woman!”  Elated, I thanked her and picked up the pace even though there wasn’t another woman in sight.

Yards from the finish line, I finally passed the 1:45 pacer as he walked part of the final hill.  He caught up to me again and encouraged me to push.  We offered to bring me in but I huffed out an, “I’m fine”.  A minute later, I crossed the finish line.

Splits (by course): 7:51, 8:03, 7:43, 7:48, 0:48 (7:23 pace).

Post-Race

When I crossed the finish line, a volunteer immediately handed me a bottle of water and a towel that had been soaked in ice water.  I put the rag on the back of my neck and immediately felt cooler.

I wandered around the race site until the awards ceremony.  The age group recipients were told to come up to the stage for their awards and the two or three volunteers were a bit overwhelmed.

Result

My time was 1:45:56 (8:06 pace) [Log Details].  I was the 57th finisher out of 583 (top 10%), 6th woman out of 292 (top 3%), and 1st in my 10-year age group out of 82 (top 2%) because the woman in 1st was 3rd overall.

Epilogue

The race was very well organized except for the age group awards.  The course is a bit hilly, though, and June can be hot in the Washington area.

Next, I’ll continue easing back into running over the summer.

Next race: 2019 Firecracker 5K on July 4th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

Abridged Version

I woke up thinking I was running the Lawyers Have Heart 10K but decided to take on a half marathon just three weeks after the 2019 Cleveland Marathon!

The early miles were slow because the course was hilly. But, I finally allowed myself to run hard after about eight miles. My time was 1:45:56 (8:06 pace) – 6th woman overall and 1st in my age group!