I ran the Provo City Half Marathon this morning put on by run13.com. I was not sure exactly what to expect since I have not raced since January first of this year, and I really haven't run any serious races since the St. George Marathon last October. I have also spent the last few months trying to fix my biomechanics and trying to realign my hips in order to become more efficient so that I can run faster without more effort, thus increasing my chances of qualifying for the Olympic Trials. Today was the first test to see if this has actually been working. I started the race, and within 100 meters I was completely alone (I ended up winning the race by over 10 minutes). There was a strong headwind to start the race that kind of came and went. In comparison to last year the wind was not as strong, but the weather was much wetter, raining off and on and even hailing/snowing at times and I did not have a pack of guys to run with. Whenever I went around a particularly sharp corner I could feel myself slipping on the wet roads. Splits are as follows: 1 - 5:09 - a little slower than last year, but windier 2 - 5:12 (10:21) - faster than last year, wind about the same 3 - 5:11 (15:32) - faster split than last year, wind about the same 4 - 5:15 (20:47) - lost concentration a little bit this mile. 5 - 5:12 (25:59) - concentration better, needing to work a little more now. 6 - 5:17 (31:16) - marker was slightly off, wind not as bad here as last year 7 - 5:05 (36:21) - this marker was on, so 10:22 for a 2 mile split, wind still better than last year, and stays better until the last mile, although it was still somewhat windy at times. 8 - 10 16:04 (52:25) - as soon as I hit the river trail, I slowed down almost immediately. It was like the trail just sucked all momentum out of my legs, and I couldn't run efficiently any more. Part of it was the fatigue from running, and the fact that I am still not completely used to running with a forefoot strike, and part of it was the fact that running on the trail is just plain slower than running on the roads. 11 - 5:22 (57:47) - still feeling like I can't find a good rhythm. 12 - 5:26 (1:03:13) - switched to a heel strike at the end of the previous mile, and I slowed down a bit more during this mile. However, I think that it did give my calves a bit of a rest and I was able to pick it up a bit more the last mile. 13.1 - 5:43 (1:08:56) - 5:09 pace from 12 to the finish. The last portion of the race was downhill, but there was more wind than during the previous miles. I switched back to a forefoot strike, and with the rest that I had I felt like I was able to get into a better rhythm. I was also off the trail again at this point, which helped things. This mile was a little slower than the same section of the race last year (about 6 seconds), but my overall time was 1:42 faster than the course record that I set last year. Overall I am very happy with the race, and with my progress. I do feel like there is more room for improvement as I get more used to running more efficiently and hopefully can maintain pace a little better without the lag mid race. Got 350 for the win, plus a watch.
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