So the hills and unusually strong headwinds - 20+ mph - combined to make the Red Rock Half Marathon a surprisingly tough race. I ended up clocking a 1:33 for 8th place, far off the 1:27 or 1:28 I had been hoping for - but very happy with having been a serious contender.
The first half of the race with constant 6 and 7% inclines for 5 miles straight is definitely what bit me as far as my finishing time - that part was just a very difficult slog.
Me on one of the rare flat sections.
I did manage five or six solid 100+ yard sprints on the downhill backside that were fun, a lot faster than I'd normally be able to manage in a half marathon. This action helped keep two aggressive younger runners at bay, they had closed on me near the half way point but once the downhill commenced I was able to surge past them. They finished 30 and 45 seconds behind me so the sprints really did make the difference there. The sprints also served the psychological function of making my normal pace seem easier.
So I am happy with where I finished and overall had a positive race experience, the great striped cliffs of Red Rock were a beautiful backdrop to this challenging course. At this point though, if I never see a hilly race again, I'll be a happy camper - hills are tough! I'm all about the flat courses from here on out!
Wow you are amazing. Great job on those hills. The course looks wonderful too. Glad you had a good experience.
ReplyDeletedude, those sound like tough winds and a challenging course. glad you made it through in a good time.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I'm a total wuss with hills. Thankfully I live in flatland-UK so it's all good with me. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Mike -
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. Nice work at Red Rock! Even with that wind and the climbs you clocked a great time. I've heard that's a really beautiful race.