Today, May 4th I rode just over 40 miles, starting at 6:15am, with my good friend Ed Slovenkay. We rode pretty hard, with a significant portion of the ride at Ironman 70.3 race wattage. We arrived at Portage Lakes State Park, site of the annual triathlon in late summer, to race the Run to the Beach Half Marathon
The course uses part of the triathlon run, and you also run on some trails, once between mile 1-2, shortly after mile 8.5, and then right before the finish.
That trail section is the longest and probably the toughest on the legs as the effects of almost 13 miles of running can definitely be felt. You finish with a long run out on the beach to the finish line.
Happy to report that I finished the race in just under 1:35:00, a 7:15 average. Considering my hamstring/piriformis nagging injury was with me from the start, I’ll take it. Ran the first 8.5 split at a 7:20 pace and the final 4.6 at 7:05, with my last two miles being my fastest
Ended up finishing 6th OA, top Master, first in AG. Unique awards and a great atmosphere, this is one race to put on your calendars for 2015