Today I ran the Cleveland Clinic River Run Half Marathon. What a great run! This run starts at Wallace Lake in Berea, and ends at Memorial Fields in Rocky River. It goes through the Metroparks, with one short loop through a neighborhood.
The morning started out fairly cool. I parked at Rocky River High School and took the shuttle bus (a school bus, actually) to the start of the race. We arrived about an hour before the race, so there was time to stretch, use the facilities, etc.
The race started around 8:00 a.m. I started toward the back of the field, and it was a little crowded at first. It wasn't too bad, though. This 1/2 marathon is a beautiful, scenic run. Somewhere after mile 5 a gentle rain started falling, and continued throughout the race. That made the race even better! Only runners really understand the thrill of running in the rain. About 3/4 of the way through, there was a hill almost identical to the one by my house -- the one I try to end each run by sprinting up the hill. So, at least some of my training paid off! This particular hill in the marathon was relatively easy.
My ankle held up through the entire race. My hip started hurting a bit, but that's nothing new.
I was actually shocked when I saw the sign for mile 6 -- it felt like I had been running for only a short time, and I was almost halfway through the run. When I got to mile 12, I realized I was close to finishing with 2 hours. I tried to pick up the pace a bit, but I didn't quite make it. According to my Garmin, I finished in 2 hours and 35 SECONDS. I'm curious to see what the official results are. At least I was close, and I have something to set as a goal for the next time I run a half marathon. This was faster than the 1/2 I ran 3 years ago; I'm not sure of that time right now (I'll look it up), but it was over 2 hours. And, my only goal this time was to have fun, enjoy the scenery, and finish the race -- which I did.
All in all, it was a great experience. I have no complaints -- the water/sports drink stops were great, the facilities were more than adequate, and so forth. I hope to run this one again.
And, for those of you who really know me, this next statement will surprise you. After the run I came back to our friends house, showered, and went to church with them!
Gotta run
***UPDATE***
According to the "official" race results, by chip time was 2:00:27.27 -- and I came in 4th place in my age group. I guess that is not too bad for a race I only decided to run two weeks ago!
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