The Great Western Half has a beautiful race route, which goes out and back about six miles along the Great Western trail. This converted railroad right of way actually has relatively few intersections with roads, and gives the runner a well-maintained path with trees that provide shelter both from sun and wind. I was certainly glad of that when I saw the forecast mentioning 25 mph wind gusts! For the most part, the trail was well-protected from the wind, though there were a couple of places where the dust of the trail gave the runners a bit of extra 'flavor'...
This was my second half marathon. My first was faster, but was also an example of how little fun a long run can be when you don't control your pacing and hit the wall with miles left to go. With my first ever marathon coming up later this year, my focus this time needed to be on correcting those tendencies to give myself the confidence I needed heading into marathon training. I have to say, it was frustrating seeing everyone else tearing down the downhill slope that starts this race, while I stubbornly stuck to my race strategy. I guess I did get a little satisfaction later on, though, when it was time to climb that hill again to the finish. I had plenty of gas left in the tank, and attacked the hill, finishing the last mile with my fastest split of the day. This was what I needed - to run my longest distance and still feel like I could have kept running. My time may have been a bit slower than I could have done, but I know now that I am ready to take on Chicago in October.
Best of all, I got to the finish line and was met by the smiling faces of my friends, including my wife Laurie, Coach Greg (who also ran the race, and did quite well) and Coach Joe and Patty S, who had come over straight from setting PRs at the West Chicago 5K. They didn't even get to eat any of the good race food that is the only thing I liked about that 5K. But not to worry, they made up for it at the Great Western. Mmmm, pizza!!
See all the GW photos on ET Photo!
