RR runs Road 2 Hope Half in the Hammer

[richie-rich]

Bedazzled by all the reports of a fast downhill course, I registered for the Road 2 Hope half marathon back in early October. I'd hadn't run this event before so why not try something new.

My unspoken goal was to run 1:33 which would have been a PB by over 3 min. Plan B was to run under 1:35. Plan C was blow up and walk to the finish - which , trust me, I would have been perfectly OK with. Many worse things in life than not finishing a race.

Arrived at Confed Park early and caught the school bus to the start. Man I forgot what kidney busters those buses are. Bumped into b-squared, watched the full runners go, did a little warm up and stretch and lined up to start. It looked like a pretty small field but there were actually over 1,000 people running the half. Gun goes off and after the cheers from the crowd at the start it gets quiet fast. All you hear is the sound of feet pounding pavement. I don't mind as big crowds don't do much for me. I tend to focus on my race and everything else is a blur. But for those of us that like to be pumped up by crowds this probably is not the race for you.

On pace at 4km and we turn onto the parkway. The next 6 km are downhill - some of it pretty steep. The pace gets faster but only because of gravity. Because we are on a highway there are no water stations and it's pretty quiet. I cross the 10km marker at 42:49. I've got over a minute in the bank and feeling pretty good. Turn off the highway and I get a sense of deja vu. I've been here before only this time it's not pouring with rain and it's a little warmer - we are on the ATB course out to Beach Road.

However, the good feeling started to change around the 14km mark. I think the downhill stretch caught up to my legs which started to get a little heavy. And around here I zoned out mentally for a few minutes. I noticed my pace dropping off and I was starting to get passed. I think there were even a couple 5 min/km's in there. If I wanted 1:33 I thought I'd better snap out of it now.

At 17km b-squared zoomed by me and encouraged me to pick it up but I was done. I watched him vanish into the distance. 1:33 was out the window so I focused on Plan B. All I had to do was maintain my pace. But damn it, by 20km it's hard to do. I just want to finish and go have a beer. Make the final turn towards the finish and it's going to be tight. I push but doesn't seem like anything is happening. Cross the line 1:34:34 chip time. 2 minutes behind b-squared (who ran a great race with the lingering effects of a cold!)

1743 Richard Harvey 1:34:45 HM35-39 21/69 86 4:30 1:34:34

Whew. Felt good to be done and a PB to boot. Knocked almost 2 minutes off my Mississauga half time. Proud of the achievement but also realize what I need to do to take it to the next level and get under 1:30. Need to bump up my LSD's and overall mileage a little bit so my legs can take it and need to maintain focus the whole race.

[Edward]

Good race and congrats on the PB.

[Doonst]

Wow Rich that is fast. Be very proud!

[ian]

Proud of the achievement but also realize what I need to do to take it to the next level

Lots of runners seem to embrace having a glass that is both half-full and half-empty. Congrats on the PB and good luck seeking out the next level.

[b_squared]

Great run Rich! That's a shiny new PB you earned and sub 1:35 is a significant milestone. Awesome!
Nice to see you again too!

[Kristen]

Awesome race - way to hang in there for that last km. And congrats on your PB!
Can't wait to read your report when you break the 1:30 barrier.

[Mid_Packer]

Great race Rich, a niceway to finish off the season.

Dae

[casual-runner]

Congratulations - Great run
Good luck getting under 1:30

[cgraham]

Great job - especially getting through those last couple kms - sounds like they were tough but you beat them.

[tgilpin]

Congratulations on the new PB!!! Sounds like a great race

[Garrett]

Very fast! Congrats on the PB!

[trixiee]

Well done!

[ratherBrunning]

Congratulations on your PB! Good reflections--best wishes with your future goals!

[Ken B]

Great run and nice finish when things were getting tough!! Congratulations!

[AlfiefromPickering]

Great P.B. Another Congrats!!!
I should have listened to you and do the half instead of the full, but I can't help it, I'm always stubborn...

[West Grey Runner]

Great race richie-rich , like AlfiefromPickering it would have been a better choice for me to do the half. Hitting the escarpment with fresh legs would have been of fun. Congratulations on your PB.

[Jo-Jo]

Congrats on your PB...and have fun taking it to the next level