It's mile 10, and I'm just getting over a bad patch.
But wait: bad patch seems to imply that that slowdown will be followed by some sort of recovery and subsequent speedup. Unfortunately, my experience with bad patches is that they're almost always followed by worse patches. It's hard to imagine anything else on this HHHH (Heat, Hills, Humidity, and Humility) kind of day. Okay, the hills aren't so bad on this course, but the excessive heat, humidity, and humility more than make up for that.
This is my first experience with the Hofbrauhaus Half-Marathon (I'd been attracted by the offer of free beer), Other than the not-so-serious Brunswick Half-Marathon last January, this is my first half in a year and a half. I averaged around 9:30 per mile at that Boston 2.1 race, where my overall time was 2:06. Picking up where I left off seemed like a good idea, so I started today's race at that pace.
Did I mention the heat and humidity? It was oppressive even at the start. As the sun rose higher, things would go from bad to worse. All of my miles were at 9:30 or better until about halfway. Those middle miles are on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, through Rockefeller Park, along Cleveland's Cultural Gardens. It's relatively nice and shady, but that's where I lost it. Could I get "it" back?
Somehow, with three miles to go, I do. I start running at about the pace I went out at, and now I'm passing people once again. Some of them had recently passed me. A lot of runners are staying in shaded areas, even when they're out of the way. Me? I'm running tangents, despite the hot sun.
That final 5K turns out pretty decent; about like the first 5K. I guess I did get over the bad patch. I finish in about 2:04, good for 2nd in my age group. I suppose the electrolytes and multiple gels I took helped. Not to mention the promise of the free beer at the finish.
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