Races

As my training had its ebbs and flows, there were three races prior to Green Bay: Steven Cullen 8K in January, the Lucky Leprechaun 7K in March, and the Door County Half-Marathon in May. I had run all three races the year before so I could use them as some type of barometer to determine if I had made any progress. However, because I felt that my training had been more miss than hit, I did not have high expectations for any of these races.

Steven Cullen 8K

This race was in Wauwatosa in early February. Unlike last year when it was -10 degrees at the start, this year it was a balmy 40 degrees. Despite my goal to run an "easy" race, soon after I started, I pushed myself.

Overall, my time was about a minute slower than last year's run:

2016: 0:43:14 (overall time) / 8:38 (pace min/mi)

2017: 0:44:01 (overall time) / 8:48 (pace min/mi)

Not bad considering I had been sick the week before. While not 100%, I was still able to gut it out and finish strong.

Lucky Leprechaun 7K

Jody and I have run this race the past two years. It is a great race. In particular, we like the course as you are always around people and make enough turns where you never get board of running in a straight line.

Once again, my confidence was not too high for this race. I would have been happy with any time around a 9:00 min/mi pace, but soon after we started, I felt good enough early to crank up the pace and beat last year's time.

2016: 0:36:15 (overall time) / 8:20 (pace min/mi)

2017: 0:36:08 (overall time) / 8:19 (pace min/mi)

Door County Half-Marathon

This was the third consecutive year we have ventured to Door County to run the half-marathon and its 5K. It is just a great race. The venue is perfect and it is a nice excuse to get out of Milwaukee for the weekend. The timing is also ideal as it is about three weeks before the Green Bay Marathon.

This year, I was torn how to run the course. Do I push myself and aim for a new PR? Or do I hold back, enjoy the race, and save my energy for Green Bay?

Even after the gun went off, I still had not made up my mind. I started fairly slow, but wanted to keep the 9:00 min/mi pace group within site so I could still achieve a sub-2:00 hour race if I felt good enough.

For the first 10 miles, I stuck close to the 9:00 min/mi pace group. At about the halfway point, I pulled ahead of the group but could hear them on my heals. Then at about the 10-mile mark, something crazy happened. I stepped on the gas. For the last three miles, I ran at about an 8:30 min/mi pace. With about two-tenths of a mile to go, I found another gear and finished with a mad sprint, passing about six people in the process.

Last four miles of Door County Half-Marathon  measuring my pace (blue line). Note the surge, or mad sprint, at the very end. The gray area is the elevation.

2016: 1:57:24 (overall time) / 8:58 (pace min/mi)


2017: 1:56:31 (overall time) / 8:52 (pace min/mi)

Overall

Despite my concerns that my training for Green Bay was not going well, from the race results, it was going well enough. And after the Door County race, I had reason to be optimistic that I could reach my goal of running a sub-5-hour marathon.