Unofficial PR at Cleveland Half-marathon

Well, I didn't make an official PR, but I did unofficially. The course was a little long at 13.25 miles according to my Garmin (Sara and Shannon got the same length).

My official time was 2:03:14, which still is my second fastest half-marathon ever. I can tell you that it wasn't an easy run for me. My average HR was 169 and the last 3 miles were well over 170. Around mile 3, I was doubting my sanity for getting into a race for which I didn't really train, but my thoughts the whole race ran the gamut from that to "I think I can PR".

It helps that I know the course so well. This is my regular running grounds, so I know when to hold back and when to push it. Also great was seeing E and Solar cheering on the W. 3 hill between miles 2 and 3 and my husband at the mile 6 aid station.

The best part of the morning though was hanging with TriSara and TriShannon before and after the race. Such fun gals - finally got to meet Shannon in person! It was also awesome to meet TryguyJT after the race finished.

It was a great weekend for meeting blogger pals. On Saturday, I got to meet M (Trying to Tri) when I met up with her and K for a 3-hour ride. We were praying that the rain would hold off and for the most part it did, although the wind was high for sure. We did one loop of the GCT course and then I led us out into Fairport Harbor and beyond for the second half. K is quite the biker and she smoked M and me on several occasions. Luckily for me, she didn't know the route, so had to slow down every once in awhile. : ) Those ladies will be more than prepared for their first half-Ironman in August at GCT!!

Do I think I would have done better if I didn't ride 3 hours on Saturday? Maybe yes, maybe no. Likely no though. I haven't done any speed work, so today was mostly mental anyway. It was worth risking it to hang out with two fun ladies.