Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Race Report: Wine Country Half Marathon, Paso Robles, CA

Got home late last night and am still a bit jet-lagged, but had a great time in Paso Robles. I'd set a goal of finishing in under two hours - reasonable, I thought, since I'd never run more than ten miles until a few weeks ago and the race would be only my second attempt at 12+ miles.

My time: 1:52:56. Yahoo and Yippee!!!

The race route was gorgeous and mostly flat, though two diabolical hills in the last mile caused lots of cursing and swearing...and not just from me. I now have some training benchmarks and a couple of ideas about improving race strategy and pacing. I ran absolutely dead-on consistent 8:30-8:40 minute miles for the entire race and, with some confidence of finishing, could've been down around 8:20. That's what 'next times' are for.

Thanks to everyone who offered support and encouragement. Pictures and more to follow...

Oh, and I'm going back next year. Spring on California's Central Coast is not to be missed.

4 comments:

:) said...

Good job man. Nice time for your first half-marathon. Keep up the good work and you will obliterate that time next year! Can't wait for the photos...

Comm's said...

Good job. What a beautiful place to run. My time would have been much slower just soaking it all in.

Tracy said...

Do you KNOW how jealous I am!? Those pictures are beautiful. Wow, if you're gonna run somewhere, that's the place to go.

You're time ROCKED! That's awesome!!! You should really be proud of yourself. Steelhead's run won't even phase you.

soccerdad said...

great job steve. that time was fantastic. what a beatiful venue for a run.