Capital City Classic 10K

The Capital City Classic 10K on May 11th was my fourth race of the year.  I had not done the race before but knew some friends that have.  It draws a fast elite field because of the prize money and it being the NC USATF 10K Championship.  After looking at the past results my goal was to finish within the top 20 and knew that would be a challenge even if I ran a PR.  The course looked great and not as hilly as typical races in Raleigh.  There was however going to be a tough uphill mile from miles four to five.  There would be a slight downhill finish for the final 400m or so on Fayetteville Street Mall to look forward to.

I arrived at the race shortly before 7:30am.  Jamie and I parked and I ate a Powerbar before making my way over to the VIP area where I picked up my free pair of balega socks.  They are great socks.  I have several pairs of the hidden comfort version.  I've never had any blistering, slipping, or rubbing issues with their socks.  The weather was nice but warmer than what I would have preferred for a race.  At least there was a breeze. The temperature was in the low 70s and humid.  I met some teammates on the Capital RunWalk team and talked with them before heading out for a warm-up run.

Start of the 2013 Capital City Classic

I lined up at the starting line for the 8:30am start.  I had to tell myself not to go out with the leaders because there would be several runners aiming for low 30 minutes and going out with them would be over my head.  The race started and I went out a little too fast but soon backed off and settled in on my goal pace.  Charlie "Choo" Justice pulled up beside me and stayed with me as we ran the first mile around 6:00 min.

I started picking up the pace after the first mile and settled in with a group of several women and another guy.  It was great having people around to run with.  Running fast is easier with people.  I ran miles two and three in 5:51 and 5:52.  Those miles were rolling but mostly a slight downhill.  My first 5K split was around 18:23, right on pace for a sub 37:00.  The first three miles were nice and shady.  Mile three to four was also downhill and I ran mile four in 5:55.

The uphill started shortly after passing the four mile marker.  I knew it was going to be a long gradual hill and I could lose 20 seconds or more on this mile.  The group I was running with started getting dwindled down. It was down to me and the guy, masters winner John Hinton.  He started pulling away from me on the uphill. I focused on keeping him close so I could possibly outkick him to the finish.  There was only one aid station on the course and it was at mile 4.5.  I took the small cup of water from a volunteer, got a couple sips in me, and dumped the rest on my head.  The hill was tough and I was beginning to fade.  Jamie cheered for me and told me I was in 11th place as I was going up the hill.

Running up the tough hill between miles 4 and 5

I was surprised I was in 11th place.  I thought there were way more runners ahead of me.  I expected to be in the top 20 barely.  Jamie telling me I was in 11th made me all the more focused on not letting John get too far ahead so I could finish in the top 10.  The sun was out and there was a tailwind going uphill which made the hill seem even harder.  I ran mile 5, all uphill, in 6:12.  I was glad that hill was over.

There was a slight downhill after mile 5 but not as much as I would have liked.  My legs had taken a beating and I wasn't able to pick it up as I had planned after the hill.  The first half of mile six was rolling hills with some downhills but the second half was another uphill back to the finish.  I wasn't gaining on John but he wasn't getting any farther away from me either.

I made the right turn by the Capitol building and had the finish line in my sights.  The final quarter mile of the race was downhill and this was my chance to use my kick.  I tried picking it up but my kick was not there.  The hill at five had taken it from me.  I ran the final 1.2 miles in 7:20 which was 5:56 min/mile pace.  I finished 11th Overall and 1st in my age group with a time of 37:15.  I was happy with my placing but a little disappointed in my time.

The Capital RunWalk team had a great race.  Sandy Roberts led the way with a 2nd place overall finish in 31:12.  Austin Balen ran his PR and finished 37th overall and first in his age group.  William Unger finished in 53rd place Overall in 47:23.

Since there was nobody passing out water at the end of the finish line, my girlfriend Jamie stepped up and started volunteering.  She went and got water bottles and set up a table at the finish line.  She passed out a lot of bottles to runners saving them the time of having to hunt for the water.

Age Group Winners

Overall, I enjoyed the race.  It was a great course that went by the campuses of Saint Mary's and Peace College, the beautiful homes of Boyland Heights, the North Carolina Capitol building, and the course had nice views of the Raleigh skyline.  My only complaint was the lack of a second aid station.  It was warm and humid and a 10K should have a minimum of two aid stations.  I would recommend this race to anyone wanting a good competitive 10K.

Angels Among Us 5K

I have been wanting to do the Angels Among Us 5K since my Uncle Don Overman passed away in 2011.  The Duke Hospital took great care of my uncle and treated his cancer as best as they could.  I hadn't done the race before because the last two years it was five days after the Boston Marathon and I wasn't ready to race so soon after a marathon.  Since I didn't run Boston or a spring marathon this year my scheduled opened up.  There were two other races I thought about doing, the Run For Umstead and the Medoc Spring Races.  I ended up choosing the Angels Among Us 5K on April 20, 2013 for two reasons.  The first, of course, was to run in memory of my Uncle Don and the second reason was the course was on the Duke campus.  I'm a huge Duke fan and couldn't pass up a chance to race on the Duke University campus.

I joined the team my Aunt Cheryl set up in memory of my Uncle Don.  The team was called Darting For Don.  My Uncle Don loved playing darts hence the name Darting For Don.  The team raised $1,270.00 and I raised $265.00.  Thank you to everyone that donated to me and my team!  I greatly appreciate it!  The funds raised will support brain tumor research.

My training for shorter distances had been going well and I was looking forward to testing my training at this race.  My training had consisted of a lot of 400m intervals with 400m and 200m recoveries between.  I also mixed in fartlek runs where I would run faster than goal pace for 1:00 and then run easy for 2:00 min or run faster than goal pace for 2:00 min and recovery for 1:00.  I thought I was in shape to run in the 17:40s with possibly a shot at sub 17:40.

Team Darting For Don

I arrived at the race around 7am for the 8am start.  After meeting my cousin Sam, Uncle Don's son, and his girlfriend I went and got my timing chip and ate a powerbar and had some water.  I sat in the car with Jamie until it was time to warm-up.  The weather was good for racing but less then ideal for spectators.  It was cloudy and the temperature was in the upper 40s.  After doing my dynamic warm-up routine and jogging a mile I made my way over to the start line.  The race was big as everyone lined up.  I talked to a couple runners on the starting line.  One was a cancer survivor and he showed me the scare in the side of his head from the surgery at Duke.  He had been doing great since and was looking forward to racing.

The race started a little after 8am and I was out fast but it was an uphill start.  Several runners were ahead of me but I knew I went out a little too fast and expected some others had done the same.  After a short uphill start the course went down hill and was flat for a little while.  The course started by going by the back of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.  I ran the first mile in 5:42 and I was in fifth or sixth place.  The course made a right turn after the first mile and I started up a steep quarter mile uphill.  I like hills because I can usually drop people on them.  However, I don't get to train on long hills like this in Greenville, NC because there simply aren't any.  At least back home in Carteret County I have the Atlantic Beach Bridge that is 400m straight up and 1.5 miles over and back.  I pushed the hill and moved into fourth place with the top three not far ahead.

A quarter mile downhill followed the steep uphill.  I felt good but I knew I was pushing it.  A couple short and steep hills came next but they were over fast, nothing like the long uphill after the first mile.  The second long hill came from 1.5 - 2 miles.  It was steep as well and I tried to maintain my low 5:40 min/mile pace.  The course was heading towards the Duke Chapel and we had the whole road to ourselves.  This was a very pretty part of the course.  The road is great to run and you get a great view of the Chapel the whole way.  My legs and body were getting tired.  I was not expecting this many steep hills and rolling hills the rest of the way.  I ran mile two in 5:51.

Finishing in 4th Place in 17:57

I knew I only had 1.1 miles to go and needed to give it everything I had to get in the 17:40s.  There was another uphill for about a quarter mile after we made the turn in front of the Chapel.  Another downhill followed which allowed me to pick the pace up.  I was still holding onto fourth place overall but I wasn't gaining much on the top three but they were not getting farther away either.  The rest of the course was rolling hills and I knew I had to climb the uphill back to the finish where the race started.  I gave it what I had but the hills took their toll on me.  I ran the final 1.1 miles in 6:24 to finish in fourth place overall in 17:57.

I was disappointed in my time but it was a tough course; tougher than I expected.  I still enjoyed the course.  It was pretty, challenging, and the weather was great for a race.  After cooling down I met up with my aunt and the rest of the Darting For Don team for our team picture.  The Duke Blue Devils mascot came out and on his headband were the words "Devils Running With Angels".  That was a nice touch.  The race had a great turnout.  My aunt and the team participated in the Survivors Walk, which was very emotional and goes through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens 

Jamie and I visited the Sarah P. Duke Gardens after the race.  It was very pretty.  We walked most of the trails and and paths throughout the garden stopping to take pictures.  We found a great spot near a pond to relax under a tree in two nice chairs.  We watched ducks swim and get out of the pond to sleep in the grass around it and close to us.  It was peaceful and we enjoyed it a lot.

I'm glad I got to participate in the race for the first time and I look forward to doing it again.  It is a wonderful cause.  It was nice meeting people that came out in memory of my Uncle Don.  He was a great uncle, father, friend, husband, and police officer in Morehead City and Raleigh.  He spent 30 years in the Raleigh Police Department retiring as a Captain and District Commander.  He was also a graduate of the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia.  He is missed every day by his family and friends.  He will never be forgotten.  

Tragedy at the 117th Boston Marathon

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post about the tragedy at the 117th Boston Marathon.  I dreamed about running the Boston Marathon since I started running in high school.  I was fortunate enough to qualify in my very first marathon but chose to wait until I broke 3 hours to do Boston.  I ran the 115th Boston Marathon in 2011; it was my third marathon.  I also ran it last year in the heat.

Running my first Boston Marathon was one of the happiest moments and best experiences of my life so far.  The crowd support was amazing and overwhelming.  The fans were loud and several rows deep on both sides of the course from Hopkinton to Boston.  Their support is part of the reason it makes Boston the best marathon in the world in my opinion.  Boston is truly the Olympics for the everyday runner; that is if you qualify you can compete.  It is mecca for the marathon runner.

Like the events of September 11, 2001, I will not forget where I was and what I was doing on Patriot's Day in 2013.  My girlfriend, Jamie, and I watched the Boston Marathon live on her laptop.  We were both analyzing every move the elites made and cheered for the Americans.  We left to get groceries after the winners and many of my friends had finished.  When we returned, I turned the TV on and saw the breaking news of the explosions on Boylston Street.  Jamie and I watched the live coverage in shock and disbelief.  I'm still in shock as I write this.  It is unreal.  I watched as long as I could before I had to leave to coach the D.H. Conley High School Track and Field team.

While at practice my phone rang several times as I got calls from friends asking if I was in Boston this year.  I also had a lot of text messages and Facebook messages from caring friends worried about me.  My hometown newspaper, the Carteret County News Times, even interviewed me for my reaction to the horrific events.  I was touched that so many friends immediately thought of me and contacted me to ask if I was safe.

My Dad stood on Boylston Street near the finish line in 2011 and 2012 as he waited for me to finish.  If I had ran this year he would have been there waiting for me.  I would have been done before the first explosion happened as the clock neared 4 hours and 10 minutes.  My Dad and I may have still been in the area watching the spectacle of the race and cheering on other finishers.  Jamie would have been with me this year as well.  I would have wanted her to have the best Boston Marathon experience and probably would have still been on Boylston Street with her.

It is a scary to think your family, friends, and loved ones could be hurt or killed by simply supporting you and waiting for you to finish a race.  I feel so sad for those hurt for supporting their loved ones.  They were innocent.  They did nothing wrong and nothing to provoke an attack.  I feel sad for the runners that were running their first Boston Marathon and were not allowed to finish because the tragedy stopped the race.  I also feel sad for those runners that ran their personal records and had their accomplishments overshadowed by a senseless and cowardly act.

This was an attack on our way of life as citizens of the greatest country on Earth.  In the face of tragedy, people ran towards the explosions, not away, to help those hurt.  Those people didn't even consider running away and immediately tried to help those hurt.  That is what makes Americans great.  That is what we as Americans are about.  Shalane Flanagan said, "The marathon is symbolism for overcoming and facing challenges.  This will not stop anyone, it will inspire people to persevere and show that we're better than that".

Josh Cox said, "Not sure what the cowards tried to accomplish but I do know they picked the wrong group of people to try and break and discourage.  Runners are the strongest people I know".

Race Day Tips for the Boston Marathon

Start of the 116th Boston Marathon in 2012

With the approach of the 117th Boston Marathon in six days I decided to write some tips and advice I found useful when I ran the race in 2011 and 2012.  These tips will be useful to anyone running Boston, especially those that are running it for the first time.

• Choosing what shoes to race in depends on how fast you are, how much you weigh, and how good your biomechanics are.  I run marathons in road flats and love the original Adidas Adizero Adios.  If you are considering using road flats do a half marathon or a long tempo run in them before race day.  You don't need to do a 20 mile or longer run in them because your feet and legs will take more of a beating on an easy long run because you'll be racing faster so 20 in a race will be much faster than a 20 mile long run.  If you want a little more cushioning than a road flat but still want a light and fast shoe the Adidas Adizero Boston and New Balance 890 are great choices.  If you're not as fast, as in you are either not sub 3 hours and weigh over 160 pounds, then I would recommend a neutral cushioned shoe if you have high arches or a stability shoe for low and flat arches. 

• All runners get to ride the public transportation system, the T, for free on race day.  Simply show them your bib number.  Make sure you don't bend your bib number either because your timing chip is on the back of it.  It must be worn flat and on your front.  Race officials will check your bib number before allowing you to line up in your assigned corral.  You cannot line up in a wave or corral ahead of your assigned one but you can move back a corral or wave if you would like.

• Use a Pace Band.  Find one that takes into account all the downhills and inclines on the course.  The gmaclin excel spreadsheet is the best.  A generic pace band that has you run even splits will not work at Boston because it is too difficult to run even splits or negative splits because the uphills come in the second half of the race.  While we're on the topic of pacing, do not run the downhills too fast.  You can run them a little faster than goal marathon pace but not crazy faster.  Running the downhills too fast will pound your legs causing your muscles to be trashed when you reach the Newton Hills.

• Buy yourself a cheap air mattress or tarp and take it to the athlete's village with you.  When you get in the village set it up in a grassy area, preferably in the shade or under one of the big tents.  You will be warmer and more comfortable than simply sitting on the grass waiting for the start.

• Take a big black leaf garbage bag with you to the athlete's village and on the walk to the starting corral.  You can use the garbage bag as a poncho if it rains by cutting a hole out in the closed in for your head.  You can also put it on and change clothes under it.  Another great use for the large black trash bag is as your own personal bathroom.  The lines to the bathrooms in the village and near the start are very long.  Get a large Gatorade bottle and carry it to the start under your garbage bag.  You can relieve yourself in the bottle under the trash bag and avoid the bathroom lines.

• Use Vasoline or Bodyglide.  Rubbing some on your problem chafing areas will prevent chafing and bleeding.  I rub some around my toes, heels, and achillies.  Guys, another tip is to rub a little on your nipples.  You don't want bloody nipples and no one wants to see that either.  

• Don't clip your toenails five days before the race.  You risk cutting them too short, which is painful and  that could lead to bleeding, inflammation  and ingrown toenails.  If you do clip your toenails, make sure to cut them straight across. 

• The official water and aid stations will be long.  They will be on both sides of the road.  Don't freak out if you miss the first table, there are plenty of tables.  Try to toss your cups to the far right or left side of the road.  Don't toss it down in the middle of the road.  The cups tend to get slippery and other runners could slip on them.  There will be lots of unofficial aid stations as well, usually set up by families and kids on the course. They will range from water, ice cold sponges, popsicles, oranges, and a variety of other things.

• Have a meeting place for your friends and family after the race.  You can use the official meeting places done by letters or you can pick somewhere else in the area if you are familiar with it.  If you use the official meeting areas go to the letters like X, Y, and Z because they won't be as crowded since it is rare for people to have last names starting with those letters.

• Finally, Do Not Do Anything New or Different on Race Day!  Do not drink anything you haven't tried in training and do not take any gels other than the brand of gels you used in training.  Do not wear any new shorts, socks, underwear, singlet, or shirt.  Only wear the clothes and shoes you have trained in.  Wearing something new could cause chafing.  

Enjoy the race and the atmosphere.  No race beats the Boston crowd support.  It's a holiday and celebrate Patriot's Day and your accomplishment after finishing.  Good Luck!

Running In Memory of My Uncle Don

Uncle Don

Dear Family and Friends,

I recently accepted the challenge of participating in the 20th Annual Angels Among Us 5K & Family Fun Walk.

The funds raised at this event will support cutting-edge brain tumor research. At Duke, ground-breaking lab research is translated into treatments for patients more quickly than anywhere else. Your gift will give Duke's investigators the resources needed to push their research efforts at a much faster rate. 

I am running in memory of my Uncle Don Overman.  He was a great uncle, friend, and wonderful father to three beautiful girls.  

I am asking you to help by supporting my fund-raising efforts with a donation. You can visit my personal fundraising page and click the "Support Tyler" button to make a donation now. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of many! 

If you would prefer, you can also mail your tax-deductible contribution to the following address:

Tisch Brain Tumor Center-Angels
DUMC Box 3624
Durham, NC 27710

I greatly appreciate your support!

Sincerely,

Tyler Pake

Changes In Stride

City Of Oaks Marathon Relay 2012

This will be the first spring I have not done a marathon since I started racing marathons in the spring of 2009. I could have done Boston again since I did re-qualify even in the brutal heat last year and lowered that qualifying time with my 2:54:29 at Marshall last November.  I love Boston and nothing can beat the crowd support and atmosphere.  I'm not done running the Boston marathon but I like traveling to different states, cities, and doing different races.

My friend Jarrod is trying to qualify for Boston in every state.  I've done two marathons with him, my first marathon and also my most recent last November.  I look forward to doing more marathons with him because we can train together and our paces are very close.  Having someone to train with for the same race makes a big difference.  Jarrod recently ran the Shamrock half marathon and finished in a new PR of 1:20:15, just one second faster than my PR 1:20:16.  You can tell me train together!

Anyways, back to skipping a spring marathon and what I will be doing instead.  I was planning on doing the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, OH with my friend Jarrod on April 28th but I don't have the time to train for a marathon like I would prefer.  I'm busy coaching the distance runners for the D.H. Conley Track and Field team, personal training while looking for a more full time job, and working for East Carolina Road Racing during the weeks prepping for races, and scoring and timing races for them on the weekend.

City Of Oaks Marathon Relay 2012

So instead of training for a spring marathon, I am re-focusing my training on shorter distances.  The 10K used to be my favorite distance before I started doing half and full marathons.  The 10K then became a good tempo run or tune-up race.  I would like to get my 10K time down in the 35s and under 35:00.  As I train for a 10K I will be focusing on doing intervals that develop a faster leg turnover.  The last several weeks have consisted of one day each week of 10-12x400m intervals on the track or road with a 200m and 400m recovery between.  The 400s went well, sub 1:20 with most being 1:12-1:17.  My plan is to stay around 12x400m and possibly go as high as 20x400m.  It's just a shock to my system because I haven't done intervals like this in years.  My body would rather do 15 miles total with 3 miles easy, 10 at tempo, and 2 miles easy then do hard intervals.  I'll also incorporate 200s and some 800s as well in my interval training for shorter distances.

I think it will be good to mix up my training.  I haven't focused on a 10K or anything under a half in five years or more.  I think getting my 10K faster will make my half marathon and marathon faster as well.  I've already noticed my tempo runs have gotten faster.  I used to shoot for a tempo pace of 6:05-6:10 min/mile but I've done two tempo runs in the last four weeks that were 5:55-6:02 min/mile pace.  I also look forward to doing some races I have not done before and against faster competition.

Crystal Coast Half Marathon 2013

The Crystal Coast Half Marathon is my favorite race in my home county.  I've ran the race every year and finished second, fourth, second, fourth, and first in the previous five years.  The course makes a 3 mile loop around the Morehead City waterfront before heading over the bridge and down Fort Macon Road and back.  This race has had bad luck with weather and this year was no exception.  The forecast predicted heavy rain, 25 mph winds, and severe thunderstorms.  The forecast still wasn't as bad as the inaugural race in 2008.  A quote from the Carteret News-Times about the 2008 race, "Saturday morning in Morehead City was hardly the best of conditions to walk outside and get the morning paper, much less run a half marathon. With near hurricane-force wind gusts, a steady, and at times torrential, downpour of rain and the threat of thunder off in the distance, Saturday morning was rough weatherwise".  The headwind going over the bridge in 2008 was unreal and it was so strong a your back coming back across the Atlantic Beach high rise bridge that it felt like it was going to throw you off the top of the bridge.  

I felt good going into the race this year on February 23rd.  I wasn't training for Boston like the previous two years so I was a little fresher for the race this year.  My goal was to repeat as winner and break 1:20.  I've ran seven half marathons and four of those were under 1:21 but not under 1:20.  I even ran 1:20:16 at this half in 2010 and followed it up with a 1:20:17, just one second slower, in 2011.  

Start of the Half Marathon

I arrived at the Morehead City waterfront around 7:00 AM.  The temperature was 60 degrees with a steady rain falling.  The wind wasn't bad actually.  The thunderstorms were off the coast so the weather wasn't as bad as predicted.  I ate a powerbar and sat in the car with my dad, in order to stay dry until it was time to start my warm-up.  After doing my dynamic stretching routine I did a warm-up easy 1.5 miles on the watefront.  After that I drink a G Series Prime and met up with Melanie.  We made our way to the starting line and awaited the start.  I lined up on the front row with Charlie, Choo, Justice and the 2011 winner and course record holder, Thomas Kunish.  Thomas ran 1:13:32 in 2011 but said he had been battling achillies injuries and wasn't sure how he would do today.  

The race started at 8:04 AM and I was out fast.  I kept my sunglasses and rainproof North Face hat on.  I run in sunglasses in the rain because I wear contacts and I've had contacts almost come out on runs in the rain before.  Thomas and another guy started pulling away from me after the first quarter mile.  For a guy that was battling achillies injuries, Thomas started out fast.  I thought my Timex Run Trainer pace was off because it had me at sub 6:00 min/mile pace and it didn't feel like I was running that fast.  I ran the first mile in 6:03 and felt good.  

Near 2.5 miles

The wind wasn't bad on the waterfront because it protected by houses on both sides.  The rain was staying steady and got heavier at times.  As we ran through the start/finish area at three miles I tossed my hat to my dad.  He told me the leaders were about one minute and thirty seconds ahead of me.  I knew I had to stay focused and hope they would come back to me.  My overall average pace was staying just over 6:00 min/mile as I started up the bridge at 4.6 miles.  The bridge is a little over 400m straight up before it levels off and drops.  It is 0.75 miles one way across the bridge or 1.5 miles over and back on the bridge.  I love running the Atlantic Beach bridge.  I could barely see the leaders and the lead police car with it's flashing light ahead of me because the rain was so heavy.  

I came off the bridge and was now in Atlantic Beach.  I still felt good and picked up my pace on the flat roads.  I ran mile six in 5:53.  Water was standing on Fort Macon Road and it was hard to avoid all the puddles so I just ran through them.  The leaders were staying a consistent distance ahead of me.  I decided to take a gel at 7.5 miles.  I've never taken a gel in a half before but decided might as well try it today.  The chocolate raspberry GU Roctane is delicious and I hoped the caffeine would give me a kick.  I chased it with some water at the next aid station just before the turn around on Fort Macon Road.  

Leader on top of AB Bridge.  Photo by Dylan Ray

The headwind started getting strong after rounding the turn around.  I knew I had no one one to worry about catching me because it was minutes before I saw fourth place.  The leaders were still running side by side more than a minute ahead of me.  I started looking for Melanie.  I saw her and she was the second place female.  I encouraged her and she encouraged me as we passed each other going opposite directions.  

The headwind was getting stronger but I passed through 10 miles in 1:00:31.  I made the right turn off of Fort Macon road and headed back towards the Atlantic Beach high rise bridge.  This was when the wind was at its toughest.  I tried picking the pace up but the wind was unrelenting.  As I neared the top of the bridge I could see Thomas walking.  As I passed him I said "I hope you're ok" and he said he was.  I felt bad for him, he had over 2 miles to get back to the finish and his achillies had to be bothering him if he was walking.  It took way too much effort to run mile 11 in under 7 minutes but I was now in second place.  

I knew I wasn't going to catch the leader unless he greatly slowed down so I focused on chasing the clock and a PR.  I came off the bridge and made the right turn onto Arendell Street at 11.5 miles.  I ran mile 12 in 5:31, my fastest of the race.  With 1.1 miles to go I had a shot at a PR but unfortunately I didn't have another gear in me.  I finished in second place overall in 1:20:20, just four seconds slower than my PR.  So close to a PR even in the wind and rain.  I seem to run well in bad weather conditions.  I just don't let the weather ruin my focus and I attack it.  

The winner was Quinn Woodruff in 1:17:51.  He ran a great race.  Choo finished seventh overall in 1:26:11, right where he said he wanted to be before the race started.  Choo and Quinn are both training for the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.  I am not running Boston this year.  I re-qualified in the brutal heat last year but chose to skip it this year.  I'll be back to Boston though in the future.  Melanie was the 2nd female to finish in 1:34:52, 20 minutes faster than she ran the race last year.  I got Melanie, a UNC fan, to take a picture with me after race and she actually made body contact with a legitimate Duke shirt.  Go DUKE!

Me and Melanie post race 

I was disappointed in my time but I still ran a good race and I felt strong.  I wish we didn't have to battle the strong headwind from 8-11.5 miles.  I want a sub 1:20.  I will keep doing this half because it is a great race.  They race directors, volunteers, staff, and timing company do a wonderful job with this race.  Everyone is very nice and I highly recommend doing this race.  Numbers were down from last year but that was due to the weather.  Mother Nature just doesn't like the last Saturday in February for some reason.