What a fun race! I was blown away by how many people showed up to run. Unlike anything Ive been part of before. The smaller 5K, 10K races I have done around town dont draw nearly the same number of entrants or fans. Almost the entire 13 miles of the course had people lined up holding signs, handing out orange slices, drinking beers and slapping hi fives.

The conditions were nearly perfect for the race, 50F overcast, just cool and windy enough to keep your body temperature nice and comfy. We pulled up to the starting line with just enough time to fight through the crowd to the 7 minute mile pace group, but not enough time to go to the bathroom one last time. Luckily about 3 miles into the race I forgot all about it after seeing a guy who had managed to learn to pee while running. Apparently a port-o-let or a strategically placed tree would just take too long for this dude and while I was about 20 yards behind decided to let er rip.

I promptly dropped a gear and headed up ahead to start the first of many climbs in Iroquois Park. My heart rate was a little high, I was about 5 to 10 seconds per mile ahead of my goal pace but I felt good inside so I decided to go with it.? Since this was my first open half marathon, I wanted more than anything to run a smart race, but once youre in it, you just want to push ahead as fast as you can.? The park has a great collections of tough ascents, as much as 300ft, but rewards you with some equally steep and speedy descents to give our legs a little break.

About mile 5 we exited the park and had a pancake flat race ahead of run back towards downtown Louisville.? This aid station would be 1 of my 2 stops during the day, just long enough to make sure I got a good supply of water to wash down the gel packs I was taking.? This was the time to really lock into a groove, work on my technique, breathing and latch on to someone holding my own pace.? I hopped on the wheel of a 30 something woman running right about 7:10's which would work for me and got into my breathing every 5 or every 7 steps and just tuned out for the next few miles locked into a groove.

I noticed alot of funny things during this time … signs like “You rock my face off!” A pair of signs asking the question “What kind of animal do you NOT want to play cards with” then revealing the answer 50 yards down the road “A Cheetah! Get it ahahah!”? Finally a guy with a t-shirt on proclaiming that “If you can read this, you are definitely NOT from Kenya.”

That was a nice distraction as we were making the turn to head into Churchill Downs.? That was a fun detour through the infield since everything is setup for the upcoming Derby week and opening day at the track which is today.? After running out through the paddock and getting back onto 4th street we hit the Jelly Belly Sport Beans aid station which are supposedly the same thing as energy gels so I decided to grab a bag and pop a few for a little extra boost of sugar.

At this point my buddy had told me, you just have to gut it out.? The last three miles is where you just put the pedal down and let it go.? I was on pace to smash my 1:40 goal, but I didnt want to leave anything in the tank so I put everything I had left on the table and decided to rip the last 5K.? I had trouble finding the right gear, but right as I past the University of Louisville and the college kids that had come out, I got a boost that would end up putting out a 21:45 over the last 3.1 miles of the course.? I finished with a time of 1:34:49 setting a tantalizing goal out ahead of me that I might be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon with a little bit of help.? First things first … I have an Ironman to get ready for.? No rest days for me, Im back on the bike for 2 hours tomorrow.