I do not remember when it was the last time I ran the Raliegh Spring 13.1 Half Marathon. But now I remember why I have not.

For today’s event warm-up, I decided to do a 1-mile warm-up with Alex from InsaneRunning group. Easy run around the parking area, nothing too fast, just enough to lose the legs. Today was going to be a warm day; I warned Alex about the hills on the way back as they were long and late in the event.

Mile 1-6: Very uneventful initial miles; temperatures were warm already at the start but very runnable. There was shade from the trees, and the greenway was mostly covered, except for a few areas, crossings, and nearby streets. My legs were tired, but doing ok. I have been dealing with left knee problems for the last couple of weeks. I did not want it to make it worst, given that I knew that my physical condition was not up to par for a PR. So I started at the back, and slowly figuring out who was ahead and slowly, very slowly, passing them.

Miles 7-11: Uneventful miles, but it was getting very warm. They had wet towels to cool you down. I grabbed one and ran with it for the rest of the way. Pouring water at the aid stations and trying to cool down a bit. All these sections were mostly flat, with very minor elevation changes.

Mile 11 to finish: The final stretch is mostly all uphill. I tried to be conservative and slow down a little bit to be able to tackle and run the hills. But with the temperature being so warm, I decided to walk some and started about 3/4 of the way. I saw Alex with about 1/4 mile to go. Great to see a familiar face. That gave me the final energy to pick up the pace and finish jogging the last section toward the finish line.

I hang around for a bit at the finish line area. I talked to a few of the runners and friends before heading back home.

Month/Year	Event	Location	Type	Time
May-23	Race13.1 Raleigh Half	NC	Half	2:17:47

Event Highlights

Course: Great ample trail/greenway right of the start, long rolling downhills for the 1st 2 miles, but you get the same hills on the way back to the finish area. With the ample road, there is no problem starting and finding a comfortable pace.

Venue: At a parking lot area near a Big Shopping Center, with plenty of bathrooms and food for before and after the event.

Expo: No Expo.

Weather: Mostly sunny, 50º with 87% humidity.

T1D: Sugars within running range on the high side and stable throughout the event.

Fueling:

Pre-Race: 1 serving of Hot Cereal, latte, and banana.

Race: Tailwind I carried on my hand bottle and water at the stations.

Post: Protein Shake within an hour of the event.

Learning Points:

• The warm-up 1-mile run was fantastic.
• Forgetting how an event was in the past, could be useful, or not.