Cannonball Run Half Marathon Race Report

Entering a road race to practice running slow is contradictory I know, but that was my strategy for this morning's Cannonball Run Half Marathon in Greensboro, N.C. I decided to use this race as a training run for the Marine Corps Marathon which is now just a mere two weeks away.

In analyzing my prevous two marathon performances, I've realize that I've gone out too fast at the start and paid for it in the final miles. The temptation to go out fast is tough to resist....you've put in all the training, you've tapered and your legs and body feels fresh, you're adrenaline is pumping and you feed off the atmosphere, the other runners and the crowd. But the strong feeling you have at the beginning is replaced by fatigue and hitting the wall early at the end. So I figured what better way to work on going out slower and maintaining a steady pace than to practice it in a race setting.

I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to this morning by finishing in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 20 seconds for a 10:56 minute-per-mile pace. My mile splits were within seconds of each other throughout the event and I felt like I could have continued for several more miles of steady plodding. Going slow was tough, and the old pride took a hit as well by finishing dead last in my age group and 42nd from the bottom overall, but that's OK. I resisted the temptation to go fast. If I can average at an 11 minute mile pace at the Marine Corps Marathon, I'll be pleased.

The weather was cooler for this year's race, but it sure beat the steady rain from last year. The course was different as well. Much of it was run on the Lake Brandt greenway trail, which I didn't know existed. I'd also like to give a shout out to the boys and girls cross country teams at my alma mater Rockingham County Senior High School who manned the water stations and aided in direction people along the route. Thanks for giving up your Saturday morning to come out and volunteer.