Sunday, April 8 - Half Marathon

Ran 13.1 miles in 1:45:45 at an 8:04 pace

I know, I know, I just finished writing a post about how to run a "taper" race, and the top recommendation was to take it easy. My goal wasn't to run Raleigh fast, it was just to finish and use it as a training run because I've got my first marathon in just 2 weeks! I was doing well keeping that goal in my mind until about mile 9.

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The race at Raleigh was hilly but I was keeping a calm and easy pace throughout the start of the race. One of the new additions to the Rock 'n' Roll series this year was better signage and information on the course which included a lot more clocks letting you know your time. Around mile 9, I spotted a clock and noticed that if I really pushed, I could possibly secure a new PR, it would be tight, but possible.

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I spent a few strides considering the prospect and reminding myself that I would have to run a marathon in 2 weeks, but in the end, I just couldn't help myself. I started pushing and telling myself that this would be good practice for the end of the marathon. All in all, I shaved 26 seconds off my PR which I'm pretty excited about given the added elevation challenge at Raleigh. My previous PR was set in Vegas last year which was obviously significantly flatter.