Lake Effect Half

I love running a half marathon in February and having that option in Syracuse is challenging with the northeast weather. This year we lucked out and avoided any snow so the route was clear. I’m not a speedy runner so a clear course is important to get the race done without the cold impacting my toes too much. It’s a double out and back route and all flat so I knew I could be consistent with this one. At the first turnaround I was just under 30 minutes, a pace that felt right for the day. On the return I saw that I was at an hour as I started my second lap. At this point, I started doing the math because I typically fade and end up with a time about 2:30 for the 13.1 miles. Despite an uncomfortable left knee (slight grinding) I was still consistent through my second turnaround. I thought I might get to flirt with my first sub-2 hour half marathon ever if I could finish the final 3+ miles at my pace. The rain started to pick up at mile 11 and that slowed me down but by mile 12 I saw I could make that sub-2 with a kick. In the end I broke the line at 1:59 and a few seconds. A PR by about a half hour! In February! Thrilled with how this turned out.