City of Oaks Half

Just got back from the City of Oaks Half Marathon. The combination of the race being in Raleigh and the start time being at 7 is REALLY nice. I was home and showered by 9:30!

As for the race, it was good to see Raleigh have a major race again (I ran the last Raleigh Half Marathon back like 4 years ago). And by major, i mean MAJOR. There were thousands of runners for this thing. And forget about getting anywhere downtown until late afternoon on the day of the race.

I like the guys who organized this race, but they may want to consider a few changes. First, having the marathon and half start at the same time, it seriously dampens the start times for all involved. my first mile was about 7 minutes (And that was with a lot of effort to get around people). Not horrible, but not ideal. Second, placing the start/finish so close to a speed bump is going to lead to problems. Especially for average marathoners (could trip and cause havoc).

I liked the downhill at the end. I was able to pick people off at the finish which is always fun. My time was around 1:28:30. My first 10 miles were relatively slow. I felt fairly dehydrated for most of the race - entirely my own fault for drinking so much at Halloween :( - In fact, didn't do paint ball like i was thinking i would because i felt so crappy Saturday. So, could have been better, could have been worse.

Next up is Pinehurst which is always a tough course. I am not totally sure I can reach 1:26 this year given the halfs i have left. I have to start worrying about Huntsville too.