On the weekend of February 26th and 27th, there's going to be an all-out celebration of running around Hillsborough Bay in the city of Tampa at the Gasparilla Distance Classic. On Saturday alone there's going to be a 15K and 5K, including corporate and military team challenges for all the races. The half marathon is early Sunday morning. Last year there were about 3,900 finishers for the half, with the winner clocking in a little under 1:12. Now that's fast.
My Race History:
I've never run this half marathon before. From the looks of things though, I think I can muster a very fast time on this course and possibly a PR if the conditions are right. Running the OUC 13.1 back in December 2010 gave me a lot of confidence at this distance after missing my PR by about a minute when I hadn't even planned to run fast that morning. I ended up gunning for it anyway cause I'm stubborn like that. With the proper training (we'll get to that below) leading up to this race, quick times are absolutely attainable.
Training:
In 2011, I'm going to stop my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants training plan and actually train with purpose and structure. Not having a coach (yet), I opted for the next best thing. The SmartCoach Training Plan from Runner's World. I know, I know. It's a pre-formulated training plan built to be used by anyone. However, it IS a training plan that works for a lot of people and, to be honest, I really don't trust myself with making my own training plan just yet. Not until I finish reading Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible. Anyways, SmartCoach's 9-week half-marathon plan passes the sniff test, so I'm gonna use it.
First thing I noticed is that I'm only slated to do one 8+ mile run per week until the race. This is news. I usually try to belt out at least 2 runs of 8+ miles a week. With this plan I'm running 5x/week, mostly 4-5 milers, with one long run of 9+ on Saturdays. First thought: "This is going to save my legs!" If I perform well on this plan I may use it again ahead of the Chicago Marathon in October.
Geographics:
Coastal Florida Flat. That's really all I can use to describe this course. I think the highest point on this route is only 13 ft above sea level. I climb higher walking up to my apartment every day. From the looks of it there's going to be a lot of miles next to the water which provides a fun distraction from the pounding you give your feet during this distance. Central Florida is a bit finicky in February with its weather. So I wouldn't be surprised to run in 50 degree air or 75 degree air. This is going to definitely affect my race.
Gasparilla = Pirates. I can handle pirates. Just keep me away from those straightaways!
Full PDF version of the map here.
Weapon of Choice:
Gotta stick with the old reliable Launch for this race too. They were top notch performers for the OUC Half Marathon back in December. Until I can find a racing flat that I can trust at long distances, it looks like the Launch is the way to go.
Can I have a PR please?
Last Years Swag:
Goal-Setting:
Mr. SmartCoach seems to think I can pull off a 1:30:53 (6:55/mi). A PR? Sure. If I can get some race strategery figured out (see what I did there?). At the last race I was able to start out in the 7:30s and work it down to the 6:40s by the time the race was done and missed my PR by a minute. I think the key to a fast race here is not to go out too quickly. Start out at 7:15-7:20 for the first couple miles to "settle in," and then ramp up the pace to sub-6:50 for the last 6 miles or so. PR or not, one thing's for sure: my legs WILL be screaming when all is said and done. Here's hoping for a good race.
To all the Gasparilla runners: Good luck and run well!
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