Marathon to Marathon - Half

I took off early from work on Friday to make my way up to Storm Lake for check in. I didn't feel mentally prepared for the race as I was still bummed about having to switch from the full to half marathon. In addition, the forecast was calling for temperatures already in the 70's at the start of the race. and climbing into the mid 80's by mid-morning. With a route running through the countryside of NW Iowa, I also knew there would be not much for shade along the way. 

After packet pickup, I enjoyed a spaghetti supper at Storm Lake high school before heading back to my hotel in Cherokee for the night. I woke up at quarter to 5 to pack up and dive the 30 minutes back to Storm Lake. After the marathon started at 6:00 am, all half marathoners boarded school buses and rode to the half way point to await the start of the half marathon at 7:00. It was a strange feeling to watch the bus drive away after dropping us in the middle of the countryside.

Waiting at the half marathon starting line

My plan was to keep an easy pace throughout the race with a goal to finish in under 2 1/2 hours. My foot held up pretty well and the heat didn't bother me at all until the last mile. The most challenging part of the course for me was entirely mental. The route was extremely flat and over 9 of the 13.1 miles were straight down a single highway. I was very happy as I approached the last mile and a half and got to actually turn onto another road. 

I finished the race feeling very good and my time was right where I expected it to be. 

Officially breaking my streak of 5 half marathon
PRs in a row but very happy with my time

Finding some shade after crossing the finish line

There were a lot of things that I liked about this race. It was extremely well organized and all of the volunteers and staff were very nice. I also enjoyed running in a race where the number of total runners was measured in the hundreds. We were provided a meal ticket to use after the race so I took the opportunity to eat a well earned and delicious breakfast. 

Waiting in line for omlets at the Marathon community center

Post race breakfast

After breakfast I hopped onto a bus to make the return trip to Storm Lake. This is the first time that I have done a destination race (if 2 1/2 hours from home is considered a destination race) where I had no one with me. It gave me the opportunity to interact with other runners as well as race staff. I got to meet someone from Alaska that came to Storm Lake, IA just to run this race. I got to hear stories of weight loss success as well as one woman who had set some pretty lofty goals after beating cancer. These conversations and interactions really inspired me.

Now that my 6th half marathon is in the books, I'm looking forward to switching my focus full time to triathlon training. My first triathlon of the year is 4 weeks from today at the Accel Triathlon in Waterloo, IA.