This race is not like pizza: Mystic Half Marathon 2018

The mystic half marathon is an HMF race, and is generally every spring.  COVID put those plans on halt, though.  But... there are some things of note for this race.  The course was updated for 2019.  Apparently, there were too many hills for runners according to post-run survey  results.  Fun fact: it is not unknown that the back half of the race course is hilly.  Also a fact: hills are a part of many road races.

I decided to sign up for this race and a race prep offered through Kelley's Pace.  I missed a few sessions - no big deal, right?  I also did not keep up with my training, and skipped many planned runs in preparation for the distance.  Half marathons are considered and endurance race for anyone new to the distance.  Training is recommended to minimize injuries, feel successful, and to tolerate things like hills.  Pros to signing up for the race preparation with a running coach included training on the course itself to experience the renowned hilly back half of the course.  No big deal, right?  Those hills? No problem, right?  Mostly.

The first half of the course takes you from the Olde Mystick Village area through downtown and along River Road.  Not too bad - it is fairly flat-ish with sparse vehicular traffic on most non-tourist season days.  This will get you through most of the 10K course if you were interested in a shorter distance or training was not quite up to par.

Fast forward to race day.  I embraced the @teamnotraining mentality of not properly training for reasons I do not remember (writing this post a few years after the race).  I remember the muggy start to the morning and thought this was not good.  There was no diagnosis of exercise-induced asthma at this point, so I was pretty sure that race day speed was going to be close to that of turtle.  My intended race goal was between 2:00 and 2:15.  I knew 2 hours would be a stretch but why not!  I should be capable of the achievement.

I believe I did okay for the first half of the race.  Again, I am trying to recall events from a few years ago.  There were some run-walk intervals in there, passing a few runners, and then the start of the hills at the back half.  Layer that with humidity and YIKES!  I did not reach my race day goal but did manage a PR.  So overall, not too shabby of a finish on race day.

At the time I did not think I would do this race again. It was Mystic and an HMF event.  HMF events are a bit pricey yet well-organized.  Looking forward: maybe I will give this one another shot since I know why breathing was such an issue and I know what to expect from a race course.

Finish: 2:21:16 with an average pace of 10:47 per mile.

Swag: Medal was not as cool as the 2017 lobster. It encompassed the mentality of Mystic.