RunTheBluegrass Half Marathon race report

RunTheBluegrass Half in Lexington, KY may be "America's Prettiest Half-Marathon," but it's got to be one of the hilliest also. My time (1:56) was about 10 minutes slower than my PR (though still good for 4th out of 44 in my age group). It was lightly raining and windy from the start, but the heavy rain held off until about two hours later. So, those finishing after that must really have gotten soaked. My core temperature started to drop just minutes after the finish line. I quickly grabbed some water and food and retrieved my checked gear bag. By then, my fingers were already frozen enough that I had some difficulty in untying the bag. So, I didn't wait around for the post-race party and made a bee line for my car to thaw out.

Main lesson learned? Don't step on the car clutch too soon after finishing a race! Still shivering after I got into the car, I decided to start the engine, so I could turn on the heater. The moment the left leg pressed on the clutch, the gastronemius muscle (just looked it up!) knotted itself up, and I found myself semi-suspended in mid-air, above the seat, hands grabbing the steering wheel for support. To others also warming up in nearby cars, I must have seemed the very picture of rigor mortis. Eventually, the knot loosened and I slowly settled back into the seat. I quickly changed into the set of dry shirts that I was so glad I'd brought, drove back to the hotel, showered, and started off on the long drive home. In the short-term, what come first to mind, when I think back to the race, are those several minutes after stepping on the clutch!

This was a race of opportunity. I had a conference in Louisville, KY the week before, and Lexington, about 80 miles to the east, was on my way home. The race was on Saturday, and the conference ended on Thursday, so I had some time in between. After packet pickup Thursday afternoon, I had time to drive the entire race course and made a mental note about the rolling terrain ("hmm, sure seems like a lot of hills"). And, of course, the downhills don't compensate for the uphills! Shown here is the terrain typical for the course, at the mid-point split. The slopes are a bit exaggerated by the camera, but it was hilly. Pretty, though, even in the cold, windy rain! One very noticeable effect of such terrain on my running was the difficulty to get into a good rhythm.

From discussing with the RYBQ coach on how to better prepare for running a rolling, hilly course, there are three suggestions: (1) Practice running on similar terrains during training runs, which I'd need to partially simulate around where I live; (2) run conservatively during the early part of the race (in Bluegrass, I tried to run the early hills at near my PR pace and really felt that later on!); and (3) strength train the legs. I did just run the Shamrock Marathon two weeks prior, so that might have also been a factor. But, this kind of terrain does make for a harder--not for PR--race!

Despite the weather, I had a lot of fun running Bluegrass. Here are some more scenery from the course, which winds through Lexington's thoroughbred farms. What most impressed me were the race organizers and, especially, all the volunteers who braved the weather. The runners, at least,

were generating heat. Packet pickup was well-organized and efficient, as was pretty much every other aspect of the race, including plentiful parking. As planned, I used only two of the water stops; but I was tempted to also stop at the one around Mile 11 (?), where someone was offering either bourbon or beer aged in bourbon barrels! I'll come back to this later. I'm not sure what could have been done, before the start of the race, to keep runners warm, except to perhaps construct a big tent near the start. I took shelter behind a nearby small barn, until the start, which appreciatively began very shortly after everyone assembled. The organizer did make some adjustments for the weather, by moving the post-race celebration inside some kind of club building, though getting in was kind of slow. But, that didn't affect me, because I had to get on the road. I have two main suggestions for future races: Add mile markers and provide space blankets (if similar weather)! Still, overall, it was a great effort by the organizers. And those volunteers! One other thing I really liked was a very reasonable optional fee at registration to get online access to all the race photos. This was the first race for me that offered this option. I wish all races would do something similar, instead of way overcharging for photos.

This year's Bluegrass Half began and ended inside the Keeneland Association complex (horse racing), which I explored a bit on my pre-race warm-up run. Here's the famous Rolex Clock, just inside the east gate entrance, with the grandstand in the background.

And, here is the race track, with some early morning practice going on.

And, appropriately, here's this year's Bluegrass finisher's medal.

Finally, about that beer aged in bourbon barrels. Here's what I had at one of the dinners during the pre-race conference week in Louisville. A very unique flavor! I was going to get some to bring home but, in my haste to start the long post-race drive home, forgot! Another reason to run the Bluegrass Half again!