The course is right by my hotel which is nice and I’m only a
few minutes north of downtown Syracuse.
When I signed up for this race several months back, it was just for a
crazy winter race. I never expected to
run well or PR. I figured it could snow
or be terrible weather. While it looks
like the snow won’t be there, I guess wind could be an issue.
I got to the trail around 3:30. I could not believe the wind. It was easily the worst wind I’ve encountered
all winter. The trail is a really nice
and wide paved exercise path right along the lake. The lake is completely frozen at the
moment. The path is almost as wide as a
road and it is probably beautiful in the summertime.
Right now though, the wind whips off of the lake. It was windy everywhere around here today,
even though the temperatures are warmer than they have been. If it is this bad tomorrow, that could make
selecting the proper attire a challenge.
Today, I wore a jacket over a lightweight top. Tomorrow, I’m hoping for one layer on the
top. However, it will be colder in the
morning. I wore gloves, but couldn’t
find my headband. Thankfully, I located
it after the run. I also wore
shorts. That wasn’t a bad choice, but I
think I have to wear long pants tomorrow.
I started off right into a brutal headwind. Welcome to the Lake Effect Half Marathon
course, I guess. I tried to take it
easy. The legs felt great. I was surprised though when I came through
the first mile. It was a sub 8 minute
mile. The wind is actually more of a
sideways wind that a true headwind.
It was so windy that I was able to spit from the center of
the path about 10 feet into the snow. If
I shot out snot rocks, it almost made it that far too. It was amazing how windy it was. Three of the race porta johns already tipped
over.
There was a guy in front of me that started running just
before me. He was going at a decent
clip. Maybe he was pulling me
along. I don’t know, but I definitely
ran faster than I planned. The great
thing is this route is basically pancake flat.
That is also likely why the pace was quick. I caught up to the guy right before hitting
mile 2. He turned around there and I
kept going. That was good because I
wanted to run alone. That second mile
was a 7:36.
The race course goes out on this trail about 3 miles and
then comes back and it goes out and back a second time as well. That is good news because if it is windy,
we’ll be changing directions every 3 miles or so. One nice thing is that the path is clear of snow
and most of it was dry. I went out to
2.5 miles and turned around. Toward the
end was slightly hilly, but basically it was flat by my standards. There is a channel at the end of the lake and
I guess that is where the Syracuse crew team practices. I turned around right near there.
Going back was instantly awesome. I was no longer running into the wind. It felt so much warmer. I was able to relax more and really cruise
along. A bit later, I did get hit by a
side wind again, but for the most part, it was much better in this
direction. In fact, at the very end, it
was pushing me from behind.
There were a lot of people out running and walking
today. I was impressed, with that
wind. I guess the folks up here are used
to it and it is one of the few good places to run. The final 3 miles were consistent. They were 7:43, 7:44 and 7:45. It is amazing how nice a run is at a new
location. This one seemed to fly
by. Five miles at somewhere that I
usually run can often take forever.
One of the cool things along the course is that it looks
like there are Christmas displays up. I
guess it is like the Lights in the Parkway.
I’ll have to go online and check out what it is. Even though it was windy, this was an
enjoyable run.
I’m really glad I checked out the course. The biggest positive is that it is super
flat. The negative obviously is the
wind. At least I won’t be running
against it the whole time. I’ll get to
change directions frequently. When I
have it at my back, I have to take advantage.
When I have it in my face, I have to take it easier. I can’t push too much in the beginning, since
it will be into the headwind. If I can
save myself, I’ll have a nice finish.
I’m not sure what to think about my time. I don’t have a feel for how much the wind can
slow me. I feel like I could’ve run
quite well today. Maybe it won’t be
quite as windy tomorrow. That would sure
be nice. I’d be very disappointed if I
didn’t break 1:30 and didn’t do so easily.
My goal coming into it is a sub 1:27.
That might be attainable, but I’m not going to push it and force
it. I’ll take what the elements give me
and go from there.
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