Race Recap - 2014 Flying Pig Half Marathon

It has now been a couple of weeks since I ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, and although my intention was to provide a race recap earlier, my non-running life has remained pretty busy, so it has once again taken some time to get back to the blog.

Now, it's not for lack of wanting to write about (and remember) this race. Besides completing my full marathon back in January, this was my most satisfying endurance race to date....and not just because I set another half marathon personal record. Yep, I PR'd the Flying Pig, which was a pretty big accomplishment considering it was actually the toughest half marathon course I've run to date.

Like runDisney events, the Flying Pig isn't just one big event but rather a series of weekend events culminating with half and full marathons on Sunday morning (check out all the events HERE). Kicking off with a mile race on Friday evening, Saturday then offers a 5K, 10K, Kids Races, and even the Flying Fur...yes, a dog race for pet puppies (many dressed up like pigs) and not greyhounds. On Sunday morning, both the half and full marathons started at 6:30am at Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Bengals), run the first nine miles together, and then break apart until they both finish at the Reds' Great American Ball Park).

Not being that familiar with the city, coupled with the fact that I was staying about fifteen miles north of town, I woke up pretty early on race morning, readied myself for the race, and left around 4:00am. I arrived downtown Cincinnati at around 4:30, easily found a parking spot in a garage not far from the stadium ($5 flat fee for the race), and stayed warm in the car for a bit before heading over toward the starting corrals (Pig Pens) at 5:15am. If you're unfamiliar with the city or the race, the directions in the event guide were spot on, and I had no issue at all getting to the start. The volunteers were plentiful, and the atmosphere was definitely positive and fun.

To go back to my earlier point, though, what made this race satisfying was that I studied the course, had a race plan from both running and nutrition standpoints, and was able to execute without arguments from my body. With a half marathon PR of 2:18:20 set back in February, I trained to run a 2:15 race at the Flying Pig. Knowing that miles seven and eight were going to be tough ones (with a 300 foot ascent - not something we Floridians are used to), I knew I would have to get in front of my target average pace of 10:20. As such, my goal was to run the first six miles in an hour (10:00 pace) work my way up the hills at (hopefully) a 10:30 to 11:00 pace, pass the 2:15 pace group after the hills, and then stay steady to the Finish Swine...yes, at the Flying Pig, it's a Finish Swine!

And that's exactly how the race went. Here's the breakdown of what I saw as three sections of the half marathon race...

Miles 1 - 6 - Goal of 10 Minutes per Mile

• Fastest Mile - 9:48 (Mile 4)
• Slowest Mile - 10:09 (Mile 5)
• Total Time - 59:50 (Right on Target)

Miles 7 & 8 - Goal to keep it under 11:00 on the ascent

• Mile 7 - 10:43 (the steeper mile)
• Mile 8 - 10:31 (still up...but not as tough as 7)

Miles 9 - 13.1 - Pass the 2:15 Group and Take it Home!

• Fastest Mile - 9:41 (Mile 13)
• Slowest Mile - 10:11 (Mile 10)
• Passed the Pace Team between miles 9 and 10...and never saw them again!

Final Official Time - 2:13:05 (A five minute PR!)

Coupled with following the plan, the overall experience of the Flying Pig was a pretty awesome one. Now, I only partook in the race on Sunday because I wasn't staying downtown Cincinnati, but with pet races (yes, you read that correctly), kids races, a mile speed race, a 5K, and a 10K as lead ins to Sunday's half and full marathons, the atmosphere was certainly electric. The spectators were fantastic, and although I heard that this is not always the case, the weather was absolutely perfect...mid-to-high 50s at the start, low 60s when I was done. That said, I did talk to a few marathoners at the airport later in the day, and they told me that things warmed up pretty quickly when they were at their halfway point...but none of them complained about the race. Every runner seemed to have a great time. I was not the exception...

All Smiles Following a Fun Race!

If you're thinking about getting out of town for a race, I would recommend the Flying Pig without hesitation. I don't know whether I'll make it back next year, but I do have a good feeling that I'll get back there in the future...and I hope to run the marathon next time!

So now that the Flying Pig is behind me, I don't have a big race on the docket until I take on the Chicago Marathon in October. And to be honest, I'm even more excited for this one than I was for my first at Disney. My official marathon training schedule gets underway on June 9th, and like I did with my first, I'll keep you posted on the progress. 

Until then, enjoy your journey...

My First Out-of-State Race...Flying Solo at the Flying Pig

Tomorrow morning, I'll be running The Flying Pig Half Marathon here in Cincinnati, OH; and this race will be my third half marathon in six months (who'd a thunk it?). The event also will be the first one I'm running outside of Florida, as well as the first travel race without Michelle and Mary. As such, the overall experience has been a little bit different this time around...not bad. Just different.

This year, one of my goals is to run two full marathons (one down, one to go) and four half marathons (one down, three to go...hopefully two and two after tomorrow). As such, after running a local half in February, I was looking for a half in the Spring that would coincide with some business travel. Well, since I have clients in Dayton and Cincinnati, and since a number of friends have given rave reviews on The Flying Pig, I decided to come up for some client meetings and stick around for the race weekend.

And that's exactly what I've done. I came to town on Wednesday, met with a client in Dayton Thursday, met with two clients in Cincinnati Friday, and then made my way to the race expo late yesterday afternoon. While I've attended race expos by myself for local races in Northeast Florida, it was a little different attending an expo by myself in a town with which I am unfamiliar. Again, it wasn't bad. I enjoyed strolling through the expo, stopping at a few different booths, picking up my SWAG (which was plentiful), chatting with a couple of exhibitors and runners, and then making my way to the exit. Oh, and I did get to meet this guy, which certainly made me smile...

A Pig With Wings!

So today is the "rest before the race" day, and I still haven't decided what I'm going to do...it's easier to figure out at a Disney race, where I would go to a park for a couple of hours, have a decent meal, and head back to the hotel to rest the legs. Oh, I know I could head back to the expo and check out the booths again, but going back downtown, parking, and then walking around doesn't seem too appealing. I could also go ride a few rollercoasters at King's Island, but since I don't have the annual passes that I have at Disney, I'd feel more obligated to stay there (and on my feet) longer, which wouldn't be good before the race. I'm staying about fifteen miles north of Cincinnati because it was more convenient for my business purposes; however, it makes heading back to today's race events more of a chore and less attractive.

At the end of my deliberation, I think I'm just going to find a movie theater, take in a show that I know Michelle and Mary wouldn't want to see, have a decent meal, and then head back for some rest. Early wake up tomorrow (race starts at 6:30am), so rest is key.

So blogging gives me answers...I just decided that I'm going to go take in a movie before coming back to pin this thing on my race shirt and get everything else ready for tomorrow morning.

I Don't Think Any Race Bandits Will Copy This One...Right?
There are still spots available!

So tomorrow at this time, my third half marathon will be in the books. And even though I am admittedly a bit nervous about the two-to-three mile steady incline from miles six to nine, I have trained for a PR and am hopeful to achieve it...I'll let you know next time whether I did so.

Until then, enjoy your journey...