Race #163
Half Marathon #55
2019 Race #7
South Carolina Half Marathon #42
2019 Half Marathon #4
City of Seneca Half Marathon #1

I have a feeling that 2019 will go down as the year of the half marathons. It is, hands down, my favorite race distance, something challenging yet not too challenging that I can still fit into my crazy teaching schedule.

I have heard about the Seneca half for a few years but never made it out there. This year, however, in the spirit of run all the half marathons, I signed up and Mom and I trekked out there today. Admittedly, after one of the fullest weeks in my teaching career and a much later than expected girls night with some of the ladies from work, I woke up reluctantly with a little bit of a headache behind my left eye, something that has weirdly become a somewhat regular occurrence.

This time we checked how long it would take to drive down and arrived with plenty of time. I did not pay attention to the road on the way down and thus, did not realize that we drove through Clemson or even remember where in the state Seneca is located. However, once we arrived, we made our way inside to get my bib and swag – so. much. stuff!

This rec center had a few rules to follow.

Sunrise at the Start

What could I have been thinking?

Right on time, we lined up and started off down the road.

I had no expectations going into the race as has been my m.o. for this year so far. I also did not look down at my watch throughout the race, something that has been incredibly freeing. I enjoy this sort of pressure-less racing. I also knew absolutely nothing about the race course. I probably should have at least glanced at the course map because for just under the first half of the race I figured the course took a wide loop shape but ended up consisting of several out and backs, a non-traditional shape really.

I felt good throughout the entire race. My pace stayed fairly steady and felt that way throughout. The course itself wove around the city of Seneca and the surrounding area, beautiful countryside just gorgeous to look at. When not enjoying the scenic countryside views, we ran through a quaint, although a bit run down, main street which provided engaging views as well. Since Seneca nears the Piedmont area of South Carolina, plenty of hills populated the route although none as bad as Gervais in the Columbia half. These hills were textbook rollers with one, perhaps two, proving a bit more challenging than the others.

The only thing that bothered me throughout this half was my nose. For the past several weeks, two months really, my nose has decided to, after about six miles, start running faster than the rest of my body. If this persists, summer running will get a little disgusting due to lack of fabric on which to blow my nose. Frustrating and a bit inconvenient but not a deal breaker.

During the last portion of the course, I enjoyed the three different out and backs we had since it gave a chance to judge my position in the race. (At the time of writing, the timing company had not yet posted official results.) It also provided benchmarks for the students to aim for the next portion of the course.

Finally, I knew that I neared the finish line. I decided that I wanted a strong finish so I started to push the pace a little around mile 12. At that point, I spotted a photographer up ahead. He had just lowered his camera a little since the gap between myself and the runner up ahead was approximately 20 seconds. As I approached him, he raised his camera and I saw that he had on a Pace Magazine/Shop t-shirt. I smiled for the photo which earned me a “Great smile,” and an “Enjoy the finish!” I love that sentiment. After hearing that, I decided to follow directions and really enjoy that last mile.

As I approached the finish, just before mile 13, I spotted Mom up ahead and waved. She waved back and held her phone at the ready to snap some pictures.

After passing Mom, I returned my attention to the female runner several yards ahead of me. For the past couple miles, I saw a female runner just a little bit ahead of me and slowly got closer as the distance to the finish diminished. I wondered if I would have enough ground to cover before making a pass. I could tell that she seemed to slow a little while my speed increased so I decided to go for it. As soon as we made the final turn with less than a tenth of a mile to go, I came up alongside her. When she spotted me, she picked up the pace as well so I poured on a full out sprint. My pace for that last .10 registered as a 5:10. She kept pace for a few strides and then I pulled away. Victory!

Mile 1: 8.27
Mile 2: 8.45
Mile 3: 9:00
Mile 4: 8:56
Mile 5: 9:02
Mile 6: 8:41
Mile 7: 8:55
Mile 8: 9:13
Mile 9: 8:49
Mile 10: 8:56
Mile 11: 8:55
Mile 12: 8:52
Mile 13: 8:20
Mile .1: 5:10
Overall Time<:/strong> 1:55:35