Pacers running festival 1/2 maraton race report

As I previously posted I was doing this race for fun and to support my community race. This race last year was known as the battle of the boulevards 10k but I think they switched due to the amount of people that ran it last year and they lost control of it. So the decide to do a 5k and a ½ marathon and that will divide the people. That was exactly what happened at 8:00 around a 1000 runners went out for the 1/2 . I had a friend that was doing her first ½ marathon and I told her that I would run with her the first 3 minutes of the race. So we started at the back and chat for a while. After like 4 minutes I continue my way. The first mile and a ½ is down hill so I just cruise on it had a blast. Then I continue to enjoy the view, pass runners and checking my HR to be in zone 2 on less there was a major hill. I hit the first 5k in 26:40 for an 8:34 pace. I wasn’t that fast but since ½ of it was a down hill it make is you go faster. I continue roll enjoy the Pentagon the trees the GW parkway and the beautiful day for running that it was. I hit the 10k mark in 52:47 good for and 8:27 pace and a 2nd 5k of 26:07. After this is that the race run get challenging due to a nice hill and nice breeze. This course was good because it was turn around course and you could see the people. I saw my friend a few times and cheer up. This 3rd five 5k have a nice hill near the one of the pentagon monuments for the locals is where Columbia Pike begins. Yes sorry about my lack of cultural information but there is like 300 monuments in the area and I don’t know all of them. The hill was steep but I felt ok they were giving power gels and water and have some nice music to pump you up. I rolled over that part and hit 15k mark for 1:18:36 for and 8:25 pace and a 3rd 5k of 25:51. This was my fastest 5k of the race weird because had a hill but I take. By the time I hit mile 10th I was on pace for 1:50 so I thought about pushing the pace to go under that time. But The breeze had other plans I said to my self in the turn around after mile 10 I will start to push. Wrong!!!! once you turn around you had a 30 MPH breeze right in your face and will last for the remaining of the race. It was like if you were running and somebody was grabbing you by the back. It was blowing. So instead of pushing I just go with flow start laughing about the wind and enjoy. I hit the 20k marker 1:44:49 for an 8:26 pace and 4th 5k of 26:13 was slower than the 3rd one but the wind had to do with it. The last km was the same wind and a nice small hill at the end. I enjoy the course continue to pass a few more runners and got to the finish line in 1:50:07 for an 8:24 mile pace and 5:18 last km.

The finish line festival was great with a band playing tons of bananas and lot friends.
This race was great because it was in my community I didn’t had to drive have a lot of water at the stops the course was challenging but friendly you have a chance of a pr if the breeze behave. I really like it and was well organized. This is not the a senic course is basically run on parkways that on week days are crowded by cars. But I liked and recommend it to any body that wants to run a ½ marathon.
Great run

Stats
Place 227
5k 26:40
10k 52:47
15k 1:18:36
20k 1:44:49
½ marathon 1:50:07 pace 8:24