Farewell to Summer: My Half Marathon - Photos and Results

A few weeks ago, I completed the annual Frederick Running Festival for the third time and I'm just getting around to posting the photos. Unfortunately, this year they only offered a half-marathon (13.1 miles) as opposed to the full (26.2). I was able to finish the full run with a completion time of 5:20 last year and 4:58 the year prior.

Apparently they cut the race back to a half this year because the back leg of the full marathon was deemed "too dangerous" since it was run along the non-existent shoulder of a 4-6 lane super highway. It's a shame, because I always considered that danger kind of like a "bonus" since it kept my "fight or flight" response fully engaged [NOTE: perhaps that should be changed to "fright of flight?"].



Regardless, nearly 5,000 runners took part in this race, which is really something to experience if you've never run in an organized event. I highly recommend starting with a 5K (3.2 miles) or a 10K (6.4 miles) because you won't be disappointed.

The best, free training programs for a new runner can be found at www.halhigdon.com where he offers a plan for every level of runner (beginner, intermediate, advanced) for races that range from a 5K up to an ultra-marathon (50+ miles) of continuous running. Higdon is both a running guru and dean of endurance racing, his training plans won't steer you wrong but always check with a doctor before you start anytime of training regimen.

So, here were my official results from the race organizers followed by two photos below. In the photos, I'm the one wearing the white circulation-enhancing leggings which I affectionately refer to as my ultra-fashionable Pippy LongStockings. My results were less than mediocre so please remember that I'm a slow, overweight, 42-year-old but at least I finished .

For your records, there were 276 finishers in the Male 40 to 44 age group and 3670 finishers in the 1/2 Marathon Division. Your overall finish place was 1980, your age group finish place was 202 and your gender finish place was 1159. Your time was 2:09:58.08 giving you an overall pace of  9:55 per mile.

This was about mile 4 - notice how the

circulatory leggings give an enhanced

bounce to my step!

For the sake of clarity, I'm the one

wearing the support hosiery!

The sad thing is that this looks like it will be my last race of the year, so my training will be more sporadic and less focused with fewer outdoor runs. I do love running outdoors and will miss it as the weather turns colder in the coming months.

Question: What outdoor activity will you miss the most now that summer is over?