Race Report - Lacamas Lake Half Marathon

Goal Time:
1:50:00

The Weather Conditions:
Just about perfect, mid-50s and overcast.

The Event:

The actual event left a little to be desired. First (by my GPS anyway), the half marathon course was noticeably short.  By the turn around point near the 7 mile marker, there was a lost 1/4 mile.  When I hit the 8 mile marker, my GPS showed 7.80 miles.  I asked the guy who was passing me at the moment what his GPS said and he was at 7.85 miles.  When my watched beeped 8 miles, I heard another runner's watch ahead of me beep almost simultaneously.  Perhaps there was dead zone that impacted the GPS, but it didn't really seem that way. 

Also, for the most part, the roads were not properly closed off, which left me feeling like I was dodging traffic. I did not personally witness it, but I heard that runners were actually stopped to let cars go through, which to me is unforgivable. The safety and the experience for the Runners should be paramount

The Course:
In a word (other than short) the course is diabolical. A truly challenging course on many fronts. 

Right out of the gate, a 100 ft climb for about the first 2/3 mile, which is a real energy drainer at a time when enthusiasm should be at its peak. Instead of cheers and excitement, there was mostly silence, only broken by gasps for breath.  A real mental hurdle early on. 

Once surviving this initial climb, there are 2 miles of rolling down hills followed by 2 miles of rolling up hills. All the ups and downs made it tough to get into a rhythm, so my mile paces were all over the board. The downhills ran fast and the uphills were very manageable.  Because roads were not closed, for the most part we ran along the shoulder, which is a tight running lane and has a subtle slant, so I never really felt like I was running on a flat surface. By about the halfway point, my hip started to feel sore, but I was tracking about 1:00 ahead of my target, so I was able to downshift a little bit to give my body some relief.  

Miles 8-11 are on a trail, like a true gravelly trail though the woods around the lake. Beautiful yes, but an extremely tight running path and tough on the legs and feet, especially in normal running shoes. My pace slowed and I really had to battle during this stretch. The runner in front of me was keeping a nice steady pace and I thought as long as I can keep her in view, I won't fall too far off my target. 

Blistered foot, sore knees, sore hip, sore mind...I was happy to get back onto pavement during mile 12 and get back into a more comfortable rhythm.  The race finishes down the same hill we started on, and you pretty much just have to let gravity do its thing. I felt like my legs were gonna snap in half.

But as always, an unbelievable feeling to cross the finish line with great supporters cheering us on in Downtown Camas.  It had been nearly three years since my last race and I am energized by this experience and can't wait to take on the Portland Half Marathon in October. 

May you all continue to Live & Run Without Fear.

Results:
Officially, 1:45:46
Overall 114 of 666
Men: 86 of 297
Age: 12 of 52