High mileage training and a steady, relaxed pacing strategy led to a completely unexpected win at the 2011 Towpath Marathon.
Despite having handicapped myself a bit at the River Run Half-Marathon by forgetting my watch, the scenic downhill course still yielded a new half-marathon PR of 1:23:33 and a 2nd place finish in the age group.
With 8 weeks of training after the Akron Marathon, I was able to improve on the predicted 1:27 finish time from various online calculators and deliver a 1:24:45 at the Cleveland Fall Classic Half-Marathon, a new PR by over 10 minutes.
Nils Erik Antonio has an interesting story, including an experience that many will never have – running the Olympic Marathon. Now, he has set an aggressive running goal and is working hard to achieve it – while running his own business and raising six children.
In my first 10 mile race on the Towpath in Valley View, OH this past Father’s Day, I finished with a 1:04:13 time, winning my age group and coming in sixth overall. This also proved that I am no longer 24, the oldest age of anyone who finished ahead of me.
The 2010 Cleveland Marathon was an amazing experience, not only because of the Boston qualifying and personal best times that were set, but also from the pleasure of exploring my city more thoroughly.