Monson Half -- Sun. Nov. 8th

No SRRC this week for me, and no other Swifties in the run, as it turned out. Headed out in good time, leaving about 10:30 and arriving on a gorgeous, sunny and mild morning. Monson filling up fast, so I parked in my usual spot, off the main road, and then went to register. #33, which felt kind of lucky (?) -- and the race shirt is a much more pro longsleeved one (wicking fabric instead of cotton). Take a couple of pics, then back to change for a warmup, then a bit more coffee and gatorade (fortunately not too long a line for the loos yet) and out for a mile. Run back up 32 as far as the bowling lanes, then back to center to do my stretches after just over a mile (8:22, easy pace). Then last run to car to leave long-sleeved top and head out to the start. Good crowd (300+ in the half this year), and though no Mark or Ivan, spot Sri, Joe F., and a couple of others. Chat with Sri at the startline: he's qualified for Boston too, same time as me almost, though he'll still be stuck in the 40-45 bracket.

Everyone's chatting, and the "Go!" command is almost inaudible, so we all scramble off, and I tag on to Sri to keep and even pace. First mile very conservative, 7:30 -- so I start to pick it up a bit, and move ahead--it's hilly but as long as I'm not racing I should be fine, and if I bonk I've got the gatorade. Hills feel good, and 7:07 feels about right for mile 2. Then progress at that pace, hills notwithstanding, with a 6:56, 6:56, 7:06, 6:57, 7:12 -- that takes us to mile 8, and finally we're heading back with some downhills. Mile 8 is 6:43, then 6:28, 6:30, so with ten miles done I'm finally averaging sub-7:00s, just.

At that point discover I'm getting a major blister on right foot--feels pretty bad, and I'm starting to tire a bit, but nothing for it, so push on: 6:37, 6:52 (mile 12 is always rough!), and then the guy behind me finally catches me. I try to stay close, and at the very end make a bit of the ground back, with a 6:27 for mile 13, and keep that pace to the end, thus:

Time: 1:30:38 (official)
Distance: 13.1 (13.18 gps)
Pace: 6:56s (official)

Comment; came in 29th, one place and a dozen seconds behind my PB for the course, done in 2006. Very happy with the outcome, considering; places 5/42 in my age group. The usual solid eats afterwards, including Guinness Beef Stew (*mmm), and say hi to April's folks and various others; catch up a bit more with Sri, then head home. Chuffed.