Half at Fort Ben Race

Yesterday, I ran the Indianapolis Half-Marathon at Fort Ben. It's a nice race on roads and bike paths through Fort Benjamin Harris State Park. Pretty scenery, well organized, and fairly close to home (2 hour drive). This was my third time there. The last two (2017 and 2018) were my two worst half-marathons ever. This year was different. Cooler weather. Better training. Patience. I ran by power via my Stryd pod, trying to stay disciplined and keep the heart rate low. It worked. I finished in 1:44:05. Not close to my PR for this distance (1:32), but definitely a PR for this course. Here are statistics for the three races here:

Year	Finish Time	Pace	Place Overall	Place Div	HR avg
2019	1:44:05	7:57	232/1726	9/84	144
2018	1:53:10	8:39	204/1608	17/94	162
2017	1:51:21	8:30	287/1657	19/84	--

Based on heart rate data, I could have pushed harder and maybe knocked off a couple more minutes. I think a 1:40 was possible. Maybe. But I might have pushed too hard and blown up finishing slower. Who knows. What I do know is I felt good all race, always in control, and I had plenty left for a 2+ mile push at the end. That's a win. Nine minutes faster than last year. Another win. No injuries and ready to train again. Big win!

What was different this year?

#1: Weather. It was cool and dry (48F at start). Past years have been warm and humid. The race started 30 minutes earlier too--nice change.

#2: Training. I did more 10+ mile runs leading up to this race. That helps a lot. Plus I focused much more on pure aerobic training (low HR), rather than intensity and speed.

#3: Discipline. I held back at the beginning. Kept patient in the middle, then finally let it rip in the last 2 miles. Probably should have pushed just a bit harder all race. Oh well.

Extra bonus: First race in my Hoka Rincon shoes. They were awesome!

Maybe I'll get it all perfect next year.