"Beat the Blerch" Virtual Half-Marathon

Yesterday, I ran the "Beat the Blerch" virtual half-marathon. Normally this is a low-key fun race in the Seattle area directed by The Oatmeal (Matthew Inman). With COVID-19, it went virtual this year. Got a great packet of race swag: tech shirt, medal, sunglasses, decal, squeeze toy, snacks, magnet, headband, pin, and nice race bib! 100% of proceeds benefit charities. What's not to like? Even my wife was like "Hey, that's a pretty nice packet of goodies!" 

So, how did the solo virtual race go? I woke up early on Friday morning, went to my local rails-to-trails path (Kickapoo Rail Trail) and ran 13.11 miles. Finished in 1:36:22. If interested, check out my full Strava stats for the race. My best time in 6 years! It was odd trying to run hard without race support or fellow competitors, but I managed OK. The second half was particularly rough. Lost motivation to push the pace. Very happy with the finish time, but I think I can do better. More even pacing would help. And I need to incorporate more tempo runs (30-45 minutes slightly slower than lactate threshold pace) into my routine. I'm pretty good at easy endurance and fast intervals....not so much the stamina needed for extended medium-hard efforts. My sights are set on breaking 1:35 in the next 2 months. I have two more half-marathon virtual races--October "Half at Fort Ben" and the November "Indianapolis Monumental." 

When I was done with the virtual race, I jumped in may car, drove home, and started a full work day. Simple life. Run and work. And eat. Blerch!