Race Season Begins in the City of Oaks

city_of_oaks_half_04A cold blast of winter arrived yesterday, making the morning temperatures for the City of Oaks marathon a bit brisk. The forecast was for the low to be in the mid 30’s. Luckily, race time starting temperatures were in the low 40’s. And the wind was just a little ca-burrrr in a few spots!

I dedicated this race to my friend Thomas Crowder, who we lost a few weeks ago to cancer. Thanks for the inspiration Thomas.

This was my eighth time running the City of Oaks half marathon and my 23rd half marathon overall. Last year, I finished in 1:43:08, and my time goal was to beat that. I wasn’t feeling that elusive 1:40 half marathon time today.

Merri Beth, Zander, and Coco were on the course to cheer me on. They saw me at mile 8 near Cameron Village and again at the finish line as I was cruising down Hillsborough Street with sub-eight minute miles. I don’t have the official results, but the live results (which are not official) came in at:

  • Bib: 4055
  • 10K split 0:48:38
  • Finish 1:42:47

My best time running the City of Oaks is 1:41:38, so I can’t wait to see the official results…it will be close to a new record, but I don’t think I beat it. That’s what next week on the Outer Banks course is for.

UPDATE: Official time was 1:42:05 at 7:48 minutes/mile

I finished 183 in the men’s, 208 overall.

Raleigh is hilly. And it’s a tough, but achievable course with lots of hills / climbs on the back seven. I love finishing at the NC State Bell Tower too. Congrats to everyone who ran in Raleigh today!

Here’s what the 2013 race season looked like:

  • Tobacco Road half marathon – 1:43:43 | 7:56 min/mile (Spring)
  • Flying Pirate half marathon – 1:45:27 | 8:03 min/mile (Spring)
  • City of Oaks half marathon –  1:43:08 | 7:52 min/mile (Spring)
  • Outer Banks half marathon – 1:41:32 | 7:45 min/mile (Fall) [PR]

Enjoy these pictures from the race. Be sure to see how the kids helped me stretch out after we got home. Thanks Zander and Coco.

One thought on “Race Season Begins in the City of Oaks

  1. Pingback: A Record Breaking 2014 Fall Running Season | hibbets.net blog

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