First HM Recap: Wausau Half Marathon, WI, August 23, 2014

Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance--you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet. ~Doris Brown Heritage

What I was looking for in an event:

• Time enough to train
• Small event with no qualifying time requirement
• Clear information on event website
• Not too challenging of a course

Wausau had what I was looking for.  Those who know how hot it can get that time of year thought I was crazy, but as luck would have it, the summer of 2014 was not as hot as usual.

The race went great. There were 149 runners who finished the half marathon. My training really paid off. The hill between miles 4 and 5 going out and 8 and 9 coming back was a real bear.  Other than that, it was no sweat, figuratively of course, because I was soaked. Weather was quite favorable--70s and misty with a light breeze.  My time was 2:26, average mile pace 11:11.  I could have run another one the same afternoon. Just kidding. But I seriously started thinking about running a Twin Cities event in October right after the race was over.