Monster Dash Half Marathon Recap

I love to run Halloween races! It gives me an excuse to wear a costume and run! The past couple years I dressed as a pirate for this race but this year I wanted to be something different. I really wanted to be Tinker Bell but questioned whether the wings would be a good idea for running. I decided to just go for it because I could ditch the wings mid-race if they were annoying.

My goal for the race was to finish in under 1:37 because I would like to run the New York City Marathon and this year is the last year to qualify with a 1:37 half. Next year, the qualifying time is 1:27. Yep, that is fast.

I picked up a friend's packet the day before so I had to meet up with her before the race. We planned to meet at 8:05 on the steps in front of the Cathedral. They ended up stuck in traffic trying to exit to the race so she didn't get there until 8:25. The race started at 8:30 so I raced off to the starting line. This is a large race so they try to have people line up by the pace they are going to run. I decided the 7:30 flag would be a good spot. I got there just as they were playing the national anthem. It finished and the gun went off. I was cutting it close. I am glad I made it toward the front because I was still weaving through people for the first few miles.

The pace felt comfortable. I saw a pacer sign ahead of me and I thought it was the 1:35 pace but I was wrong it was the 1:40 pacer. I weaved my way through the large group of runner to get in front of the them if I wanted to break 1:37. I learned during the marathon that I don't really like running with pacers. I think they are a great idea but I don't like being in the large group with people always jockeying for position. I don't want to keep getting cut off so I usually avoid running in pace groups.

The race was tons of fun. The crowd support was great! There were so many people out cheering! I heard lots of people yelling "Go Tinker Bell." I tended to speed up when people were cheering. A guy I was running near commented on this during the race. I can't help it that the excitement and enthusiasm from others makes me run faster!

I finished the race in under 1:37. It wasn't a PR but it was still a successful race. A bonus was that I didn't even notice the wings while I ran. I love getting outside and participating in running events with so many other people who love to run too!




Happy Running!