Keeping a Streak Alive

Since we're on the way to run the Marine Corps Marathon, it seems fitting to write about a race we ran a couple of weeks ago.

The Boy has run the Tyler Rose Marathon every year since it started - so has our best friend J. We had the Marine Corps Marathon on our mind this year, so the Tyler Rose was a training marathon for the guys. They tacked on nearly three extra miles to the beginning of the race, allowing them to run a total of  29 miles.

Crazy. I joined them this year, but being much more sane I did the half marathon. This was a taper run - a shorter distance for me. However, it was still long enough for me to test out my intended marathon intervals and pacing.

The Tyler Rose is doing better on building crowd support. At the time of the race, the government was still shutdown (making the Marine Corps Marathon questionable). Thus my favorite support sign:

I'd never run Tyler before, so I didn't realize how very hilly the course was. Sure, the guys had told me it was hilly but you never really understand what that means until you run it yourself. In any case, I was happy to maintain my desired pace - despite the hills and cold humid weather - and still finish with a smile on my face.

And the guys did great, too - all 29 miles run, maintaining a slower training pace, with pep in their step at the finish.

Both guys have maintained their position on the Run-It-Every-Year Gold list and I now have a Tyler Rose medal to add to my collection.