Austin Half Marathon Race Plan: Part Two

This is part two for the half marathoners – go here for the first part…

Miles 9.75-12: On the Dragon’s Back
Turning right off Lake Austin Blvd. onto Enfield, you enter the rolling portion of the half marathon course. You’re on the dragon’s back, but you have to decide you’re in control. He’ll writhe up and down, but you’re going to hold on, maintain your form, keep your confidence, and ride the hills.

Enfield is a long, slow climb, with some slight dips, similar to Congress right before the first turn. It’s not that bad, but it can wear on you. It’s currently projected to be mostly cloudy, but if the sun’s out, the middle of the pack will be running straight into it. It’s a pretty time of the morning in a nice, quiet, tree-lined neighborhood.

At Exposition Blvd., 10.5 miles in, the marathoners will turn left – wish them luck, because they have a long way left to go.

Enfield continues to undulate just slightly for half a mile, before a long downhill under the Mopac Expressway. Relax and gather strength for your finish, knowing you’ll still naturally pick up a little pace.

There’s a smallish uphill on the other side. You’re likely tired now, and your form might suffer. You’re better off if you hold your form, though, and it’ll certainly look better in the pictures. Keep your head up, think about your hips, and focus on being smooth and strong. Maybe refocus on why you’re doing this, and all the time and sacrifices you’ve put into your training.

When you get to the top, just past West Lynn, at about 11.5 miles, make a decision. If you feel like you’ve got a lot left in the tank, and can pick up the pace, then this is the time to do it. If you do increase pace, do it in sensible increments.

Miles 12-13.1: The Dragon’s Tail

The dragon has one last true challenge for you – the uphill at mile 12, coming off the Lamar Street overpass. It’s steep, and like a spiky, scaly, thrashing tail, it can whack you if you’re not ready. Even the 2007 female half marathon winner commented on being surprised by this hill. If you’ve trained in Austin, or if you’re reading this, you have an advantage – you won’t be surprised.

Maintain a strong, but smooth, relaxed pace on the long downhill before the big hill. Let it carry you a little more than you might have earlier in the race, but don’t let your breathing get out of hand. Even on downhills, your hips should be under you – don’t lean back, don’t fling your legs out straight in front of you, don’t come smashing down on your heels.

Relax and gather yourself to take that big hill. Accept that it’s going to take some pace. You’ll gain more time by being conservative here, and being able to put more into that last mile. Head up, hips pushed into the hill in front of you. Move your arms, and your legs will follow. Grunt a little encouragement to your fellow runners – you’re all in this journey together. If you run the hill with your hips under you, when you hit the top, you’ll feel a release, and it’ll feel good as you transition into another nice, long downhill. When you reach the top, remember, you don’t have to slow down, because the effort you needed to climb just dropped off. Trust that your breath will come back to you gradually.

Another four or five blocks in, there’s a very mild incline, about as steep as Enfield was just before Exposition, but only for a few blocks. Hold pace, or, if you have it in you, pick up the pace again. If there’s someone that’s kept their distance ahead of you for the past several minutes, decide you’re going to slowly catch them over the next few blocks. When you catch them, pick someone else, and go after them.

At Congress Avenue, you make a right turn, and you’re almost home. Entering the Capitol grounds, there are large bollards across the drive for security – foot-wide, about waist-high steel cylinders, spaced 36 inches apart. The only alternative to having these up on race day was to line both sides of the Capitol drive with water-filled, cable-linked, cost-prohibitive barriers. There will be course officials and warning devices present to help you avoid them, but take responsibility, and be alert. Don’t try running around them through the grass – there are holes, and you’d feel silly turning an ankle this close to the finish.

Past the bollards, you have a short, fast 500 meters around the west (right) side of the Capitol. As you come around the side to the front, it’s only about 340-350 meters downhill the finish. That’s not even a lap of a standard track, and you’ll hear the music, the announcers, and see the crowd waiting for your finish. Pick up the pace here, knowing you’ll kick it up one more time once you clear the second set of security bollards and emerge onto Congress Avenue.

Once on Congress, you have 100 meters to go to the finish. If you decide to leave it all out there, be careful – don’t try to muscle yourself faster, just relax and smoothly pick up your cadence. Move your arms. When you hit the finish, don’t keel over to suck wind, because when you stand up, you’re just likely to go back down again. Keep moving, keep your head up, and collect your medal – congratulations on beating the dragon, and completing the Austin Half Marathon!