Mason Half Marathon

A week ago I came across the Mason Half and decided it would make getting in a 20 mile day a little more exciting. The course appeared to have a few hills which was a good thing as my next event has a crazy amount of hills. I had also never been to Mason, and running in new places adds to the enjoyment.

At the beginning of the race, I met (DailyMiler) Andrew who happened to be standing very to near to where I was. I've never had so many people pass me in the first mile of a race. And no, I wasn't up front. It took all the will power I had to keep it slower than 9, but that was my plan. As we turned the corner for mile 2, we began going uphill. Around mile 6, I spoke with a couple of guys who were trying to keep it under 2 hours. That was my plan as well so I had some company the majority of the race. At mile 7, we ran by the tennis complex where the Cincy Western & Southern (Tennis) Open is played. A little before mile 12, we started going uphill once again against the wind which had to be about 10 mph for the majority of the mile. It almost broke my will. Since I didn't want to get left behind by the two fellas, I put more effort into it and crossed the finish with them. There was a very nice pancake and bagel breakfast in the Mason High School after the race. After a shower and nap, I headed out for another 6 mile run / hill workout to make it a 20 mile day. It has been a couple of months since I've been able to get that kind of mileage in a day due to the foot injury. That alone was enough to make it a good day, but I also got the bonus of a fun half marathon that was for a good cause.