Chambersburg Half Marathon preparations

The 32nd annual Chambersburg Half Marathon will be run this Saturday March 12th at 8:30 am.  As race day approaches I am asking myself  "Why did I sign up for this race ?'  This is a very long distance for my current running skill level.  I was exhausted after my recent twelve mile training run on a relatively flat set of roads.

I will be running this race to serve as a baseline fitness test to use as a barometer for measuring my running improvement in the future.  I have to be extremely conservative for this race as this distance is on the upper bounds of my current fitness level.  The course is a tough one as their website makes mention of several challenging hills.

The results from the last eleven years of this race are posted on the website http://www.chambersburghalf.org/results.aspx.

Using the results from 2009 (the race in 2010 was plagued by rain and high winds) over 80% of the field finished in times with a pace faster than ten minutes per mile.  You could make an argument that runners whose pace is slower than ten minutes per mile are recreational runners.  This race field will contain a larger portion of seasoned veteran runners than normal.  This race should have about three hundred entrants - barring inclement race day weather.

The picture above is from the photography company named U.S. Candids and was shot at the 2010 race.  Because the race will most likely begin (at 8:30 am) with temperatures in the mid 30's and potentially end with temps in the low 40's, it will be difficult finding the appropriate level of attire to maintain a manageable comfort level throughout the race.  Notice in the picture above there is a runner wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts and in contrast there are runners wearing long pants, coats, and hats.

A critical factor in determining what I will wear Saturday will be the presence, or lack of, wind.  If there is any wind present I will wear a running windbreaker. As anyone who has run in the cold with a prevailing wind can attest to, the combination of a sweat laden top and a cold wind sends a debilitating (and demoralizing) chill throughout your body.  I am not sure if the weather forecast for this Saturday morning will have any mention of the estimated wind speeds.

I am not at all concerned about my finishing time for this race but would expect to finish between the 2 hour and 2 hour and 5 minute mark.  This race will serve as my long training run for this week.