Time for a good half

For years, numerous running calculators/result predictors have told me that I underachieve in the half marathon distance. It's true. I've done 8 half marathons, and none were great. It's an awkward distance for me, too long to go fast, too short to go slow, and long enough to get bored. A few years ago, I just decided that they're not worth my money. So, I don't have a single half-marathon race t-shirt in my active rotation anymore.

As I have no goal race yet until Boston next April, I think I'm going to take another stab at the half this Fall and see if this distance still haunts me. My goal would be something in the mid-1:30s.

The race I most like to do is the Philadelphia Half-Marathon on Nov 18. Small race (2,000 runners) with big atmosphere because the Philly marathon is going on at the same time. My concerns with this race are three-fold: $65 entry fee, 7 am start, and November weather.


The obvious choice is the Philadelphia Distance Run on Sept 17, but the course is kinda "ehhh" if you live in Philadelphia and the race got commercial and annoying when race management got turned over to an out-of-town for-profit company. Also, I've raced this many times already.

If I don't mind going out of town, the New York Road Runners Club puts on two half-marathons as part of their race series: Queens on Sept 23 and Staten Island on Oct 21. They are a lot cheaper, but after factoring in transportation, the cost is probably more than going to a Philly race. And I do mind going out of town if it's not some place new and pretty.

And there's the Liberty Waterfront Run in Jersey City on Sept 23. See above. And I don't want another PR set in Jersey.

I'm leaning towards the Philadelphia Half but am open to suggestions and discoveries until June 30, the early registration deadline.