2007 Oak Tree Half Marathon

Run: 13.1 miles in 1:34:46 min. @ 9:00 a.m.

Pace: 7:14 min./per mile avg.
Weather: Sunny, 63°F
Course: Hilly course with a mix of gravel and paved roads in Geneseo, New York

Pre-Race Observations: Sitting here at 6:15 a.m. drinking coffee, I’m still not “feeling it” for today’s race. Beyond running this morning, my head is full of questions and concerns about the new school year which begins for staff on Tuesday and students on Thursday. I will do my best to live in the moment after this brief articulation (er… whining) and put my energy and effort into enjoying the nice 13.1 mile run that is on tap for me today.

My plan for the run is to focus on pacing myself in such a way that I have consistent mile split times rather than going out with a sub 6:00-minute mile, and growing progressively slower. In years past (this is my third Oak Tree Half Marathon), this approach has not helped me enjoy good runs for the entire distance of the race. I’m hoping to use a stronger sense of discipline over the entire run to achieve this… it can be a challenge to resist the initial urge to go all out at the “gun”…

Post-Run Reflections: The Oak Tree Half Marathon is one of my favorite runs each year offering a beautiful scenic route with an extra helping of hilly challenge. I also like that these (a half marathon and a 5k) are a benefit for organization dedicated to protecting western New York's open space resources, the Genessee Valley Conservancy (GVC). According to their website:

The GVC's primary protection method is by conservation easement. A landowner donates the development rights of his or her land to the Conservancy, while keeping all other ownership rights. This ensures the safekeeping of the land for the future. In exchange for the donation of the conservation easement, the landowner may qualify for tax benefits... A conservation easement is a legal document in which a landowner agrees to permanently refrain from certain uses of his or her property in order to preserve the environmental integrity of the land.

This seems to me an excellent cause and the spirit and energy of the lands I observed during the race only reinforced its value. The half-marathon course ran through the hills along unpaved, gravel roads. A gentleman dressed in true Scottish attire (kilt and all) played the bagpipes for the runners at two different points in the race (which ran in a loop). The music and the scenery made for a pleasant country morning run.


Oh, yeah… and I also succeeded in attaining my goals of maintaining a consistent mile-split throughout the race and as a result (I think) managed to run a PR at the distance… what a beautiful day for a run!

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!