I can not think of a better way to mark the half-way point of my Ironman training then running in the 24th Annual New Prague Half-Marathon.

I woke this morning with anticipation; I was hopeful it would be a nice morning for a run. I poked my head out the door to blue bird skies with a few white wispy clouds on the horizon. My pre-race meal consisted of Rice Krispies with some Grape Nuts sprinkled on top, a randomly sliced Chiquita banana, and skim milk. I also made a quick latte to get the motor running.

New Prague is about 56 miles SW of cottage grove with an estimated 1-hour 17-min drive time according to Google maps. The race started @ 08:00 so I left the house at 06:00. I arrived in town @ 07:10 a little ahead of schedule so I stopped for a non-fat white mocha (hold the whip) at a local place “The Coffee Corner“, a quaint little shop that has a nice looking lunch menu, so I’ll have to come back for lunch some time soon.

This was my third New Prague half-marathon, so I’m a little familiar with the area and knew just where to park. The air was very brisk and the grass equally as wet as a crossed the ball diamond in route to packet pick-up. No line, got my packet and shirt in a flash and was headed back to the warm van to finish my race preparations. The event shirt is a technical shirt this year, very nice. In the race packet I found my number and timing chip. The timing chip was new as well. It was a very thin rectangular shaped plastic coated thing, cool I thought. I got my number and chip on, got my iPod and Garmin ready, finished my coffee and water and headed over to the start line. After a quick pit stop I ran around the parking lot a few times to stay warm before settling into the starting corral.

The gun sounded and we were off right at 08:00. We were escorted out of town by a 2009 Chevrolet Camaro pace car and a variety of emergency vehicles. The half-marathon course (see map) follows primarily a rectangular route, starting and finishing in Memorial Park. The first and last 1-1/4 miles is a an out back, runners head south of town and out into the countryside. The terrain is comprised of rolling hills, with a few moderate climbs. The course is USATF certified.

This is a memorable event for me. The first year because it was my very first half-marathon race, last year because I was fighting with an lower abdominal injury, a souvenir from my trip to Berlin last year (an archived entry if you care to investigate further), and this year because it is the first running stop on the road to Madison. And by the way, the New Prague half-marathon returned to its roots this year and brought back the cow print theme and had cow print balloons lining the course (happens to be the theme in Madison as well, coincidence?, I think not!).

I’m pleased with the result, a new half-marathon PR. There was a younger lady who was running about the same pace I was. We went back and forth a dozen or so times starting at about the 5K mark. I was not really racing her but it helped with my pacing throughout the run. I stayed relaxed, did not pay much attention to my Garmin (I think I only looked at it three times in the first 10-miles or so), and was able to finish very strong.

I would recommend this race to anyone interested, from first timers to experienced runners. The event is well run, there is great town support. (The water stops are manned by different clubs within the town. The runners vote for the best water stop at the end. The winning club or group receives $250) And they serve ice cream when your done. I’d do almost anything for ice cream!