Well it’s here. Not too much to say this year, but let’s hit a few bullets:

- It doesn’t look to be quite sold out… you can REGISTER NOW or possibly register at the expo. The field was expanded so a previous near sell out and/or actual sell out may have been met and they’re squeezing in a few more.

- I really wish I could give out another free entry like I was already able to do for one person! I do have one other thing… if anyone’s out there… anyone still reading this… if you leave a comment on this post I may hand out a $15 gift card to RoadID… you’ve seen those of course… you read the ads in Runner’s World…  you know what it is! So yes I have one gift certificate to give out. If you leave a comment simply stating your goal time for Hospital Hill you’re entered in the drawing!

- Hospital Hill route looks to be the same this year. There is that little indentation at the extreme southern end up 62nd st and down 61st that continues to allow for the moved start line. If you haven’t run the Hospital Hill Run lately, well it adds YES another hill!

- I’m going to be DOG TIRED. I’m going to the Royals game this Friday night. Yes that’s right… this Friday night at 7:10pm will be at the Royals game… which probably leaves me at home any time between 10:30pm and 12:30am. Honestly though, that’s not so bad. I’ve done plenty of races on barely any sleep before. The good advice of course – especially if you have a hard time goal in mind – is to get the good night’s rest. The very first Hospital Hill I ran in 2007 I was so anxious (it was my first half, and my first big race at all) that I think I finally got to sleep about 1:30 and then awoke every half hour thinking I was late. I ended up running it fine in 1:56.

- Not to be outdone, I will THEN attend the 1:10pm Royals game Saturday afternoon! So yes that’s Ball Game – Home – Sleep – Drive – Run – Drive – Ball Game! Hey! Sounds fine to me! I love a good half-marathon in the morning with a full day planned! (it’s just the full marathons I’m kinda scared of, but hey, I plan full days with those too).

So! It’s piece two of the medal, an X thousand runners which I will analyze a scant 5 days from now, and another piece of the history books. Hospital Hill Run is almost here! I’m kinda getting excited writing about it!

Don’t forget leave a comment with your goal time for a $15 gift cert to RoadID (plus I have another code you can stack with it too!).

SEE YOU AT HHR!!!! SAY HI TO ME I WILL BE AT THE 1:50:00 pace group right next to the pacers wearing a white 2007 Hospital Hill Run shirt that says “Run For the Hill of it!” on the back.
(I was debating between running with the 1:45 and slowing or running with the 1:50 and speeding up… I think I’m going the easier route! 1:45 is a tough pace for me!)

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Hospital Hill.

What? You thought I’d have more to say? After ANOTHER Half-Marathon PR? This one feels different… I hate to say but I’m disappointed.  I really do hate to say that though. I mean its a PR… and RUNNING WITH THE COWS!! Wow! What a race! I loved it! My gosh I just may go back every year! I mean there wasn’t much to it course wise… see for yourself:

Running With the Cows 2012

Blah huh? Well it was sorta… but not really. Wait… not at all! It was all out in the country. No traffic. No lights. No police escorts. Cows. I saw cows stampeding. I’m not sure but I think the entire town of Bucyrus turned out. There were plenty of aid stations with good stuff. The weather was PERFECT!

I could go on… I mean I can… the post race food was the best I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few. There was a LOT of good food. Of all kinds.

Well, and I did earn my PR here. Oh… why was I disappointed again? Well my previous PR (set just a few weeks ago at Rock The Parkway) was 1:44:20. On that day I wanted 1:43:xx but I wasn’t disappointed… I was just happy with sub 1:45! Today I really wanted 1:43:xx. Alas, my new PR is 1:44:02. Three seconds faster and it would be mine. Oh well… I’m not THAT disappointed! It just means I have something to shoot for next time.

…and so with those three 39.3 under my belt now and mission accomplished and what have you…

And for the record my 39.3 are ranked thusly:
1. Running With The Cows
2. Rock The Parkway
3. Kansas Half-Marathon.

Please write in the comments — which were your favorites?

Ok… so without FURTHER ado… with those three under belt, etc…. I CAN NOW SET A REALISTIC GOAL FOR HHR!

Will it be to set another PR? Will it be to run sub 1:40?

You must be kidding. Running With the Cows was a lot of things, but it wasn’t too hilly. Hospital Hill Run has the word hill in the title for a reason. It rhymes with kill. There are some tough hills in the Hospital Hill Run and they don’t quit. It’s hill after hill.

So… my goal is still ambitious though, real ambitious because Hospital Hill can KILL!

HOSPITAL HILL RUN 2012 GOAL:
A HOSPITAL HILL RUN PR! 1:48:41 / 8:17 pace to beat my previous best of 1:48:42.

See ya in 18 days!

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Well I was planning on doing this drawing Friday night – but it looks like there is an emergency at hand!

WOW! The thing is almost sold out! Ok… so the drawing is …. now! And the winner is… #3. I used Random.org to generate the number… their total existence is dedicated to the true randomness of random — so I hope all can trust that I’ve done it fairly. I wish I had more to give away I really do because I’d like to give everyone one.

Regardless if you’ve got a free entry or not… I truly hope to see you out there on June 2nd. I should be hanging somewhere around the 1:40-1:50 pace groups depending on how I’m feeling that morning.

Congrats Sally Hathaway! See you at the Hospital Hill Run 2012!

(And if you are going to register I suggest doing it today or tomorrow at the latest because it looks like it will probably sell out by this weekend)

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