KySa half marathon

Today it was time for the first race of 2010: Kymen Sanomat half marathon in Hamina. A small race in a small town, except this year it was also the Finnish Championship half marathon.

The weather was sunny but cool. The was some northern wind so I wore a long-sleeve shirt and long tights as well.

Also the undulating 3-loop course was great with some spectacular river views. As always, Finnish spectators were shy and silent.

I chose to run in Brooks Green Silence flats. I wasn't completely happy with my decision, because I developed some hot spots on my both forefeet. They evolved into tiny blisters towards the end of the race.

To add insult to the injury, I held the third place in M40 age category for most of the race - only to lose it on the final stretch by three seconds. I just didn't have the sprint in me today.

The official finish time is 1:28:05 - my best half-marathon result since 1992. And 50 seconds faster than last year's best result. All things considered, this was a pretty good start for the season.