A quick race report from the Badgerland Strider's South Shore Half Marathon in Milwaukee, WI.

This is a great race put on by a good organization. In today's racing community, a half marathon will usually run you $60-75 dollars. Not the Badgerland Striders race - 15 bucks gets you a well-run half marathon, a pair of funky-colored gloves, 4 aid stations w/ water and Gatorade (and great, energetic volunteers), electronic timing, and some salty post-race snacks.

The course is along a pretty narrow bike bath that runs along Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. The course is flat with a few minor hills, nothing to write home about. The narrow path makes for a congested first mile or so, but I didn't have any problem moving through the field. The race is an out-and-back, meaning pretty heavy traffic two-way traffic on the bike path between miles 5-8. However, all the runners are very conscious and considerate of the two way traffic, and there weren't any problems.

I'd highly recommend this half marathon. It has a small race feel, a small race entry fee, but good competition along a nice course.

Personally, I had a great race. Weather was perfect (40 degrees and cloudy). My training has been going well, lots of volume in preparation for an upcoming 50k. I ran the first half at about 6:30 min/mile pace, and closed the second half at about 6:20 min/mile pace, closing the last mile in 6:05. I moved pretty steadily through the field, holding my pace and pushing as much as possible. The flat, fast course made for a pretty consistent race- there really wasn't much of a gut-check point for me. 1:23:59 was good enough for 19th OA, 8th AG (19-29).