I’m tired. Still exhausted today with a sore knee from a lot of pavement running in the past few weeks. Making the transition from the trails to harder surfaces should have happened a little sooner in training. That being said, 4 races in 9 days! Time for a Montana Half Marathon, or two.

Last weekend was the Bozeman 5k and the Bozeman Half Marathon — both PRs for those distances. Saturday, I ran a tough leg in the Ranch Run 25-mile relay. Friday night, I signed up for Sunday’s Montana Half Marathon, because I didn’t want all that training to go to waste with my racing season coming to a close.

montana half marathon billings start lineEasy runs over the past week felt good, so I felt fairly prepared for this gradual downhill Montana Half Marathon, which starts just west of Billings and finishes at the Senior High School back in town. My fellow Running Ranchers Relay Team member, Christy Gerdes @christyruns, was running it as well, so I was happy to join and put my 3rd Half on the books for 2015.

montana team beef running

Montana Half Marathon Course

The race starts with a steady downhill mile before flattening out and rolling into easy, fast hills through residential areas on the west side of town. I got a great start with a 7:24 mile to get ahead of the crowd. Compared to last week, I never settled into a mental zone, but kept a steadier pace throughout most of the race, between 7:36 and 7:53, with the exception of mile 5 which had a bit more of a climb.

Once I got to mile 9, things were a little more difficult, my legs were tired, but I pushed on. The finish was a fast downhill and I was running to beat the clock.

montana marathon team beef

I ended up with a second consecutive Half Marathon PR — 1:41:32, which beat last weekend by more than a minute! — and finished 27th overall, 2nd in my division. Christy finished in 25th a minute ahead of me, also 2nd in her division. The Montana Half Marathon was a great race and weekend for Team Beef!

I look forward to giving the Montana Half Marathon another go, hopefully, a bit more rested next year.

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Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.