Girlfriends Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Vancouver, Washington
United States
50F / 10C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 15m 40s
Overall Rank = 823/1922
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 182/398
Pre-race routine:

Drove to the race with a couple of friends, one of which was not racing this time. We were a tad early, so we walked around the expo, bought a cute tank, and then headed back to the car to get ready. Hit the restrooms and then headed over to the start to wait for the race to begin.
Run
  • 2h 15m 40s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 22s  min/mile
Comments:

This was my first ever half-marathon, so I didn't really know what to expect. I'd run a couple of other local (and small) 5K races and I'd run 12 miles on my own before, but I'd never done this distance and with this many other people (3000+ women). It was fun! My friend who wasn't racing ran the first 30 minutes with me before she turned off to run on her own. In the meantime, I'd met up with another friend, and we stuck together until mile 6 or so where I kept going when she stopped to walk. At mile 8, I had visions of grandure and thought perhaps I'd break 2:10, but by mile 11, I was slowing a bit. My cardio conditioning was fabulous and I never really got out of breath - even on the uphills. My legs/feet on the other had were feeling the impact. By mile 12, I needed to walk for 20 seconds or so because my hips were seizing up a bit. I was OK after that though - and then we hit the finish line crowds so I was definitely buoyed up. I had plenty left to almost sprint across the finish line with a big huge smile on my face!
What would you do differently?:

I think I need to work in some longer, harder runs to better condition my legs. I definitely had more in my heart and lungs and for the next race, I'd like my legs to be in good enough shape to give them a better workout!
Post race
Warm down:

After I crossed the finish line, I couldn't find my friends. I walked around for a minute or two before it occurred to me that they may have missed my finish and they might still be looking for me. They were! I finished faster than anyone expected, so they missed my finish! One of my friends had a big bouquet of flowers for me. :-) We took a bunch of photos and then we left to go get a DELICIOUS brunch in downtown Portland. Yum!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I was mostly limited by my lack of experience. I really, really enjoyed the day and I'm very glad that I've already signed up to do two more. I also know that I'm going to sign up to do the Portland Shamrock Run (15K) because it's hilly. Turns out, I really like running on hills!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2011-01-21 12:00 AM
Running
02:15:40 | 13.1 miles | 10m 22s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/398
Overall: 0/1922
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat with a lot of looping around. Nice views for most of it (along the Columbia River).
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4