Freedom Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Norfolk, Virginia
United States
Freedom Marathon, Inc
48F / 9C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 55m
Overall Rank = 337/1202
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 45/107
Pre-race routine:

Up at 0440 for a 0700 race start; it's about a 40 minute drive to get there and we were picking someone else up on the way.
Ate Wheaties Fuel for b-fast with soy milk and a glass of OJ.
Got to the event about 0620, plenty of time for bag check and a walk around.
Event warmup:

Walked around the event booths some while we waited. Some light stretching and leg shake down. No real warm up running. My plan was to go out easy the first mile or so to warm up then pick it up for the remainder of the race.
The wind was blowing slightly, making it fairly chilly with the 48*F ambient temp. They had s line up in the corrals pretty early so I'm glad I didn't waste my time and energy running around to just get old again.
Run
  • 1h 55m
  • 13.18 miles
  • 08m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

Run went very well for me. I had a plan and stuck to it. I feel I raced a smart race. After the half way point I started walking the water stations, even if I didn't think I needed to... just a quick walk to bring the HR back down and re-energize. Plus, I don't drown myself! :-)

At past mile 11, I felt like I had left it all out there and had a slight moment of mental breakdown. I had walked thru the last water station and continued walking about 20 yards past the last trash can, mentally crashing and crunching pace numbers. A spectator (not even a volunteer) looks me square in the eye and says "Let's go man, just about 2 miles to go. You're right there!" I gave him a high five say "Thanks Brother!" and off I went running on to finish strong. Just needed that little motivation!
There were lots of spectators along the road cheering on friends and family, that cheered on the rest of us as well. Lots of high fives for little kids and adults alike. I had a blast with it -- it kept me going and out of a mental overload.
Post race
Warm down:

banana, walk, stretch and car ride home.
Did not stay around for the post race activities.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Confidence. I destroyed a PR today. During my mental crashing episode, I found myself crunching pace numbers to see if I slowed down I would still make my goal time. If I had just stayed confident and kept my pace and effort level I would have done better. The brain got the best of me.
BUT I am still proud of what I accomplished and I do feel like I left 95% of my effort out on the course.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2011-10-19 12:00 AM
Running
01:55:00 | 13.18 miles | 08m 44s  min/mile
Age Group: 45/107
Overall: 337/1202
Performance: Good
Lap Time Pace AHR MHR 1 08m 21s 1.00 miles 08m 21s /mile 171 195 2 08m 23s 1.00 miles 08m 23s /mile 170 175 3 08m 29s 1.00 miles 08m 29s /mile 171 174 4 08m 32s 1.00 miles 08m 32s /mile 172 176 5 08m 22s 1.00 miles 08m 22s /mile 175 178 6 08m 48s 1.00 miles 08m 48s /mile 174 179 7 08m 38s 1.00 miles 08m 38s /mile 175 177 8 08m 35s 1.00 miles 08m 35s /mile 177 180 9 08m 39s 1.00 miles 08m 39s /mile 178 182 10 09m 01s 1.00 miles 09m 01s /mile 178 181 11 09m 24s 1.00 miles 09m 24s /mile 175 181 12 09m 16s 1.00 miles 09m 16s /mile 178 183 13 08m 59s 1.00 miles 08m 59s /mile 181 185
Course: Course was really nice. All on the road but was an entire lane blocked off with cones; made it nice and wide for ease of passing and group running. Not very hilly just a couple of bridges over the river and two "down and up" under passes. Plenty of water and aid stations. Well marked and marshaled by police and volunteers.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4