Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania
United States
Bird In Hand Fire Company
76F / 24C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 3h 33m 25s
Overall Rank = 1049/1069
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 59/59
Pre-race routine:

Awake way too early. My sister and I had surprise tickets for our parents for a hot air balloon ride to launch right before the race start. Weather did not co-operate, and we did not know that it was cancelled until we were all on site very early. Would have been the best blog photo ever.
Event warmup:

Walk into horse manure in the parking field. Seemed appropriate for event #2 of Run Amish Country.
Run
  • 3h 33m 25s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 16m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

OK so I went into this with a heavy cold, not expecting much. I wasn't as confident as I had been in March, but not as overwhelmed as I had been at Disneyworld. My time reflects this.
What would you do differently?:

Be lighter, go faster, train more. Duh.
Post race
Warm down:

Pick up my Road Apple Award, presented to finishers of the combined Run Amish Country venture, new in 2012. Do the Garden Spot Village marathon, 1/2 or relay, as well as Bird-in-Hand half, and get the road apple. I was jazzed for the idea, and the original idea included real horse manure, "cured" and on the board. They surveyed runners, and half didn't want the real thing, so they only put it on half of the awards. Then at the event, suddenly everyone took the real thing, and those of us coming in at the end were left with the flat one. My wife is relieved, but I wanted my "real thing." They offered to send one by mail, but I wasn't that patient. If I want to cure my own to add, I need only walk out back to the pharmacy parking lot next door.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

A terrible cold, obesity. Years of evil Amish whoopie pies, collectively taking their toll.

Event comments:

There is something incredibly special about a group of adorable little Amish girls all chanting GATORADE practically in unison.

This was my third stand-alone half-marathon of the year. I had made great progress between the first and second, but this one was not treated as the target goal it should have been. So of course, I am now making plans to break 3 hours by the end of 2012, taking a full hour off my debut time from January.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-03-18 12:00 AM
Running
03:33:25 | 13.1 miles | 16m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 59/59
Overall: 1049/1069
Performance: Below average
Course: rolling hills of Amish Country outside Bird-in-Hand. As I live in Amish country myself, I really had no clue how tourist-centric Lancaster County really is. Watching "English" pay for buggy rides and take tour buses around back roads just makes me chuckle. The aid stations were almost 100% staffed by Amish families. Many came out to watch at the end of their farm lanes. If I do this race again next year, I plan to carry a bag of candy for the first two miles to throw parade style.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4