Crystal Lake Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Crystal Lake, Illinois
United States
60F / 16C
Precipitation
 		Total Time = 1h 40m 1s
Overall Rank = 60/269+
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 13/40
Pre-race routine:

Woke up earlier than planned b/c my littlest one woke up at 4am w/ teeting pain or something. Had a bananna, had a cliff bar and some water. Surfed the internet for a bit. Packed my bag and headed to the race. Met up with BT'ers startingtorti, markk, cindyk, and Hangloose. Talked over some race strategies, tried to stay warm in the cool rain.
Event warmup:

Since it was rainy and cold, I did some light stretching at the registration booth. Then did some strides right before the race. Did some more stretching.
Run
  • 1h 40m 1s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

Very nice run and pace. This was so much fun. It was raining and windy and kind of cool, but there was no need to worry about dehydrating. I started out w/ MarkK and our strategy was to do around 8 - 8:15 m/m and see how it goes from there. Well after about 500 yds, MarkK was gone, and there was no way I was staying with him. I kept what I thought was an 8:10 pace. Hangloose was behind me, but eventually caught up as I slowed down to avoid blowing up at the end. Well after 4 miles, Hangloose and I were doing sub 8's having a good conversation, and feeling very good. He started pushing it and I trailed him for the next 6-7 miles. He set a great pace around 7:30m/m, but I did not feel over exerted. Around mile 8, he had extended his lead to about 30 seconds, but my pacing felt very good, albeit much faster than I planned on going. Hangloose was running very strong, and I had expected him to fade, but he never did.

My negative split strategy went out the window, as the first 5-6 miles were well below where I planned on starting. So I waited until about mile 10 to start picking up the pace. I started to make up that ground, and evently passed him around mile 11. He said he was gassed, but he still looked good to me. Mile 12 felt great (although my shoes were waterlogged and heavy), and mile 13 seemed long, but finished as strong as I could. I think in the end, Hangloose and I both benefited from each other being in the race. I was hunting for most of it, but he had a great pace going.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I still need to work on pacing. I think I could have been stronger at the end, but overall, this was so much faster than I expected. My outreach goal was 1:45 and I crushed it.
Post race
Warm down:

Talking w/ BT'ers and my lovely soaking wet wife, getting into dry clothes, and eating some food. I haven't mentioned, yet, but it is so freakin' awesome to have your family at a race to support you!! They braved the weather and cheered us on to a great race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The rain, just b/c my shoes were soaked. But the rain probably helped, too, as it kept me cool.


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Last updated: 2006-06-23 12:00 AM
Running
01:40:01 | 13.1 miles | 07m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 13/40
Overall: 60/269+
Performance:
No signs for the first 3 miles and the first miles were shorter than the people w/ gps said they should be. The last miles were longer, though. 1st 4m: 29:56 (7:30m/m -again short) Mile 5: 7:25, Mile 6: 7:44, Mile 7: 7:24, Mile 8: 7:49, Mile 9: 7:41, Mile 10: 7:31, Mile 11: 7:31, Mile 12: 7:20, Mile 13: 7:46, Mile .1: 2:10 (this .1 was long).
Course: Crushed gravel path at the beginning, then roads, and then crushed gravel to finish. Some rolling hills, with a sizable hill in the middle.
Keeping cool Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4