Girlfriends Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Vancouver, Washington
United States
Northwest Women's Fitness Club
 		Total Time = 2h 30m 49s
Overall Rank = 465/856
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 33/73
Pre-race routine:

The race started only about 2 miles from my house, so I slept in until the last possible moment. Then I took a shot of dayquil, drank a cup of theraflu daytime, took a decongestant, and had my Mom (who is in town visiting) drive me there while I drank a cup of coffee. I should mention that I've been fighting off a sinus infection and monster cold for the last week or so...
Event warmup:

I found my friend, Kristin, who was parked nearby and climbed into her warm car. But then she had to pee, so I was walked around and shivered talking to friends.

A beautiful rendition of the National Anthem was sang by a very talented woman. After that, we lined up at the start line with 1000 ladies, and took off.
Run
  • 2h 30m 49s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

As usual, I started off a little fast until I fell into a comfortable pace. By mile 3 my outer shirt was covered in snot, and I was getting warm, so I gave it to a spectating friend. By mile 5 I was hurting pretty badly. Oh, did I mention I did a marathon a week ago and haven't ran since (note the above mentioned killer cold)?

Anyway, I chugged along and just listened to tunes on the MP3. But then the batteries went dead. So I struck up conversations with various women until they got grossed out by my constant string of snot rockets.

At mile 10 my Mom and fiance, Ken, were waiting for hugs and photos. I wasn't expecting them there, so that was a great uplifter. I saw them again right before mile 12. There was one last short hill through a park. After that it was home free to the finish.

I crossed the finish line, collected my snot-soaked shirt, and loaded up in the car.
What would you do differently?:

Not race perhaps. This is the first time I'm not glad that I did it.
Post race
Warm down:

Hot shower, theraflu, and a nap.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Besides the 10 pounds I've gained since the half ironman, this whole being sick thing kinda sucked it out of me. All that said, it was a PR.

Event comments:

This event really is awesome awesome awesome. 100% of the proceeds go towards breast cancer research. All women in a race is pretty sweet to see. The support is amazing. There are tons of volunteers -- many of whom are men. I hear the post-race activities are worth sticking around for too.

So aside from this not being the best day for me personally, the event itself is fantastic!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-07-28 12:00 AM
Running
02:30:49 | 13.1 miles | 11m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 33/73
Overall: 465/856
Performance: Good
Course: Mostly flat with a couple of hills. Starts/finishes in downtown Vancouver (Washington), meanders on multi-use trails along the Columbia River, through Pearson Airfield (for little planes), Fort Vancouver (historical site), and Officers Row (extension of Fort Vancouver). Really a great course.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4