America's Finest City Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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San Diego, California
United States
Neil Finn Sports Management, Inc.
70F / 21C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 46m 15s
Overall Rank = 720/3984
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 96/353
Pre-race routine:

My first half-marathon! Woohoo! Woke up at 4:15 and packed up my things. Ate a Clif bar, drank some Accelerade to wash it down, and dropped off the kids in the pool. Checked out of the hostel and drove down to Balboa Park, where I waited 20-30 minutes to exit the freeway and find a parking spot. Got my things together and boarded the shuttle to Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument.
Event warmup:

There must have been hundreds of port-a-potties but there were still lines in the parking lot, haha. Took a pee before the race and then jogged a bit around the crowded lot to warm up a bit before doing some stretching.
Run
  • 1h 46m 15s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

With the downhill start, I was able to sustain a good pace without getting my heart rate up too high. The run along the harbor was tough because the sun was just coming up and I had forgotten my sunglasses, so it was right in my face as it was on the horizon. This wouldn't have been a huge problem but it wore me out a bit and I think I was a little dehydrated. Stopped and walked through the last 3 aid stations I think. I wish I had brought gels along... I managed without it, but I think I could have used one by the time I got to mile 10.
What would you do differently?:

Train a bit more in the heat, and work on my nutrition strategy a little more.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a lot, and drank a lot of water and energy drinks they had. Walked around the finish line expo and got lots of free samples and smoothies and other things. They had a TON of Clif Blok shots for all runners at the finish line, but none during the course.. weird...

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nutrition strategy, and more training.

Event comments:

Good race overall. I'm happy with my time. I had come in hoping to break 2 hours, and then as I started training, I realized that I could shoot for 1:45. I got close! Next time!


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-08-17 12:00 AM
Running
01:46:15 | 13.1 miles | 08m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/353
Overall: 0/3984
Performance: Good
Official time and place is now listed. Got really close to my hopeful goal of 1:45, but I was too pooped at the end to make the time. Oh well, it was my first half-marathon... I'll get a PR next time. 10K pace was really fast since it was all downhill by then: 46:01 split for a 7:25 pace.
Course: Mostly downhill for the first few miles. From the Point Loma area, the course wound onto Harbor Drive along the airport and marina areas before heading to the harbor. Then it cut through downtown a bit and then went toward Balboa Park, with a steady hill that was pretty difficult by this time. Finished in Balboa Park.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4